A tool for assessing discrimination performance in a distributed system

A framework to assess the capability of a distributed sensing system to perform target discrimination has been established. In this work, discrimination is the process that assigns a measure of lethality to object observables collected by the sensing system. This paper describes the conceptual basis, design considerations, and implementation details for this software tool. Specifically, the following items are addressed: (1) What is the paradigm that maps the physical surveillance system onto its functional components? (2) What is the minimum level of information required supporting the discrimination process? (3) How is the discrimination information managed and organized? The paper´s objective is the description of a process that maps a discrimination function onto a distributed system. The issues of when, where, and how to share and process information is addressed. Examples based on a space-based surveillance system are provided. The approach is valid for other distributed sensing systems applications