Data Fusion Handoff Navy SBIR FY2006.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2006.2 Topic No.: N06-109 Topic Title: Data Fusion Handoff Proposal No.: N062-109-0399 Firm: Adaptive Methods, Inc 5885 Trinity Parkway Suite 230 Centreville, Virginia 20120 Contact: Walter Allensworth Phone: (301) 840-9722 Abstract: Multi-sensor data fusion is a critical technology used to support contact tracking and association for many Navy missions and systems. Traditional approaches focus on fusing contact position and kinematics data from multiple heterogeneous sensors, with overlapping coverage areas, in order to provide more reliable estimates of the contact's state. However, these systems fail to meet the requirements for emerging Navy missions, such as the National Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) goal for persistent surveillance of surface vessels. For MDA and other programs it is critical to be able to reliably associate contacts from one sensor coverage region to another, even with multiple and possibly crossing tracks. In this proposal, an approach for multi-sensor multi-target fusion with persistent track identification numbers is presented. Contact association using Sequential Bayesian Iteration and Inference is discussed and proposed for development in the Phase I work. Development of a particle filter approach for fusion of non-overlapping sensor data is also proposed. Integration of these fusion approaches with a method for propagating track numbers from the sensor, platform, group, theater, and world view-point is also presented. A proof of concept non-real-time simulation of the approach is also proposed. Benefits: The anticipated benefit of our Phase I work is to demonstrate improved multi-sensor track association and ID persistence using Sequential Bayesian Iteration and Particle Filter data fusion algorithms, with the ultimate goal being to improve real-time contact tracking performance on the MH-60 platform. This fusion technology applies to other DOD activities (Missile defense for example) as well as to commercial applications such as air traffic control, weather radar, and security systems. Application can also be found in the commercial / private sector such as fusion of historical / geographic data bases, data mining, and fusion of bathymetry, GPS, radar, sonar, and radio direction finding data for the commercial and sports fishing market. Return