Measurements and analysis of active/passive multispectral imaging

Abstract

This paper describes a data collection on passive and active imaging and the preliminary analysis. It is part of an ongoing work on active and passive imaging for target identification using different wavelength bands. We focus on data collection at NIR-SWIR wavelengths but we also include the visible and the thermal region. Active imaging in NIRSWIR will support the passive imaging by eliminating shadows during day-time and allow night operation. Among the applications that are most likely for active multispectral imaging, we focus on long range human target identification. We also study the combination of active and passive sensing. The target scenarios of interest include persons carrying different objects and their associated activities. We investigated laser imaging for target detection and classification up to 1 km assuming that another cueing sensor - passive EO and/or radar - is available for target acquisition and detection. Broadband or multispectral operation will reduce the effects of target speckle and atmospheric turbulence. Longer wavelengths will improve performance in low visibility conditions due to haze, clouds and fog. We are currently performing indoor and outdoor tests to further investigate the target/background phenomena that are emphasized in these wavelengths. We also investigate how these effects can be used for target identification and image fusion. Performed field tests and the results of preliminary data analysis are reported. © 2013 SPIE.