Compatibility of Land SAR Procedures with Search Theory
Donald Cooper, John R. Frost, R Q Robe · 2003
The widely-accepted science of search theory as described by Koopman (1946, 1980), Stone (1989) and others was incorporated into the first edition of the National Search and Rescue Manual in 1959 after the U. S. Coast Guard provided the first comprehensive application to civil SAR in the 1950s. Applied search theory quickly gained acceptance by maritime SAR agencies worldwide and has remained in global use ever since. Various practical improvements and modifications to search planning techniques and data have been made over the years, but the application of the underlying theory remains unchanged, as shown in the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual (IAMSAR Manual, 1999) and recognized globally as the standard text on aeronautical and maritime SAR operations and methods. After a preliminary review of the available land search planning literature at a special meeting of