<title>TOD predicts target acquisition performance for staring and scanning thermal imagers</title>

Abstract

Identification and recognition performance for four staring and two scanning thermal imagers, were measured in an observer experiment using images that were collected during a NATO field trial in Nettuno, Italy, in 1998. The dataset allows validation of the MRTD and alternative sensor performance measures such as the TOD (Triangle Orientation Discrimination threshold). The 75% correct Target Acquisition ranges were compared with the TOD sensor acuity and the MRTD spatial frequency at (Delta) T equals 2 K. The results show that the ratio between the 75% correct TA range and TOD sensor acuity (which is the equivalent to the cycle criterion in MRTD-based models), is independent of the sensor type used, which means that the TOD is a good predictor of sensor performance.