Site Characterization for Remote Minefield Detection Scanner (REMIDS) system Data Acquisition

Abstract : The purpose of this study was to collect ground truth data from various target arrays in several backgrounds under various environmental conditions to evaluate the performance of the Remote Minefield Detection Scanner (REMIDS). A test location in Warren County, Mississippi, was characterized during summer and fall conditions. Ground measurements included surface geometry, soil classification, quantitative and qualitative characterization of vegetation, onsite meteorology, and surface reflectance properties. State-of- the-art ground survey techniques were used to place and to locate precisely a collection of various US mine types--RAAM, M15, and M19--in configurations modified from those of current US Army doctrine. The REMIDS system uses both passive (thermal) and active (1.06 micrometers lasers) detector arrays. The test site was overflown several times in both the summer and fall seasons, so that data could be acquired for development and verification of automatic target recognition algorithms.