• TechSat21 - Space Missions Using Satellite Clusters

Sponsor: US Air Force Research Laboratory (Kirtland AFB)
Principal Investigator:  Dr. Bill Melvin
Under the AFRL sponsored Space Missions Using Satellite Clusters program (TechSat21), GTRI is investigating the application of sparse aperture, distributed radar functionality for spaceborne surveillance.  Key aspects of the effort include analytic modeling and concept simulation, error source modeling, performance evaluation and modeling of clutter over a wide range of grazing angles as observed from space.  The initial phase of this work is a four-month proof-of-concept study.
 
• mD-ISP:  Multi-Dimensional Intelligent Signal Processing

Sponsor:  DARPA (sub-contractor to SAIC)
Principal Investigator:  Dr. Bill Melvin
Under the mD-ISP program, researchers in GTRI are exploring approaches for robust adaptive filtering and detection using multi-dimensional sensing of the radar signal environment.  Additionally, non-traditional knowledge sources are being infused into the signal processing chain, thereby influencing signal processing algorithm performance and leading to improved sensor capability.

• ADP:  Advanced Detection Processor

Sponsor:  US Air Force Research Laboratory (Rome)
Principal Investigator:  Dr. Bill Melvin
Under ADP, GTRI is exploring approaches for improved detection of low observable, low radial velocity targets from airborne, spaceborne and bistatic platforms.  The end-product of this 36-month effort will be next-generation radar signal processing detection architectures employing space-time adaptive filtering and detection and knowledge-based data processing.  Measured data will be used for proof-of-concept.
 
• AART: Affordable Adaptive Radar Technology

Sponsor: US Air Force Research Laboratory
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mark Richards
AART is exploring ways to provide affordable, practical implementations of space-time adaptive processing (STAP) in airborne and space-based radars by removing complexity from the expensive RF and analog hardware, while maintaining performance through enhanced adaptive processing.
 
• Adaptive Signal Processing for Multistatic Multichannel Systems

Sponsor: GTRI Internal Research & Development
Principal Investigator: Dr. William Melvin
This project is developing a multichannel, bistatic simulation capability in MATLAB, with provisions to import measured bistatic radar data from the MCARM program.  The simulation will then be used to study the impact of nonstationary interference environments on covariance matrix estimation, and of covariance matrix mismatch on STAP performance for bistatic scenarios.

• IPSART CTJ: Coherent Threat Jammer Module for Integrated Precision SAR Targeting

Sponsor: US Air Force Research Laboratory
Principal Investigator: Mr. Mike Baden
The IPSART CTJ is an add-on module to the IPSART simulation under development by Raytheon Systems Company.  The CTJ is an interactive, user-friendly module for the Khoros simulation environment.  It will add to IPSART the capability to inject coherent threat jammers into the radar scene. A GUI-based interface enables the user to control a wide variety of jammer parameters and ECM programs.
 
• 2D and 3D High Sonar Imaging

2D synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging is an established technology, and 3D SAR using interferometric techniques is now rapidly maturing.  These methods are much less common in the underwater world due to greatly increased problems with system parameters, motion compensation, and medium stability.  On internal funding, LTJG (USN) William Bonifant of GTRI/SPB studied techniques for 2D and 3D synthetic aperture sonar (SAS), using both simulated and measured data. The effort included definition of an end-to-end processing chain, analysis of the phase errors at each step, and development of processing and motion compensation techniques to control these errors.  The effort resulted in a Master's thesis which is available in pdf format here.

MWTIS: Millimeter Wave Target Imaging Sensor

Sponsor: DARPA, via subcontract from Northrop-Grumman
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mark Richards
Other Key GTRI/SPB Staff: Mr. Vince Sylvester
The Northrop-Grumman concept for MWTIS envisions a novel downlooking W-band 3D imaging radar system on the Predator UAV or similar for detection of military targets in “urban canyon” scenarios. GTRI/SPB’s role in the program was to explore techniques for developing synthetic radar return data suitable for use with an ESSS simulation of a three-dimensional W-band imaging radar system.  Data was synthesized using both the commercial XPATCH and GTRI proprietary RGS codes.  In addition, GTRI experimented with methods for visualizing very high resolution three-dimensional radar cross section (RCS) data for possible advanced target recognition uses.  Several examples using idealized synthetic data from a BMP2 armored fighting vehicle were generated.

Waveforms

(Under Construction)

• Automated Classification of SAR Imagery

Sponsor: Eastman Kodak Co., Commercial & Govt. Systems
Principal Investigator: Dr. Chris Barnes
GTRI has developed an image database software package that enables intelligent searching of databases for pattern recognition and object detection. The algorithms have proven effective in a variety of applications, including SAR image database searching for non-defense applications such as land cover classification, and for defense applications such as ground target detection and identification.  GTRI is teaming with Eastman Kodak to explore commercial applications of the image database software under NASA's EOCAP-SAR funding.
 
• Automated Classification of Objects in Side-Looking Sonar Images

Sponsor: Boeing North America
Principal Investigator: Dr. Chris Barnes
GTRI is teaming with Boeing North America (BNA) Communications and Information Management (C & IM) Division, under BNA IRAD funding, to develop detection and classification systems for automated detection/classification of mine-like-objects (MLOs) from side-looking sonar (SLS) images.  These systems will be applicable to unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) deployed and recovered from various naval assets.  The design is oriented toward surveying large areas of the ocean floor with a minimum of operator involvement.

• Aviation Weather Information Requirements Study (AWIN)

Sponsor: NASA Langley Research Center
GTRI/SPB Key Staff: Dr. Byron Keel
Under the NASA LaRC sponsored Aviation Weather Information Requirements Study (AWIN), GTRI is investigating the ability to provide improved weather information (not simply data) to users in the National Airspace System, and to foster the improved usage of this information. While the emphasis of this project is to provide this information to  the flight deck, other weather information users in the National Airspace are also considered.
 
• Severe Storm Research Center

Sponsor: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and
Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA)
GTRI/SPB Key Staff: Dr. Byron Keel and Dr. Mark Richards
In February 1999, initial funding was received to establish the Severe Storms Research Center at GTRI, under the leadership of Mr. Eugene F. Greneker of GTRI's Radar Systems Division . The SSRC was one of the principal recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Warning and Communications (see below). The SSRC is now being organized and is formulating its research plan for the first three years of operation. As its first activity, the SSRC has established a collaborative relationship with the National Severe Storms Laboratory of the National Oceanic and  Atmospheric Administration. The first project of this partnership will be to install, as soon as possible, NSSL's advanced Warning Decision Support System - II  at  the Peachtree City, Georgia NWS forecast office, with subsequent installations at GTRI's campus and Cobb County facilities for joint research. View Press Release.
 
• Governors’ Task Force on Warning and Communication

Sponsor: State of Georgia
GTRI/SPB Key Staff: Dr. Byron Keel and Dr. Mark Richards
On March 20, 1998, 13 people were killed by a deadly tornado in Hall and White Counties, Georgia, that was not detected in time to issue any warnings.  In the next few weeks, many more people were killed and property damaged in Georgia and neighboring Alabama in a devastating spring tornado season.  In response, Governor Zell Miller of Georgia, working through the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, chartered the Task Force on Warning and Communication to study the response to these events and determine how the State of Georgia could improve the effectiveness of both the detection of severe weather and the dissemination of warnings.  GTRI/SPB staff served on the subcommittee on warning, focusing on the NEXRAD Doppler radar network.  The group identified a number of deficiencies in the radar network and issued a number of recommendations, including one for the formation of a Severe Storm Research Center.

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Processor Technology and Standards




• TASP: Tactical Advanced Signal Processor; and VSIPL: Vector/Signal/Image Processing Library

Sponsor: US Navy, Program Executive Office for Undersea Warfare
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mark Richards
Technical Lead: Mr. Randy Janka
TASP is concerned with developing techniques and standards for signal processing hardware and software to enable and facilitate the insertion of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment into the fleet, replacing expensive and hard-to-maintain proprietary signal processors.  Recently, the program has focused on developing standards for a Common Operating Environment (COE) for software to facilitate the development of vendor-neutral, portable signal processing application software, and in particular on development of the VSIPL standard for a signal processing library.
 
• Projectile Tracking Radar

Sponsor: US Army Research Laboratory
GTRI/SPB Key Staff: Mr. Randy Janka and Dr. Mark Richards
On this project, GTRI performed the preliminary conceptual design of a specialized instrumentation radar to be used for tracking the trajectory of projectiles on a military test range.  GTRI/SPB staff defined a nominal signal processing algorithm flow and estimated the computational requirements.  They then estimated the size and cost of a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) VME signal processor required to implement the signal processing functions of the radar.