Bird Strike Committee Proceedings

 

Authors

Marissa Brand

Date of this Version

September 2007

Abstract

A team of scientists and engineers from the federal government, industry, and academia is evaluating the ability of digital radar systems to identify and track biological targets and then validating these systems under realistic operational conditions. The Integration and Validation of Avian Radars (IVAR) project is funded by the Department of Defense Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. The eBirdRad radar unit utilizes off the shelf X-band marine radar coupled with advanced digital signal processing and tracking algorithms to process target information. The overall objectives of the IVAR project include: 1) the use of independent visual, thermal and other observations to validate automatic detection, tracking, and display of targets in real-time; 2) demonstrate the statistical validity of sampling protocols for bird activity; 3) validate protocols and algorithms for streaming real-time bird track data from multiple sites for immediate display and subsequent analyses; 4) demonstrate algorithms for fusing data from multiple radars; 5) capture baseline data on bird activity at the demonstration sites; 6) develop objective criteria for functional, performance, and interoperability requirements of these radars, and to guide research to extend avian radar technology. The dissemination of information through the peer review process is essential before the natural resources management community can effectively use radar to assist in the decision making process.

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