Target acquisition

Target acquisition: Human observer performance studies and TARGAC model validation (Final Report)

TNO Technische Menskunde
Valeton, J.M.
Bijl, P.
Gillespie, P.

1995

Human target acquisition performance was studied using the thermal imagery that was collected during Battlefield Emissives Sources Trials under the European Theater Weather and Obscurants, (BEST TWO), organized by NATO AC243/Panel4/RSG.l5 in 1990. Recognition and identification probabilities were measured for a large number of stationary and moving targets at ranges between 1 and 4 km. Target detection was not investigated in a number of carefully controlled laboratory experiments. The target acquisition model (TAROAC) was validated by comparing its predictions with observed recognition ranges. For all trials used in the observer experiments, TARGAC predictions were calculated on the basis of meteorological, target, background, and time information measured in the field. The major conclusion of the observer experiments is that the human acquisition performance depends considerably on factors such as target structure, local terrain structure, and cognitive factors. In TARGAC, these factors are not modeled. For the best two situation, the model predictions were determined solely by target size and thermal imager resolution limit. A quantitative comparison between actual and predicted recognition ranges shows that TARGAC systematically underestimates human acquisition performance: on average, observed recognition ranges are a factor of 1.8 longer than the model predictions. (DTIC)

performance
infrared
night vision
target acquisition
thermal imaging
vision
cognition
mathematical models
target detection

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b49f1d41-0e8b-407e-ab37-4a2903a0acee

13580

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

ADA297133 ARL-CL-203

report