Electromagnetic Induction and Magnetic Sensor Fusion for Enhanced UXO Target Classification
Abstract
Buried unexploded ordnance, UXO, is one of the Department of Defense's most pressing environmental problems. Not limited to active ranges and bases, UXO contamination is also present at DOD sites that are dormant and in areas adjacent to military ranges that are under the control of other government agencies and the private sector. Traditional methods for buried UXO detection, characterization and remediation are labor-intensive, slow and inefficient. Typical detection and characterization methods rely on handheld detectors operated by explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians who slowly walk across the survey area. This process has been documented as inefficient and marginally effective. In addition, a large portion, approaching 70% in some cases, of the total budget of a typical remediation effort is spent on digging targets that do not tum out to be UXO. The Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, ESTCP, has supported the Naval Research Laboratory in the development of the Multi-sensor Towed Array Detection System, MTADS, to address these deficiencies. The MTADS incorporates both cesium vapor full-field magnetometers and pulsed-induction sensors in linear arrays that are towed over survey sites by an all-terrain vehicle. Sensor positioning is provided by state-of-the-art Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS receivers. The survey data acquired by MTADS is analyzed by an NRL-developed Data Analysis System (DAS). The DAS was designed to locate, identify and categorize all military ordnance at its maximum self-burial depth. It is efficient and simple to operate by relatively untrained personnel. The performance of the MTADS has been demonstrated at a number of prepared sites and live ranges over the past two years. It can detect and locate ordnance with accuracies on the order of 15 cm. However, even with careful mission planning and preliminary training there are still significant numbers of non-ordnance targets selected.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 29, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA603517
Entities
People
- Anne M. Andrews
- Bill Davis
- Bruce Barrow
- Catherine Vogel
- Herbert H. Nelson
- Jack Kaiser
- Jeffrey Marqusee
- Jim R. McDonald
- Richard Robertson
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory