Matched Filter Processor for Detection and Discrimination of Unexploded Ordnance
Abstract
The detection of Buried Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) is one of the most serious environmental problems facing the Department of Defense. In addition, false alarms due to clutter are also a serious problem. With traditional survey methods, the Army Corps of Engineers finds that 85- 95% of all detected targets are not UXO. Since the cost of identifying and disposing of UXO in the United States using current technologies is estimated to range up to $500 billion, increases in performance efficiency due to reduced false alarm rates can result in substantial cost savings. The investments of SERDP, ESTCP and the U.S. Army Environmental Center UXO Advanced Technology Demonstration Programs in automated UXO detection and discrimination technologies have resulted in site characterization technologies that have demonstrated detection probabilities of greater than 95 percent. However, there are always buried targets that are too small, or are buried too deeply, to be detected with current systems. The Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) Phase I-III demonstrations indicate improved system performance, but not necessarily an improvement in the size-depth detection envelope. These detection results reflect the performance of experienced operators selecting anomalies from displays of survey data. Studies of visual signal detection consistently show that human operators do not perform as well as the optimal linear processor. Human observer efficiency for detection of aperiodic signals in white noise is about 50% and is further reduced with the addition of structured noise. Reported detection efficiencies in structured backgrounds are 10% for detection of disk signals in simulated lumpy backgrounds consisting of Gaussian-shaped blobs, 4% to 17% for detection of simulated lesions in backgrounds representative of coronary angiograms, and 36% for detection of a vehicle in natural settings. However, optimal linear filtering has not been used previously for UXO detection.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA603913
Entities
People
- George Robitaille
- Jeffrey Marqusee
- Thomas Bell
Organizations
- Environmental Security Technology Certification Program