SAR sensing and imaging technology has matured into a reconnaissance staple in both DoD and non-DoD applications. Increasingly, currently development is focused on engineering– making systems smaller, faster cheaper, etc. Further, significant advances in object recognition technologies have increased the value of non-literal SAR image products by making them easier for humans to interpret. Automated/assisted systems for interpreting SAR imagery have progressed out of the research community into operations. The derivation of object structure from the radar signal and rendering of this structure such that analysts can view a more literal signature has long been a desired capability that has not been available. Promising laboratory research in both industry and academia has yielded many innovative techniques that address challenging elements of this problem. To bring these into the mainstream so that they can be used operationally, they must be integrated into a system context that addresses all of the processing steps beginning with operational data and ending with a final rendered product. This presentation examines the components that must come together to derive object structure from radar signals and present it as a rendered exploitation product from a systems perspective. An overview of key challenges will given, and a discussion of the interdependence of their solutions in the system will be presented. Finally, recommendations for priority in near term research will be provided.
Copyright. All Rights Reserved.