SRI Sarnoff's TerraSight enhances data and information sharing capabilities for dismounted soldiers

News Report

As announced in a recent press release, SRI Sarnoff’s TerraSight video and information processing now includes a new salience-based compression (SBC) module which allows dismounted soldiers to view and communicate mission-critical information on handheld devices.

The Technology

SRI Sarnoff's TerraSight is a video exploitation solution that provides situational understanding, targeting, sensor cross-cueing, and forensic reconstruction. It addresses the increasing demand for air and ground video surveillance exploitation by utilizing real-time video from a variety of manned, unmanned, and ground sensors including Battle Command and Intelligence data. The TerraSight product suite enables C4ISR competency and increases mission effectiveness for a diverse group of end-users such as mission commanders, tactical operators, and imagery analysts.

The TerraSight suite is organized into a set of three core components (TerraSight Manager, TerraSight 3D Visualizer, and TerraSight Server) that provide image and data capture, dissemination, visualization, and archiving. Additional modules detect and highlight moving objects, support video analysis, and improve accuracy of geolocation.

The new TerraShight's SBC module reduces overall bandwidth requirements to 50 Kbps (kilobits per second) and below, enabling the distribution of relevant, full-motion video and data over existing, bandwidth-limited wireless communication networks. SBC makes it possible for soldiers on the ground to leverage key accurate data and information sent from forward operating bases. Soldiers can now select relevant areas of interest and update data for real-time two-way communication. The SBC module chooses targets based on motion, key infrared (IR) signatures, and operator selection.

TerraSight provides precise, context-rich information for sensor control, data storage, vision processing and 3D visualization. Since SBC can further compress pixels around a selected area, soldiers are now able to focus on a specific area of interest in the video or data sent to them. Using TerraSight with SBC, dismounted soldiers can access a list of cameras to control orientation and zoom, enabling them to better understand and execute within their tactical environment.

References: SRI International (1,2)