PARK-TOURS, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N213-141

Description

Location can be determined through the detection of variations in the earth’s magnetic field.  Positioning using magnetic anomalies correlation of earth (PUMACE) uses these known variations mapped into a 3-dimensional representation, and location can be determined similar to vision processing systems that compare terrain to known geological features.  However, these variations are very weak and cannot by themselves be used to determine location.  Magnetic sensors have improved, and Left Coast Engineering (LCE) will first investigate the technical feasibility of using available sensors to determine the sensor array that will provide the best net anomaly data.  Desired data is typically 100 times lower than the earth’s core magnetic field and other magnetic noise sources, so an array with advanced processing is needed to extract desired data.  Thanks to a location determining system developed for theme parks, LCE has algorithms and techniques in place to provide accurate location from less accurate input data.  LCE’s Multi-Level Correlation Engine (MLCE) selectively correlates based on data sets that consider previous location and terrain information to create a more accurate representation.  LCE proposes using the MLCE, in addition to data processing and filtering algorithms, to derive an accurate location from magnetic anomaly data.