Application of Decision Analysis to Automatic Target Recognition Programmatic Decisions

Abstract

Abstract : The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the application of decision analysis (DA) techniques to the decisions made throughout the lifecycle of Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) technology development. This work is accomplished in the hopes of improving the means by which ATR technologies are evaluated. The first step in this research was to create a flexible decision analysis framework that could be applied to a variety of decisions across several different ATR programs evaluated by the Comprehensive ATR Scientific Evaluation (COMPASE) Center. For the purpose of this research, a single COMPASE Center representative provided the value, utility, and preference functions for the DA framework. The DA framework employs performance measures collected during ATR classification system (CS) testing to calculate value and utility scores. The authors gathered data from the Moving and Stationary Target Acquisition and Recognition (MSTAR) program to demonstrate how the decision framework could be used to evaluate three different ATR CSs. A decision-maker may use the resultant scores to gain insight into any of the decisions that occur throughout the lifecycle of ATR technologies. Additionally, a means of evaluating ATR CS self-assessment ability is presented.