The capability to detect, observe, and positively identify people at a distance is important to numerous security and defense applications. Traditional solutions for human detection and observation include long-range visible imagers for daytime and thermal infrared imagers for night-time use. Positive identification, through computer face recognition, requires facial imagery that can be repeatably matched to a database of visible facial signatures (i.e. mug shots). Nighttime identification at large distance is not possible with visible imagers, due to lack of light, or with thermal infrared imagers, due to poor correlation with visible facial imagery. An active-SWIR imaging system was developed that is both eye-safe and invisible, capable of producing close-up facial imagery at distances of several hundred meters, even in total darkness. The SWIR facial signatures correlate well to visible signatures, allowing for biometric face recognition night or day. Night-time face recognition results for several distances will be presented. Human detection and observation results at larger distances will also be presented. Example signatures will be presented and discussed.

Date Published: 23 May 2013
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 8734, Active and Passive Signatures IV, 87340J (23 May 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2016346

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8734:
Active and Passive Signatures IV
G. Charmaine Gilbreath; Chadwick Todd Hawley, Editor(s)