Innovative Aids for Combat Identification

ABSTRACT: The work proposed here will apply an extensive suite of tools and technologies developed by SDL for automatic target recognition (ATR) using multi-mode LADAR data to aid analysts to exploit multi-mode LADAR data for combat ID. SDL has teamed with experts in Cognitive Task Analysis to gain understanding of the challenges of this domain and the perceptual and cognitive needs of the domain practitioners. This understanding will be utilized to guide fusion of SDL's ATR and data visualization tools into an effective analyst interface to aid in the combat ID task. BENEFIT: The capability to be developed under the proposed research will enable analysts to efficiently and accurately glean the rich information and artifacts contained in LADAR data and utilize this to aid in combat ID and other ISR tasks. This will aid DOD and Intelligence Agency customers to make timely, accurate targeting decisions, increasing the effectiveness of the warfighting effort. The general concept of utilizing automatic recognition capability to aid analysts to quickly and accurately exploit large data sets has application to other data types and applications, helping to address the urgent"data overload"problem facing the DOD and Intelligence communities.