LOW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCE RADAR NETWORKS

Abstract

A real-time radar surveillance system comprises at least one land-based non-coherent radar sensor apparatus adapted for detecting maneuvering targets and targets of small or low radar cross-section. The radar sensor apparatus includes a marine radar device, a digitizer connected to the marine radar device for receiving therefrom samples of radar video echo signals, and computed programmed to implement a software-configurable radar processor generating target data including detection data and track data, the computer being connectable to a computer network including a database. The processor is figured to transmit at least a portion of the target data over the network to the database, the database being accessible via the network by at least one user application that receives target data from the database, the user application providing a user interface for at least one user of the system.

Claims

1-45. (canceled)

46. A real-time radar data distribution system for providing radar data services to remote homeland security and law enforcement operators, comprising: at least one radar apparatus transmitting radar pulses, receiving radar echoes, and generating, from the received radar echoes, radar target data; a radar data server operatively connected to said at least one radar apparatus and including a SQL database, said radar data server being structured to receive radar target data from said at least one radar apparatus in real-time and organize, insert, and store said target data in said SQL database for immediate distribution to one or more remote operators over a data network; one or more remote computers each operated by respective one of said remote operators, each of said remote computers configured to receive respective target data from said radar data server over said data network and provide a tactical display to said respective remote operator, said data network being operatively connected to said radar data server and each of said remote computers; said radar data server further configured with a web server and said one or more remote computers each configured with a web browser to provide a client-server interface between each said operator and said radar data server, said respective tactical display being rendered in said respective web browser; and said respective tactical display configured to provide situational awareness to said respective operator by displaying respective target data.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein said data network is a public network such as the Internet with wired and/or wireless links between said radar data server and said remote computers.

48. The system of claim 46 wherein at least one of said remote computers is associated with a mobile operator.

49. The system of claim 48 wherein said mobile operator and remote computer are on a vessel.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein said vessel's location obtained from a GPS input to said remote computer is also indicated on said respective tactical display.

51. The system of claim 46 wherein said radar data server receives target data from at least one mobile radar system.

52. The system of claim 46 wherein said radar data server receives target data from at least one portable radar system.

53. The system of claim 46 wherein at least one of said remote computers is located at a central monitoring site and said respective tactical display integrates and fuses target data from all available radar sensors for viewing on a large war-room type display.

54. The system of claim 46 wherein said stored target data in said radar data server is further configured to be available for historical target data playback by said remote computer.

55. The system of claim 54 wherein said remote computer is further configured to provide a playback capability, said playback capability configured to provide said operator with the means to play back historical target data from a particular time stamp or index marker in the past.

56. The system of claim 55 wherein said playback capability includes the means to rapidly replay historical data and select particular radar sensor feeds for replay.

57. The system of claim 46 wherein said target data includes track data and alert data and said tactical display includes means to integrate these tactical information into a single display.

58. The system of claim 57 wherein said alert data is generated from events taken from the group consisting of collision prediction, vessel origin, vessel destination, perimeter approach, perimeter violation, traffic density and other complex behavior.

59. A radar data distribution method for sharing radar data in real-time with remote users comprising: operating at least one radar apparatus to transmit radar pulses; further operating said at least one radar apparatus to receive radar echoes; additionally operating said at least one radar apparatus to generate, from the received radar echoes, radar target data; operating a radar data server to receive said radar target data from said at least one radar apparatus in real-time and organize, insert, and store said target data in a SQL database; and further operating said radar data server to select different subsets of the organized and stored target data in said SQL database in real time and immediately distribute said subsets to one or more remote computers over a data network.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising operating each of said one or more remote computers to receive a respective one of said subsets of the target data in real time from said radar data server over said data network and to provide a real-time respective tactical display from the respective one of said subsets of the target data, thereby providing situational awareness to respective operators of said one or more remote computers.

61. The method of claim 60 wherein said radar data server is configured with a web server and said one or more remote computers are each configured with a respective web browser, further comprising operating said one or more remote computers via the web browsers thereon to provide a client-server interface between respective operators and said radar data server and to render said respective tactical display in said respective web browser.

62. The method of claim 59 wherein said data network is a public network such as the Internet with wired and/or wireless links between said radar data server and said remote computers.

63. The method of claim 59 wherein at least one of said remote computers is associated with a mobile operator.

64. The method of claim 63 wherein said mobile operator and said at least one of said remote computers are on a vessel.

65. The method of claim 64 wherein said vessel's location obtained from a GPS input to said at least one of said remote computers is also indicated on the respective tactical display.

66. The method of claim 59 wherein said radar data server receives target data from at least one mobile radar system.

67. The method of claim 59 wherein said radar data server receives target data from at least one portable radar system.

68. The method of claim 59 wherein at least one of said remote computers is located at a central monitoring site and the respective tactical display integrates and fuses target data from all available radar sensors for viewing on a large war-room type display.

69. The method of claim 59 wherein said stored target data in said radar data server is further configured to be available for historical target data playback by said remote computers.

70. The method of claim 69 wherein said remote computers are further configured to provide a playback capability, said playback capability configured to play back historical target data from a particular time stamp or index marker in the past.

71. The method of claim 70 wherein said playback capability includes the means to rapidly replay historical data and select particular radar sensor feeds for replay.

72. The method of claim 59 wherein said target data includes track data and alert data and said tactical display includes the means to integrate these tactical information into a single display.

73. The method of claim 59 wherein said alert data is generated from events taken from the group consisting of collision prediction, vessel origin, vessel destination, perimeter approach, perimeter violation, traffic density and other complex behavior.

74. The method of claim 59 wherein the operating of said radar data server to select different subsets of the target data in said SQL database in real time and immediately distribute said subsets to one or more remote computers over a data network includes configuring each of the different subsets of target data for presentation on a tactical display of a Web browser.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0037] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a radar sensor apparatus included in a radar surveillance system, in accordance with the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a radar controller that may be incorporated into the radar sensor apparatus of FIG. 1, in accordance with present invention.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a remote controller for a Furuno FR2155BB radar system, in accordance with the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a radar network incorporating plural instances of the radar sensor apparatus of FIGS. 1, 2, and/or 3, in accordance with the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of radar network architecture in accordance with the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 6 is essentially a block diagram showing a central monitoring site or operations center using the radar network of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] A block diagram of a radar sensor apparatus 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. Characteristics of each block are as follows. The radar sensor apparatus 10 includes a radar device 12 that is typically noncoherent and transmits pulses of constant width at a constant pulse repetition frequency (PRF) at X-band or S-Band. Radar device 12 typically has either a continuously rotating or sector scanning antenna 14. Antenna 14 is elevated to be several meters above the area to be monitored, and has a detection range of several kilometers. COTS marine radars typically have these characteristics and are preferred for the present invention due to their availability, low-cost, and good antenna and transceiver characteristics.

[0044] Radar device 12 takes the form of a marine radar. A typical marine radar is noncoherent, transmits at X-band with 50 kW peak power, pulse repetition frequency (PRF) between 1 and 2 kHz and with pulse width between 0.1 and 1 ?s. It has a 2 m antenna with a narrow azimuth beamwidth and a wide elevation beamwidth, rotates at 24 RPM, and has up to 165 km range. A radar such as this retails for around $50,000. Marine radar configurations are based on choosing a peak power/maximum-range value and an antenna size. Radars with peak powers up to 10 kW typically retail for less than $10,000. The lower-power radars can be purchased for as little as two or three thousand dollars making them very cost effective.

[0045] Notwithstanding these typical characteristics, radars with other features known to those skilled in the art (e.g. multi-frequency operation) could be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0046] In some applications, it is important to use a specialized antenna 14 to meet requirements. An avian radar application, for example, often requires bird height information. A typical marine radar antenna with a 20? elevation beamwidth does not provide accurate enough height estimates in these cases. As a result, other antennas may be preferred. In the article [Nohara, T J et al, Affordable avian radar surveillance systems for natural resource management and BASH applications, 2005 IEEE International Radar Conference, May 9-12, 2005, Arlington, Va.], a 4? pencil beam dish antenna is described that has been successfully tested in the field with an implementation of the radar sensor of the present invention. This antenna provides better height estimates of birds but its coverage is limited. To solve the coverage problem, antenna 14 may be an elevation-monopulse antenna to provide simultaneously good height estimates with full coverage in elevation. The present invention provides for the integration of such an antenna into the radar sensor apparatus 10. While a phased array antenna could be integrated into the radar sensor 10 of the present invention, it is not a preferred embodiment of the present invention due to the significantly higher cost anticipated for such an antenna. In addition, it is not clear that the volume search rate of such a two-dimensional antenna could satisfy target update requirements.

[0047] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a digitizer 16 is connected to an output of marine radar device 12 for collecting radar video samples from each pulse, at sampling rates and over range intervals appropriate for the operational mode. Digitizer 16 is preferably a PC card mounted on a bus of a computer 18, which is preferably a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) PC. The PC computer 18 can run any standard operating system, but preferably runs a Microsoft Windows? operating system. The digitizer 16 itself is preferably a COTS product to further reduce the radar sensor cost. The digitizer 16 preferably samples the radar video signal at 12-bits and operates in real-time. The digitized signals are the full-bandwidth, unprocessed radar signals captured in real-time to create a fully digital radar sensor in which the radar's signal processing and operating characteristics are determined by a radar processor 20.

[0048] Radar processor 20 is implemented as generic digital processing circuits of computer 18 modified by programming, or configured by software, to accomplish the functions described hereinafter. Radar processor 20 includes includes a detection processor or pit extractor 22, a multi-target track processor 24 and a display processor 26 all of which are preferably implemented in real-time by software that runs on the COTS PC 18. The software is preferably written in C/C++, and possibly assembly, and uses multi-threaded programming to provide a highly responsive application as well as for computational efficiency. The software also preferably exploits the Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) capabilities of modern processors to considerably improve processing speed. The software could be developed in any language known to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of this invention.

[0049] Detection processor 22 declares the presence and location of targets preferably on each radar scan. Track processor 24 sorts the time-series of detections (also called plots) into either tracks (confirmed targets with estimated dynamics) or false alarms. The processed information produced by radar processor 20 can be presented to the operator on a local display 28 that is part of display processor 26. This information may include scan-converted video, target data including detection data and track data, maps, user data (e.g. text, push pins) etc. Operator controls 30 may be local as well and provide a graphical user interface for the local user to control the operation of the radar processor 20.

[0050] The radar processor 20 performs radar signal processing functions known to those skilled in the art such as scan-conversion, adaptive clutter-map processing to remove ground and weather clutter, sector blanking to suppress detections in regions that are not of interest, constant false alarm rate (GEAR) processing, and digital sensitivity time control (STC). These functions may be included in either the detection processor 22 or the display processor 26, but preferably are included in both so that the user display can be optimized for the user while the detection processor can be optimized for detection and tracking performance.

[0051] Conventional radars employing automatic detection and tracking algorithms typically set the detection threshold high enough to achieve a probability of false alarm (PEA) to 1 in 10.sup.6 resolution cells or less. For a radar display extending 50 km in range with a 100 m range resolution and 1? azimuth resolution, this translates to about 1 false alarm every 5 scans or 12 seconds (typical marine radar scan rates are 24 RPM). In contrast, low detection thresholds are a special feature of the detection processor 22 and are used in order to increase the sensitivity of the radar, allowing smaller targets to be detected. An unwanted side effect is that the false alarm rate increases substantially, making it more difficult for tracking to perform. For example, the PEA could drop 3 orders of magnitude from typical settings to say 10.sup.?3 resulting in 180 false alarms per scan or 72 false alarms per second. This is a huge stress on tracking. To mitigate this effect, as well as to successfully track through maneuvers without degradations in track quality, the track processor 24 preferably includes multiple hypothesis testing (MHT) tracking with interacting multiple model (IMM) extended Kalman filtering as described earlier, and which are further described in [D. B. Reid, An algorithm for tracking multiple targets, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. AC-24, no. 6, December 1979, pp. 843-854], [G. A. Watson and W. D. Blair, IMM algorithm for tracking targets that maneuver through coordinates turns, Proceedings of the SPIE (Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers, vol. 1698, Signal and Data Processing of Small Targets, Apr. 20-22, 1992, pp. 236-247], These advanced processing algorithms often found in military radars yields the performance of much higher-priced systems and have been shown to work well under these high false alarm rate conditions.

[0052] The display processor 26 provides a real-time display. Preferably, a map is integrated with the radar display and provides a background on which is overlaid geo-referenced radar data, including target data (tracks and detections), target echo trails, as well as scan-converted radar video in the form of a PPI display. These features enable target behavior to be more easily understood, where the display processor 26 can be viewed as a geographical information system (GIS). Cursor position in latitude and longitude, or UTM coordinates is continuously read Out in the status bar, and numerous display features common to marine radars such as electronic bearing lines and virtual range markers are available. Small symbols at the location where the threshold is exceeded indicate detections. A history of detections from previous scans can be shown, with fading intensities indicating scan time (the current scan's detections are the brightest). Tracks are indicated by a different symbol drawn at a target's current position with a line emanating from the symbol indicating the heading. The operator can select any track on the screen, and the system will display target information such as position, speed, heading, track stage, track uncertainty, echo size and intensity. These target attributes can also be used for the study and classification of targets of interest, and for multi-sensor fusion. Detection and track data are rich with target attributes that are available for viewing by the operator in real-time. At any instant in time, the track histories provide situational awareness of recent activity. Any suspicious behavior (e.g. perimeter crossings) can be recognized, and communicated to authorities.

[0053] Many of the aforementioned radar processor features as well as features not mentioned above are described in [Weber, P et al., Low-cost radar surveillance of inland waterways for homeland security applications, 2004 IEEE Radar Conference, Apr. 26-29, 2004, Philadelphia, Pa.] and [Nohara, T J et al, Affordable avian radar surveillance systems for natural resource management and BASH applications, 2005 IEEE International Radar Conference, May 9-12, 2005, Arlington, Va.]. For example, the benefits of the low detection thresholds to improve small target detection sensitivity are demonstrated with real data in [Weber, P et al., Low-cost radar surveillance of inland waterways for homeland security applications, 2004 IEEE Radar Conference, April 26-29, 2004, Philadelphia, Pa.] along with the ability of the track processor 24 to track reliably through target maneuvers without increasing track uncertainty. Clutter-map processing is demonstrated in [Nohara, T J et al, Affordable avian radar surveillance systems for natural resource management and BASH applications, 2005 IEEE International Radar Conference, May 9-12, 2005, Arlington, Va.] to reject ground clutter so that birds can be detected along with a specialized target echo trails display mode that is a feature of the present invention.

[0054] A feature of the digital radar processor 20 of the present invention is the implementation of automated alerts based on target behavior inferred from track data. Target behaviors such as perimeter breach, collision prediction or any complex behavior can be defined. When operating as an automated monitoring system, security perimeters are preferably defined. The radar processor then determines when targets approach and cross these perimeters, and issues appropriate alert responses. Preferably, target detection, tracking and threat recognition algorithms are customized for specific threats and scenarios. Alerts can include an audible alarm and display indication to an operator, or a transmitted message to a remote user. Transmitted messages are preferably communicated over a network to remote users using networking and communication methods and technology known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, alerts can be issued as text messages or e-mails directed to pagers, cell phones, personal data assistants, Blackberrys? etc. using COTS technology. Alerts can minimize required operator resources even to the point of permitting some systems to run 24/7 unattended. A recorder 32 shown in FIG. 1 can store the received radar video samples onto disk or tape.

[0055] Target data including track data and detection data can also be recorded. Target data is a more compact and convenient alternative to raw radar video and can easily be stored continuously, 24/7, without stressing the storage capacity of a COTS PC. These same data can be remoted over a network 34; full-fidelity raw video, however, generally requires very high-speed networks. Target data, on the other hand, can be handled on low-speed networks, including real-time distribution over COTS wireless networks and over the Internet through inexpensive COTS networking hardware. The stored data (in either raw format or target data format) can subsequently be played back through any computer running the radar processor software; it is not necessary that it be connected to a radar. This feature is useful for off-line analysis, investigations, evidence for use in prosecutions, etc. Target data can be archived for longer-term investigations. The recorder 32 stores target data in accordance with operator selections. The recorder 32 supports continuous writing of target data directly to a database 36 (as well as to other file formats). The database 36 can reside locally on the radar processor computer, as indicated by a phantom connection 38, on another computer on the network, or on both. The database 36 is used preferably for post processing, for interaction with external geographical information systems (GIS) systems, for remote radar displays, for support for web services, and for further research and development (e.g. to investigate and develop target identification algorithms).

[0056] Another feature of the radar processor 20 is that it can be controlled remotely over network 34 (schematically shown as a bus in FIG. 1), when a network connection is available. Radar processor control functions are implemented preferably as a web service, or alternatively, by using a virtual network console (VNC) so that the PC keyboard (not shown) and display 28 of radar processor 20 can be run remotely. COTS VNC server software runs on the radar processor PC and client VNC software runs on the remote end of the network 34. If the network 34 includes one or more segments on the Internet, a virtual private network (VPN) is preferably established using COTS technology known to those skilled in the art. In this manner, the radar processor 20 can be remotely controlled from anywhere on an established network, using COTS software and hardware.

[0057] If the radar processor 20 is to be controlled remotely over the network 34, it becomes important to also be able to control remotely the marine radar functions as well. These functions include, preferably, power-on/off, transmit/standby, and operating range selection. Unfortunately, COTS marine radars designed for marine use do not come with network-enabled remote control features. As a result, a feature of the radar sensor of the present invention is a radar controller 40 to control the marine radar through a network-enabled software interface. The radar controller includes hardware (e.g. switches, control codes, etc.) that integrates with the marine radar to replicate control signals provided by the radar manufacturer. This hardware is controllable by software that preferably runs on a COTS PC, and may be the same COTS PC that houses the radar processor. The software provides either a user interface or programmer's interface to control the aforementioned radar features. The software can be accessed over a network (as illustrated in FIG. 1) either as a web service or through a VNC connection as described earlier.

[0058] Marine radars typically remember their state during power down. Therefore, when the radar is powered up, it comes back in its previous state (which includes the range setting). If the marine radar is to be controlled remotely, then it is important that the operator is certain of the state of the radar at all times since the radar processor performance depends on this. A novel feature of the radar controller 40 is its preferred use of the radar's own display 28 to confirm, the radar state. The radar's local display video, schematically represented at 42, is captured preferably using COTS frame-grabber technology and made accessible remotely through the radar controller software. In this way, the remote user can use the software to change the radar's state and can confirm immediately that the state has changed as requested by observing the remoted radar display. In FIG. 2, a block diagram of the radar controller 40 is shown. The diagram shows two logical components, namely the radar controller 40 with interface 44, and the marine radar device 12. The radar controller 40 is ideally composed of both COTS hardware and software with the addition of original hardware and software. Controller 40 utilizes a hardware and software interface customized for the particular radar type to be controlled. Where possible, the existing radar control is preserved so that the addition of the computer automation does not interfere with standard manual operation of the radar system. Within the interface 44, the controller is connected to a power switch or relay 46 for enabling remote control of the power supply to radar device 12, and to a command combiner 48 for controlling data transmission functions and antenna range. The interface 44 also includes a video splitter 50 and a video capture module 52 for capturing the radar's local display video 42.

[0059] FIG. 3 shows a preferred implementation 54 of the radar controller 40 of FIG. 2 as applied specifically to a COTS Furuno 2155BB radar system 56. The controller 54 uses serial codes for a variety of functions and relay contact switches for other functions. The emulation of other radar control functions may require the use of digital to analogue (D/A) converters, analog to digital (A/D) converters, digital I/O or other conversion interfaces in order to enable computer control. The combination of hardware interfaces and software application interface are then network-enabled using standard open web services such as XML Remote Procedure Calls (XML-RPC) or SOAP over a standard network transport protocol, such as HTTP.

[0060] Components of the COTS Fumno 2155BB radar system 56 in FIG. 3 that perform the same functions as components shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are labeled with like reference designations. FIG. 3 also depicts a Furuno processor 57, a Furuno keyboard 58 and an ancillary radar processor 60.

[0061] One or more radar sensor apparatuses 10 as described above with reference to FIGS. 1-3 can be connected to network 34 to distribute information to remote users. The radar processor architecture supports real-time communication of target data to remote sites using low-bandwidth, COTS network technology (wired or wireless). Since the target data contain all of the important target information (date, time, position, dynamics, plot size, intensity, etc.), remote situational awareness is easily realized. The all-digital architecture facilitates networking of radar target data and control functions to a central monitoring station (CMS) 60 (FIG. 4) to consolidate monitoring resources for an entire radar network, thereby minimizing operating cost and providing for low-cost, high-performance radar networks. The use of open network protocols such as TCP/IP and HTTP allow the delivery of the radar data anywhere over the Internet. It also makes available a number of standard web service protocols that can be used on the network to provide a software application programming interface (API). One example of this is the use of XML-RPC in the radar controller 40, 54 to create a network-enabled API that is accessible over HTTP. A web server is then used to provide a client interface to a remote user. The web server functions as both a web client application to the XML-RPC server to perform the radar control functions, as well as a web server application to provide a user-friendly graphical interface to a remote user with a client web browser. This same principle is applied to other radar data services, such as the web services server interface to a TCP/IP networked SQL database containing a repository of past and live real-time radar data.

[0062] FIG. 4 shows a conceptual diagram of the computer radar network 34. One or more radar sensors 10 send their target data to one or more CMS 60 (which could be co-located with any of the radar sensors 10). The target data consists of detection data, track data and/or alerts. Raw radar video data could also be sent to the CMS 60 in real-time if a suitable network was available, but preferably, target data is sent. Other types of surveillance sensors (e.g. sonar) can also be on the network 34. The network 34 and its software are typically COTS. The CMS 60 has a fusion/display processor 62 (FIG. 5) that processes, combines, displays and archives the data. Integrated tactical information, including displays and alerts, is provided. Track and detection data from the separated radar sensors 10 may be fused to take advantage of their spatial diversity and improve the radar network performance beyond that of the radar sensors themselves using multi-sensor data fusion methods known to those skilled in the art. This takes advantage of the spatial diversity of the sensors, and improves the radar network performance beyond that of the radar sensors 10 themselves. Data can also be accessed and integrated from other private or public networks (e.g. military, NEXRAD) as well.

[0063] FIG. 5 shows a preferred embodiment where the radar network 34 is implemented via the global computer network 64 known as the Internet, with only a single radar apparatus 10 shown. The same configuration of radar processor 20 plus radar controller 40 (or 54) is replicated for other sites. Each site is connected to the Internet network 64 using a firewall and router device 66. (It is not necessary to use the Internet 64 as part of the network; a completely dedicated or private network could obviously be used as well.) This configuration enables each independent site to connect and send radar data continuously and in a real-time fashion to a remote radar data server 68 and to enter it into a common SQL database server. A single SQL database server is capable of receiving radar data from multiple related Radar Processor sites simultaneously. The centralized pooling of radar data from the multiple radar sites allows for integration or fusion of related radar data by the CMS Fusion/Display processor 62. An example of this is the processing of radar target tracks that cross the radar coverage area scanned by the radar antenna 14 of physically adjacent or related radar sensors 10. The use of a standard open high-performance networked SQL database server in the radar data server 68 further maximizes the flexibility in providing the data services to multiple CMS users on the network 34 while keeping costs low. The asynchronous messaging within the SQL database allows the radar processor 20 to indicate when a new scan of data is available inside the database. This signals the fusion/display processor 62 of any CMS 60 to monitor a particular radar processor 20 to update its display in real-time with the latest data. The CMS fusion/display processor 62 need not be local to the radar data server 68 and may be located anywhere on the network 34, whether realized via the Internet 64 or a private network (not separately illustrated).

[0064] In addition to monitoring live radar data, the CMS 60 also provides the capability to play back past recorded radar data. The functionality is analogous to that of a COTS hard-disk based Personal Video Recorders (PVR) such as TiVO. The CMS 60 may similarly allow a user to: [0065] choose to watch a particular live radar data feed coming from a single or multiple radar processors 20, with Picture-In-Picture type monitoring, [0066] pause the display, [0067] continue the display (now delayed from live by the pause time), [0068] rewind or fast-forward through the data with display at 2?, 4?, or 8? rates, [0069] play back at ??, ??, ??, 1? (real-time), 2?, 4?, or 8? speed, [0070] play back data from a particular time stamp or index marker, [0071] choose another pre-recorded experiment from menu, and [0072] resume monitoring of the live data feed.

[0073] A handheld remote control device similar to that of a PVR, VCR, or DVD player preferably provides the operator with a familiar human device interface. Such high-performance features added to a radar network as described above are unique to the present invention, all at affordable cost by exploiting open and COTS technologies.

[0074] The network-enabled XML-RPC API of the radar controller 40 (or 54) gives programmatic access to the radar by an engineering maintenance console 70 (FIG. 5). Operations across multiple sites may be scheduled ahead of time and executed remotely by software. An example of this is the scheduling of monitoring only during a nightly interval. Another example is the automated change of radar parameters during daytime monitoring.

[0075] In a similar manner to the use of sophisticated radar processing and tracking, the CMS fusion/display processor 62 shown in FIG. 5 can fuse target data from a radar network 34 to enhance the performance of these noncoherent low-cost radar systems, and have them approach the level of more expensive coherent radar systems. Some of the performance improvements achievable through integration and fusion of data from radar networks include but are not limited to the following: [0076] Multi-radar fusion to improve track accuracy, continuity, quality, etc. [0077] Spatial diversity against target fluctuations in RCS (necessary for small targets) [0078] Spatial diversity for shadowing due to geographic obstructions [0079] Spatial diversity to cover extended borders, equivalently increasing radar coverage

[0080] The richness of the target data available from each radar sensor apparatus 10 in the network allows much flexibility when such data is required to be combined or fused for a wide-area display. Depending on the level of fusion required (which will be driven by application, geography and target density), the target data permits both contact (detection) and track-level combination of data. The following (non-exhaustive) list provides some examples of possible fusion methods that may be applied to the available data: [0081] Synchronous fusion (contact-level) [0082] Parallel fusion (contact-level) [0083] Best track (track-level) [0084] Covariance intersection (track-level) [0085] Information fusion (track-level) [0086] Reasoning and knowledge-based approaches

[0087] As is known to those skilled in the art, numerous methodologies and algorithms exist for combining such data, and new techniques are always being developed. The following references provide examples of such methods [D. L. Hall, J. Llinas (Eds), Handbook of Multisensor Data Fusion, CRC Press, 2001], [Y. Bar-Shalom (Ed.), Multitarget-Multisensor Tracking: Advanced Applications, Vol. I, Artech House/YBS Publishing, 1998.] and [D. L. Hall, Mathematical Techniques in Multisensor Data Fusion, Artech House, Norwood Mass., 1992]. The sophistication of the aforementioned radar detection and track processing, as well as the careful archiving and transmission of this data, ensures that the CMS fusion/display processor 62 can incorporate and evaluate any applicable fusion strategy, including new and emerging methods. Another significant feature of the present radar surveillance system is the ability to customize the level and extent of the integration and fusion available, which is achievable through the rich-information that has been produced and recorded by the radar detection processor 22 and tracker processor 24.

[0088] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a radar network 34 in accordance with principles elucidated herein. Seven radar sensors 10 schematically depicted as antennas 14 are assumed to be geographically separated to cover a wide-area of surveillance. Land-based installations are assumed, and antenna towers are made high enough to reduce blockage to acceptable levels, but low enough to be cost-effective and covert. Portable and mobile systems are also possible. In this example, two CMS's 60 are shown, one indicated as a command and control CMS 60a and the other as a secondary operations center 60b. Ten radar workstations 72 are shown in the one CMS 60a and a single radar workstation 74 in the other 60b. Each radar workstation 72, 74 can run the CMS fusion/display processor to create an integrated tactical surveillance picture from target data associated with a particular radar sensor 10, or multiple radar sensors. These support multiple operators with specific missions. A dedicated display processor 76 that provides a completely integrated tactical picture preferably using all of the available radar sensors 10 drives a large war-room type display. Each radar workstation 72, 74 is a dedicated workstation or workstations 72, 74 could also serve as the engineering maintenance console 70.

[0089] Another novel feature of the present radar surveillance system is the provision of a remote integrated tactical display to a mobile user. For example, consider the case where law enforcement personnel are attempting to thwart an illegal activity in a border patrol application. The law enforcement personnel are located on mobile vessels on the water border. Using their on-board marine radar provides little or no situational awareness for reasons described earlier. Furthermore, line of sight is extremely limited because of the low height of the marine radar above the water. Instead, the law enforcement vessel receives an integrated tactical picture from the CMS 60 over a wireless network 34. The law enforcement vessel has an on-board COTS PC running a remote CMS Display Client that provides the integrated tactical picture created by the CMS Fusion/Display Processor. Preferably, the vessel's current location is shown on the tactical picture via a GPS input. The CMS 60 (or 60a, 60b) simply routes fused target data produced by the CMS fusion/display processor 62 over a wireless network 34 to the CMS Display Client. The law enforcement vessel gains the benefit of the performance of the entire radar network. Even if only a single radar sensor 10 is available and the radar processor 20 remotes its target data to the CMS display client directly, the vessel will have the radar visibility of a land-based, tower-mounted marine radar and sophisticated processing that far exceed the capabilities of the on-board marine radar.

[0090] Sighting land-based radar sensors to maximize coverage is an important factor in network design and resulting radar network system performance. Sighting a radar for coverage can be a labor intensive and hence expensive process. In accordance with another feature of the radar processor of the present invention, this labor cost is minimized. The display processor 26 includes the ability to overlay PPI radar video (with now ground clutter suppression) on top of a geo-referenced map. Since the radar sensors 10 are land-based, this overlay will immediately show the presence of ground clutter, or its absence due to blockage or shadowing. Wherever ground clutter is present and overlaid on the map, coverage is available, where ever it is not, coverage is not available (at least for targets low to the ground). Moving the radar around in a mobile vehicle (e.g. a truck with a telescopic mast) and creating these coverage maps in real-time is a convenient, efficient, and cost-effective way of sighting the radar sensors that will form a radar network.

[0091] One of the key features of the present radar surveillance system is the exploitation of COTS technologies to keep the radar sensors and radar network low-cost. Not only is initial purchase cost made affordable with this approach, but maintenance and replacement are also characterized by short lead times, multiple suppliers, and reasonable prices. The systems in accordance with the present invention deliver high performance with features tailored to customer needs while minimizing the three major components of cost: purchase cost, maintenance cost and operational cost.

[0092] A final feature of the present radar surveillance system is its software re-configurability which permits extensive customization to adapt its features to specific applications other than those described herein, with reasonable levels of effort. This will permit access to smaller markets since minimum economic quantities of customized systems will be small. The software platform architecture also permits upgrades, feature addition, and target market customization.

[0093] Particular features of our invention have been described herein. However, simple variations and extensions known to those skilled in the art are certainly within the scope and spirit of the present invention.