The specification of a submarine data fusion system

Submarines detect other vessels with a variety of different sensors, each of which produces a range of output data types. To enable the data to be correctly understood, the various sensor outputs must be collated together to form a single representation of each detected vessel. Data fusion describes the collection of analysis and combination processes, used to collate the sensor data. There are a considerable number of techniques and algorithms available to perform data fusion, the limitation is, however, not the technology, but the ability to use the correct technology to build an operable system that solves the correct problem. The approach taken in this paper is to specify the data fusion problem in isolation from the selection of implementation technology. As one of the technologies is the human operator, this approach encompasses the partition of tasks between the man and the machine, from which a specification of the MMI emerges. Within this paper, a development method is described, which is followed by an example of a submarine data fusion system.