Developing an integrated person-borne improvised explosive device (IED) countermeasure to protect unstructured crowds at large public venues is the goal of the Standoff Technology Integration and Demonstration Program (STIDP), sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The architecture being developed includes countermeasure technologies deployed as a layered defense and enabling technologies for operating the countermeasures as an integrated system. In the architecture, early recognition of potentially higher-risk individuals is crucial. Sensors must be able to detect, with high accuracy, explosives' threat signatures in varying environmental conditions, from a variety of approaches and with dense crowds and limited dwell time. Command-and-control technologies are needed to automate sensor operation, reduce staffing requirements, improve situational awareness, and automate/facilitate operator decisions. STIDP is developing technical and operational requirements for standoff and remotely operated sensors and is working with federal agencies and foreign governments to implement these requirements into their research and development programs. STIDP also is developing requirements for a software platform to rapidly integrate and control various sensors; acquire, analyze, and record their data; and present the data in an operationally relevant manner. Requirements also are being developed for spatial analysis, tracking and assessing threats with available screening resources, and data fusion for operator decision-making.

Date Published: 5 May 2010
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 7666, Sensors, and Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) Technologies for Homeland Security and Homeland Defense IX, 76661N (5 May 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.850424

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7666:
Sensors, and Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) Technologies for Homeland Security and Homeland Defense IX
Edward M. Carapezza, Editor(s)