PHYSICAL SCIENCES INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: A13-098

Description

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes the development of a bioaerosol tracking and classification system employing broadband infrared imagery from deployed uncooled thermal cameras. The approach is based on a Bayesian network to track a cloud or clouds and assess the probability that they contain a biological agent. The approach includes the generation of a phenomenological model of the expected broadband thermal signature based on background scene thermal contrast as well as meteorological and other meta-data. The model prediction, along with additional situational variables, are used as state space coordinates by the Bayesian network to track the cloud over a range of background thermal environments and determine the probability density function that the cloud contains a bioaerosol. The system will be an add-on to thermal imaging capability presently installed in U.S. Armed Force bases worldwide, resulting in wide area and persistent force and facility protection. In Phase I the phenomenological model and Bayesian network algorithms will be developed and validated using existing spectrally-integrated broadband bioaerosol release imagery collected using PSI?s AIRIS hyperspectral imager. Additional data acquisition will be supported. The Phase I will also produce a conceptual design for a prototype system to be fully developed in Phase II.