Since the Persian Gulf War the demand for multi-, hyper- and ultra-spectral data has significantly increased. The key reason for this increased demand is the potential benefits of spectral imagery to aid in target detection, specifically area anomalies, targets employing camouflage, denial and deception techniques, and the identification of natural and chemical effluence. Apectral imagery has the greatest potential to provide accurate data to the operators in an Automatic Target Recognition environment due to the ability to determine minute spectral differences between targets. Nonetheless, spectral based technology has not been widely accepted or utilized in the operational community. This is primarily due to system limitations in the literal image detection ranges, user experience, sensor limitations, availability of tactical sensor data, and validated exploitation tools and methods. It is the goal of this Phase I to determine a methodolgy and process to identify and evaluate (qualitatively and quantitatively) technological advances in the multi-to ultra-spectral exploitation arena. Key elements of the study are determination of operational users requirements, compile a preliminary cognitive engineer design flow, review advances in visual psychophysics, ARTs, algorithms, spectral workstations, and determine appropriate means to measure advances and make solid recomendations for advancement exploitation techniques
