Kalman Filters for UXO Detection: Real-Time Feedback and Small Target Detection

Improvement in the detection and discrimination of UXO using the EMI regime has been consistent during the last two decades, in both instrument hardware and detection software. There is nonetheless still a disparity between the often idealized environments considered ( golf course situation) and the reality in the field. Working on diminishing this disparity, various SERDP programs focus on developing versatile (next generation) instruments as well as robust software for data processing in realistic environments, yielding ever improved classification performance. The current protocol for surveying fields is typically organized in two stages. First the sensors are used in a survey mode, or dynamic mode, collecting data over large areas and flagging locations which may be contaminated by a subsurface UXO. The flagging process is typically based on magnetic field amplitude, based on the rationale that high amplitudes may correspond to buried UXO and should therefore be further investigated. Hence, at the second stage, the sensors return to the locations of interest for more in depth data collection in order to feed the identification and classification algorithms with high quality and diverse data. Flagging based on field amplitude, however, has potential drawbacks: the magnetic field in the EMI regime decays fast and a deep UXO may not produce a strong response while still being potentially hazardous.
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