Image processing with the Naval Postgraduate School Infrared Search and Target Designation (NPS-IRSTD) System

• Main Author: Heiss, John C.
• Other Authors: Cooper, Alfred W.
• Language: en_US
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/30597

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. === An analysis of infrared background scenes generated by the Naval Postgraduate School Infrared Search and Target Designation (NPS-IRSTD) System, and captured with a DT-2861 frame grabber board, was conducted using a FORTRAN program developed to facilitate image enhancement, clutter suppression and visual target discrimination. The developed FORTRAN program, incorporating the X-arRay subroutine library to provide access to the DT-2861 memory buffers in the 80386 extended memory, provides access to pre-defined spatial frequency filters for image processing. The program was used to process image data obtained concurrently with the NPS-IRSTD and an AGA-780 Thermovision system operating in the same (3-5 micrometers) waveband. Image histograms and qualitative features of the two image types have been compared. Application of image enhancement and edge detection filters to IRSTD scenes with and without background clutter is considered. Visual target enhancement is observed, together with additional generation of image noise.