A multi-spectral tactical integrated scene generation capability using satellite terrain imagery is currently available using
a synthetic predictive simulation code developed by the Munitions Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory
(AFRL/RWGGS). This capability produces multi-spectral integrated scene imagery from the perspective of a
sensor/seeker for an air-to-ground scenario using geo-referenced U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Digital Terrain
Elevation Data (DTED) and satellite terrain imagery. The produced imagery is spatially, spectrally, and temporally
accurate. Using surveillance flight path and viewing angle, this capability has been interfaced with Microsoft Virtual
Earth to extract terrain data of interest at the needed background resolution.
The Irma synthetic signature prediction code is being developed by the Munitions Directorate of the Air Force Research
Laboratory (AFRL/RWGG) to facilitate the research and development of advanced weapon seekers Irma began as a
high-resolution, physics-based infrared (IR) target and background signature model for tactical weapon applications and
has grown to include: a laser (or active) channel (1990), improved scene generator to support correlated frame-to-frame
imagery (1992), and a passive IR/millimeter wave (MMW) channel for a co-registered active/passive IR/MMW model
(1994). Irma version 5.0 was released in 2000 and encompassed several upgrades to both the physical models and
software; host support was expanded to Windows, Linux, Solaris, and SGI Irix platforms. In 2005, version 5.1 was
released after extensive verification and validation of an upgraded and reengineered ladar channel. In 2007, version 5.2
was released with a reengineered passive channel. The current Irma development effort is focused on the reengineering
of the radar channel with an expected release of Irma 5.3 in 2009. This paper reports on two of the radar modes
expected to be supported in the radar channel: the fuze mode and the spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mode.
KEYWORDS: Databases, Sensors, Visualization, 3D modeling, Data modeling, Computer simulations, Environmental sensing, Visual process modeling, Motion models, Systems modeling
One of the key aspects for the design of a next generation weapon system is the need to operate in cluttered and complex
urban environments. Simulation systems rely on accurate representation of these environments and require automated
software tools to construct the underlying 3D geometry and associated spectral and material properties that are then
formatted for various objective seeker simulation systems. Under an Air Force Small Business Innovative Research
(SBIR) contract, we have developed an automated process to generate 3D urban environments with user defined
properties. These environments can be composed from a wide variety of source materials, including vector source data,
pre-existing 3D models, and digital elevation models, and rapidly organized into a geo-specific visual simulation
database. This intermediate representation can be easily inspected in the visible spectrum for content and organization
and interactively queried for accuracy. Once the database contains the required contents, it can then be exported into
specific synthetic scene generation runtime formats, preserving the relationship between geometry and material
properties. To date an exporter for the Irma simulation system developed and maintained by AFRL/Eglin has been
created and a second exporter to Real Time Composite Hardbody and Missile Plume (CHAMP) simulation system for
real-time use is currently being developed. This process supports significantly more complex target environments than
previous approaches to database generation. In this paper we describe the capabilities for content creation for advanced
seeker processing algorithms simulation and sensor stimulation, including the overall database compilation process and
sample databases produced and exported for the Irma runtime system. We also discuss the addition of object dynamics
and viewer dynamics within the visual simulation into the Irma runtime environment.
Constantly improving ladar sensor technology has pushed simulation capabilities required for hardware-in-the-loop sensor testing and algorithm development beyond the capabilities of standard desktop PCs. Robust ladar computations require transport and manipulation of large, complex, multi-dimensional datasets containing range, irradiance, micro-Doppler, polarization, speckle decorrelation, and other information. Coherent Technologies, Inc. (CTI) is developing a portable, scalable software architecture for implementing ladar imaging simulation calculations on large cluster-based supercomputers. This architecture takes advantage of both line-of-sight and transverse modes of parallelization for the various stages of computation encountered in typical ladar calculations. In order to assure portability of software, this effort has followed ANSI coding standards for C/C++ and parallel data control is implemented using the Message Passing Interface (MPI). Using this rather general coding framework, CTI researchers have realized parallel efficiencies in excess of 50%, or fixed problem speedups of up to 19x on 32 processors. As increased fidelity is incorporated into the simulator, parallel efficiency is expected to improve even further.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.