The target identification performance of infrared imager models as a function of blur and sampling.

There are a number of infrared-sensor/target-acquisition models available to government and industry for the purpose of estimating probability of identification as a function of target-to-sensor range. These models include the U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate's Fl,FLIR92/Acquire and NVTherm. These particular models have been developed on different terrain board imagery, simulated imagery, and actual field trials. Validation of these models is a continuous effort with changes in the fundamental parameters, such as target cycle criteria, in order to account for various sensor phenomenon. An experiment has been performed at the U.S. Army's Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate to fully test these models. The experiment imagery is intended to test the bounds of the models under which various blur and sampling is representative of the sensor in the task of target identification. The perception experiment is compared to the estimates of performance given by the various models. The model results are then compared and contrasted.