General Dynamics UK plans in early 2009 to flight test a developmental urban mapping system using a light aircraft or helicopter, and says it has already received "significant interest" in the technology.
Currently mounted in a ground vehicle and suitable for use at speeds of up to 50mph (80km/h), the company's Masthead system uses light intensity direction and ranging (lidar) and imaging sensors to generate near photographic-quality and "within millimetre accuracy" 3-D maps of urban environments within 1h.
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A ground system now involved in trials uses four lidar sensors, two thermal imagers and two high-definition cameras, plus six processors and storage equipment for several terabytes of data. Precise location information is provided using on-board INS/GPS devices, while radio frequency sensors could be added to enable the system to intercept and locate mobile telephone signals.
Applications for the urban mapping technology could include ground convoy route planning, by highlighting potential ambush points or sniper positions, mission rehearsal activities and a variety of other intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance tasks, says GD UK.
Possible future development of the Masthead system could include the integration of a "through-the-wall" radar, which would enable forces to map the inside of a building and detect objects or people within. An X-ray backscatter system could also detect objects such as improvised explosive devices being carried inside vehicles.
GD UK business development manager Mike Thomas says current development work is focused on processing and data fusion techniques, but adds: "We believe we have proven the technology."
Discussions on the proposed airborne trials are ongoing with an undisclosed potential partner. GD UK believes the Masthead system could also be of interest to police authorities in the UK ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Source: Flight International
