Analysis of sensor integration of the Integrated Ground Mobile Mine Detection Testbed (IGMMDT)
Thomas J. Gorman · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1997
The integrated ground mobile mine detection testbed, developed for the countermine division of the US Army Night Vision Laboratory at Ft. Belvoir, MD, deploys a multisensor suite comprised of a ground penetrating radar, an IR sensor, an electromagnetic sensor and a global positioning system receiver. The physical co-location of these sensors and the positional correlation of their detection results has created a state-of-the-art multisensor fusion platform for real time detection of mines. Government testing of this system in both arid and temperate climates has produced a wealth of data for post processing and performance analysis. In addition to providing real-time detection and marking, the system performs sufficient data storage as to allow subsequent playback of test data, with modified operational parameters and/or alternative integrating techniques, thereby extending the value of the system as a testbed. The result is a laboratory tool using real-world data for algorithmic development. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the test results along with some analytical insights into the performance of the integrating elements of the system, including navigation, elementary sensor fusion, and confirmed sensor detection, plus an initial evaluation of the ability of the correlation procedure to reduce false alarms, and characterize targets as to type. In addition, we now have a platform and a baseline for development and evaluation of more sophisticated fusion techniques. The statistics resulting from these tests will be presented and discussed, along with proposals for extending and/or enhancing the sensor fusion methods.