Mine field detection algorithm utilizing data from an ultrawideband wide-area surveillance radar

The Army Research Laboratory (ARL), as part of its mission- funded applied research program, has been evaluating the utility of a low-frequency, ultra-wideband (UWB) imaging radar to detect obscured targets such as vehicles concealed by foliage and objects buried underground. This paper concentrates on a specific area of great interest to the Army: the reliable detection of surface and buried mines. Measurement programs conducted at Yuma Proving Ground and elsewhere have yielded a significant and unique database of extremely wideband and (in many cases) fully polarimetric data. We will review recent findings from ARL's modeling, phenomenology and detection efforts. We also included a discussion of an end-to-end detection strategy that has been trained and tested against a significant data set. Performance assessments are included that detail detection rates versus false alarm levels.