Review of camouflage assessment techniques

Review of camouflage assessment techniques

Toet, A.
Hoogervorst, M.A.

2020

In military operations signature reduction techniques such as camouflage nets, low-emissive paints, and camouflage patterns are typically deployed to optimize the survivability of high value assets by minimizing their detectability. Various methods have been developed to assess the effectiveness of these camouflage measures. There are three main approaches to the evaluation of camouflage measures: (1) a subjective approach through observer experiments, (2) an objective computational approach through image analysis, and (3) an objective approach through physical measurements. Although subjective evaluation methods have a direct relation with the operational practice, they are often difficult to implement because of time and budget restrictions, or simply because the associated conditions are not safe for the observers. Objective evaluation methods are typically based on the outcome of psychophysical laboratory experiments using simple artificial stimuli, presented under extremely restricted (impoverished) conditions, and in different experimental paradigms. Objective methods based on signal processing techniques have no obvious counterpart in human vision. So far, no attempts have been made to validate any of these objective metrics against the performance of human observers in realistic military scenarios. As a result, there are currently no standard and internationally accepted methods and procedures to evaluate camouflage equipment and techniques, and to indicate their military effectiveness. In this review paper we present an overview of the various subjective (psychophysical) and objective (computational, image or video based) evaluation methods that are currently available and that have been used to validate camouflage effectiveness. In addition, we will discuss the relative merits of field experiments versus laboratory experiments. © 2020 SPIE.

Camouflage
Clutter
Evaluation methods
Observer experiments
Saliency
Search
Budget control
Military operations
Computational approach
Laboratory experiments
Objective approaches
Objective evaluation
Operational practices
Physical measurement
Signal processing technique
Subjective evaluations

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:57a9f993-cfa9-4c2c-b05b-594ca4bf7aae

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2566183

882239

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering Target and Background Signatures VI 2020; Virtual, Online; United Kingdom; 21 September 2020 through 25 September 2020; Code 163794, 11536 (11536)

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