Littoral assessment of mine burial signatures (LAMBS): buried-landmine hyperspectral data collections

Abstract

The objective of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Rapid Overt Reconnaissance (ROR) program and the Airborne Littoral Reconnaissance Technologies (ALRT) project's Littoral Assessment of Mine Burial Signatures (LAMBS) contract is to determine if electro-optical spectral discriminants exist that are useful for the detection of land mines located in littoral regions. Statistically significant buried mine overburden and background signature data were collected over a wide spectral range (0.35 to 14 µm) to identify robust spectral features that might serve as discriminants for new airborne sensor concepts. The LAMBS program further expands the hyperspectral database previously collected and analyzed on the U.S. Army's Hyperspectral Mine Detection Phenomenology program 1,2 to littoral areas where tidal, surf, and wind conditions can additionally modify spectral signatures.This work summarizes the LAMBS buried mine collections conducted at three beach sites -an inland bay beach site (Eglin AFB, FL, Site A-22), an Atlantic beach site (Duck, NC), and a Gulf beach site (Eglin AFB, FL, Site A-15). Characteristics of the spectral signatures of the various dry and damp beach sands are presented. These are then compared to buried land mine signatures observed for the tested background types, burial ages, and environmental conditions experienced.

Environmental factors impacting the performance of airborne lidar sensors in the surf zone

“…In September 2002 several tests [2,3,4,6] relevant to the performance of optical sensors in the surf zone, beach zone, and very shallow water were conducted at the Army Corp of Engineers Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, North Carolina. These tests were sponsored by ONR.…”