SBIR-STTR Award

Hybrid Learning and Model-Based Approach to Performance Prediction of Feature Aided Trackers
Award last edited on: 6/8/2012

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : AF
Total Award Amount
$849,552
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
AF103-192
Principal Investigator
Gil J Ettinger

Company Information

Systems & Technology Research LLC (AKA: STR)

600 West Cummings Park Suite 6500
Woburn, MA 01801
   (339) 999-2242
   info@stresearch.com
   www.stresearch.com
Location: Multiple
Congr. District: 05
County: Middlesex

Phase I

Contract Number: FA8650-11-M-1121
Start Date: 1/31/2011    Completed: 00/00/00
Phase I year
2011
Phase I Amount
$99,584
Generating track data from wide area motion imagery is an important first step in many exploitation tasks including high value target tracking, activity-based threat detection, and adversary network analysis. Tracker development to date has made significant advances, but there has been limited focus on tracker performance modeling and we need such a model to enable fusion with other sources of object detections and tracks, to establish our confidence in derived analysis products, and to quantify the value of additional collections or allocation of human resources to resolve tracker uncertainties. This program will develop a hybrid learning and model-based approach to integrated feature-aided tracking and performance modeling to dynamically compute measures of track performance, particularly distributions on track kinematic, association, and continuity, on a track-by-track basis, enabling users of that track information, whether human or automated, to perform the functions above. The performance model will be modular, enabling integration with both the baseline tracker we use for testing as well as other video trackers. The tracker and performance model include on-line learning as an essential element to calibrate background and kinematic models and to adapt performance model parameters over time.

Benefit:
The benefit of this program will be improved performance of video trackers and of downstream applications that leverage video tracks, and improved human, computational, and sensor resource allocation.

Keywords:
Tracking, Performance Modeling, Wide Area Motion Imagery, Video Exploitation, Resource Allocation, Learning Algorithms

Phase II

Contract Number: FA8650-12-C-1369
Start Date: 1/6/2012    Completed: 00/00/00
Phase II year
2012
Phase II Amount
$749,968
Generating track data from wide area motion imagery is an important first step in many exploitation tasks including high value target tracking, activity-based threat detection, and adversary network analysis. Tracker development to date has made significant advances, but there has been limited focus on tracker performance modeling and we need such a model to enable fusion with other sources of object detections and tracks, to establish our confidence in derived analysis products, and to quantify the value of additional collections or allocation of human resources to resolve tracker uncertainties. This program will develop a feature-aided tracking and performance modeling to dynamically compute measures of track performance, particularly distributions on track kinematic, association, and continuity, on a track-by-track basis, enabling users of that track information, whether human or automated, to perform the functions above. The performance model will be modular, enabling integration with both the baseline tracker we use for testing as well as other trackers. The tracker and performance model include on-line learning as an essential element to adapt context, object state, and performance model parameters over time.

Benefit:
The benefit of this program will be improved performance of video trackers and of downstream applications that leverage video tracks, and improved human, computational, and sensor resource allocation.

Keywords:
Performance Estimation, Learning, Feature Aided Tracking, Video Exploitation, Wide Area Motion Imagery Processing, Model Based Systems Development