TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO IWS5B: The ANSQQ89 A(V)15 program of record.

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: The offeror shall develop innovative methods for characterizing and modeling Mid Frequency Active Sonar return data to encompass the bulk of operating environments anticipated. This model will be used to generate synthetic data for use in a low computation but high fidelity simulation environment as well as an integrated track before detect and classification system for tactical employment.

DESCRIPTION: Mid Frequency Active Sonar (MFAS) systems are a critical resource in the ASW arsenal of the US Navy. MFAS systems currently depend strongly on the individual capabilities of the attendant operators for good performance in terms of probability of detection and false alert rates. Much research has gone into classical characterization of the acoustic data channel (See � below). In support of improving the training to allow proficiency development in operators and for the development of improved detection, tracking, and classification systems, it is anticipated that innovative formal characterization of the expected received data will provide new insights for low cost and effective training as well as improved tactical system exploitation.

PHASE I: Review existing data collected from operational environments, training exercises, and test and evaluation events. Apply alternative concepts for characterization of this data to allow synthetic displays to be rendered from the characterizations. Develop Measures of Performance (MOPs) for the quality of this synthetic data. Develop outline for training system exploitation for Phase II.

PHASE II: Develop a synthetic training application for 3 surrogate environments. Demonstrate similarity of synthetic display and control data to existing data from these environment. Develop and demonstrate a proof concept advanced tracking system against synthetic data and existing data.

PHASE III: Develop and extend the synthetic training system for use as a data generation and handling system feeding the tactical MFAS displays and controls. Develop and demonstrate the same capability in a commercial personal computer or a commercial gaming device such as an XBOX 360 or PS3. Develop and extend the tactical track before detect system to exploit existing active classification information. Deliver and support these products to the production programs and pipeline training community. Extend and adapt as needed the system and team trainer for application with the Battle Force Team Trainer (BFTT) or similar higher level training system.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Many high fidelity simulation and training systems are in need of rapid and faithful synthesis of credible sensor data without the expense and time of a full physics model of phenomenology. Methods developed here could potential be of use across the training domain as well as the commercial video gaming industry

REFERENCES:
1. Active Sonar Modelling with Emphasis on Sonar Stimulators, D. McCammon McCammon Acoustical Consulting, Report for Defence Research and Development Canada

2. Statistical characterization of active sonar reverberation using extreme value theory, La Cour, B.R. Appl. Res. Labs., Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX, USA, : Oceanic Engineering, IEEE Journal of;

3. Choosing a non-Rayleigh reverberation model, D. A. Abraham, OCEANS '99 MTS/IEEE. Riding the Crest into the 21st Century

KEYWORDS: Acoustics; Active; ASW; Simulation; Training

TPOC: Judith Bishop
Phone:
Fax:
Email: [email protected]
2nd TPOC: Joe Johnson
Phone: (202)781.2096
Fax: (202)781.4524
Email: [email protected]

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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