Detection of Low-Contrast Moving Targets
Abstract
The U.S. Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (USAMSAA) designed a perception experiment to assess the influence of target angular velocity on the detectability of low to moderate contrast targets. The Moving Target Experiment It (MTE II) was designed to he representative of search with the unaided eye. Target angular velocity, range, contrast, and background were varied. Targets with near-equal contrast at identical range and angular velocity yielded widely different probabilities of detection. However, within a specific background region, contrast had a significant impact. This localized impact of target contrast indicates that further improvements in search and target acquisition modeling requires the evaluation of scene-content's impact on target detection (i.e., what about the scene leads an observer to the vicinity of the target.) For low-contrast targets, scene content has even greater impact on detection. The U.S. Army's standard methodology for representing search and target acquisition in combat models is the ACQUIRE model. Current implementations of ACQUIRE utilize the "two-thirds rule" to represent the detection of all moving targets regardless of angular velocity. The n5O for the detection of moving targets is simply 2/3 of the n5O used to represent the detection of stationary targets. Results of the MTE 11 and other experiments indicate that the appropriate ratio of moving-to-stationary n5O decreases as a function of angular velocity. A ratio of 2/3 equates to an angular velocity of 1 milli-radian/sec and a ratio of 1/3 equates to an angular velocity of 3.3 milli-radians /sec.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADP010547
Entities
People
- John P. Mazz
- Regina W. Kistner
- William T. Pibil