Search and Target Acquisition: Single Line of Sight Versus Wide Baseline Stereo

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of two observer experiments for comparison of the use of wide baseline stereo vision (biocular viewing of two line of sight (LOS) images) and mono vision (biocular viewing of single LOS images) for performing search and target-acquisition tasks. To quantify the advantage of using wide baseline stereo vision, a joint field test was conducted in Soesterberg, The Netherlands in September 1998. A multiple baseline imagery database was obtained with personnel wearing forest camouflage uniforms arrayed at two rural terrain sites. The weather condition for site 1 was clear to partly cloudy and site 2 was overcast with light rain. The preliminary analysis of the site 1 database indicated that wide baseline stereo could be used to improve search and target acquisition but that the baseline was too wide for many of the closer targets at that site. The database from site 2 was then analyzed through observer testing with single LOS and wide baseline stereo displays. The results indicate that stereo vision can be effectively used to reduce false alarm detection rates. Additionally, guidelines for optimum stereo display were obtained that could be used to improve positive target detection.Army Research Lab White Sands Missile Range NM Survivability/lethality Analysis Directorate is the author of 'Search and Target Acquisition: Single Line of Sight Versus Wide Baseline Stereo' with ISBN 9781423527107 and ISBN 1423527100.