Rapid Wide Area Assessment For Large Surface Munitions Via An Infrared Surveillance System

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of using a commercially available thermal infra-red surveillance system for detecting large surface munitions as part of an UXO Wide<br>Area Assessment. The work was performed in partnership with multiple US Army Corps of Engineers agencies and the Isleta Pueblo. The area of interest is located on the Isleta Pueblo. The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center team flew a low cost airborne surveillance system (Ultra 8500 FW) on a single engine fixed-wing aircraft over the area of interest. The airborne missions were scheduled to maximize the thermal separation between the UXO and the natural surroundings based on diurnal data collections. The flight profiles were collected at approximately 700 feet above ground level at an approximate ground speed of 100 knots in both contour following and parallel transects depending on the terrain. The thermal signatures were recorded on digital media and frames containing potential UXO (both targets and false alarms) will be selected for field verification by Shaw Environmental, Inc. Examples of the data collected, advantages and disadvantages of utilizing the thermal airborne system, video format and compression artifacts, and field verifications will be shown.