Color camera measurement and modeling for use in the Night Vision Integrated Performance Model (NV-IPM)

The necessity of color balancing in day color cameras complicates both laboratory measurements as well as modeling for task performance prediction. In this proceeding, we discuss how the raw camera performance can be measured and characterized. We further demonstrate how these measurements can be modeled in the Night Vision Integrated Performance Model (NV-IPM) and how the modeled results can be applied to additional experimental conditions beyond those used during characterization. We also present the theoretical framework behind the color camera component in NV-IPM, where an effective monochromatic imaging system is created from applying a color correction to the raw color camera and generating the color corrected grayscale image. The modeled performance shows excellent agreement with measurements for both monochromatic and colored scenes. The NV-IPM components developed for this work are available in NV-IPM v1.2.