Suppression of background clutter noise on remote sensing mosaic focal planes

A sub-space projection algorithm (SSP) for the suppression of clutter noise created by sensor platform jitter and drift has been evaluated in nine different infrared bands between 2 and 5 μm. Earth background scenes were simulated using the Strategic Scene Generation Model (SSGM) and clutter noise generated at three different jitter levels up to 1 pixel in length. The effectiveness of the SSP method in removing the background noise under these conditions was evaluated by first superimposing a target signal and then extracting it before and after noise suppression. Algorithm performance ratings are based both on noise statistics and target signal loss criteria. The algorithm is found to provide factors of 2 to 10 improvement in signal to noise under stressing conditions thus offering an alternative software solution to one particular class of sensor stabilization problems