The Spectral and Polarimetric Imagery Collection Experiment (SPICE) is an ongoing collaborative effort that commenced in February 2010 between the US Army ARDEC and Army Research Laboratory (ARL). SPICE is focused on the collection of mid-wave and long-wave infrared imagery using hyperspectral, polarimetric, and broadband sensors. The overall objective of SPICE is to collect a comprehensive database of the different modalities spanning multiple years to capture sensor performance encompassing a wide variety of meteorological (MET) conditions, diurnal, and seasonal changes inherent to Picatinny's northern New Jersey location. Utilizing the Precision Armament Laboratory (PAL) tower at Picatinny Arsenal, the sensors are autonomously collecting the desired data around the clock at multiple ranges containing surrogate 2S3 Self-Propelled Howitzer targets positioned at different orientations in an open woodland field. This database allows for: 1) Understanding of signature variability under adverse weather conditions; 2) Development of robust algorithms; 3) Development of new sensors; 4) Evaluation of polarimetric technology; and 5) Evaluation of fusing the different sensor modalities. In this paper, we will revisit the SPICE data collection objectives and the sensors deployed. We will present, in a statistical sense, the integrity of the data in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) polarimetric database collected from February through September 2010 and issues and lessons learned associated with a fully autonomous, around the clock data collection. We will also demonstrate sample LWIR polarimetric imagery and the performance of the Stokes parameters under adverse weather conditions.

Date Published: 9 September 2011
PDF: 16 pages
Proc. SPIE 8160, Polarization Science and Remote Sensing V, 81600P (9 September 2011); doi: 10.1117/12.892342

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8160:
Polarization Science and Remote Sensing V
Joseph A. Shaw; J. Scott Tyo, Editor(s)