High fidelity IR scenes are needed to support the development of target detection and tracking techniques. It is necessary to have flexible and cost efficient testing methods to test the effectiveness of sensors and detection algorithms. While directly measured data can be obtained and used to vary sensitivity, dynamic range, spectral bands, and spatial and temporal resolution for evaluation of future sensor systems, synthetic infrared scenes can provide both radiometrically accurate information and exhibit realistic spatial variations. Two elements that contribute significantly to sensor performance are target radiance and background clutter. The IR scenes generated by a terrain, cloud, and target computer model provide for both of these elements. Many aspects of the phenomenology incorporated into each of these computer models have been validated. The scenes are raster images from a composite of target images inserted into a background radiance map. Multiple scenes can be linked together by using a common background and variably positioned target, thereby simulating motion of a target through a background. A series of scenes can relate to each other by performing parametric studies on various radiation sources in the scene. The scenes can be viewed with a predetermined timing sequence. This can simulate real time inputs to sensor systems.

Date Published: 3 May 1988
PDF: 17 pages
Proc. SPIE 0890, Infrared Systems and Components II, (3 May 1988); doi: 10.1117/12.944279

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0890:
Infrared Systems and Components II
H.M. Charles Liaw, Editor(s)