<title>Transportable algorithm testbed (TATB): a software architecture for real-time target detection, tracking, and signature extraction</title>

Abstract

The Transportable Algorithm TestBed (TATB) was designed as a software framework to evaluate different algorithms and processing modules used for target detection, tracking, and signature extraction. The processing chain has been divided into 'pixel processing' involving pixel-by-pixel corrections, such as camera gain and offset corrections, 'object processing' which is single frame object detection and characterization, radiometric and angular calibration, and tracking or 'frame-to-frame correlation', in which multiple objects are associated across frames in an image sequence. The TATB framework is such that one can select a particular combination of processing modules to link together, forming a complete processing chain, and evaluate the detection, tracking, and signature extraction capabilities of that particular combination of processing modules. This paper will discuss the operations of one particularly robust set of processing modules and present results obtained using those modules. The TATB system was also designed to be able to connect to different data sources, either real-time digital image sequences, or data stored in disk files in various formats. The ability to accept different format data has been tested and found to be extremely flexible. The TATB system has been applied to defense, wildlife tracking, and commercial applications.