Statistical Methods for UXO Pattern Recognition
Abstract
This report discusses statistical analyses of the spatial pattern of metallic anomalies, buried and on the ground surface, detected during airborne surveys above two former Air Force bombing ranges: the former Pueblo Precision Bombing Range Number 2 in Otero County, Colorado, and the Victorville Precision Bombing Range in San Bernardino County, California. The main purpose of the analyses is to determine whether statistical properties of anomaly spatial patterns can be used to delineate areas with and without unexploded ordnance (UXO). A second goal is to estimate the expected number of UXO at given locations within former military sites based on the results of airborne surveys. Whereas previous statistical characterization of metallic anomaly data at UXO sites has used geostatistical approaches that convert discrete anomaly locations to concentrations of UXO per unit area (McKenna et al. 2002; McKenna and Saito 2003; Saito et al. 2005a,b), this paper focuses on analytical methods that preserve the discrete nature of the pattern information that the data contain. This research is part of the UXO Wide Area Assessment program run by the Department of Defense (DOD) Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). The goal of this program is to provide the DOD with the tools needed to fully characterize the amount of land in the United States that is contaminated with UXO. Due to the long time period during which the military has conducted live-fire training in some areas of the United States, combined with poor record-keeping over much of the DOD s history, the amount of land contaminated with UXO and specific geographic boundaries of the contamination are highly uncertain (Defense Science Board 2003).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA603920
Entities
People
- Jacqueline A. Macdonald
- Mitchell J. Small
Organizations
- Carnegie Mellon University