A seaward perimeter protection scheme using scanning thermal imaging cameras

Summary form only given. A scheme has been designed and installed to protect the seaward perimeter of land-based operations. This paper reports on typical threats to these sites from various attack forces and sets out the resultant system that has been installed. This novel solution was proposed because of the many practical problems affecting this type of application. In particular, the site is located in an area where extreme weather conditions prevail and where the protected assets are outside the normal perimeter boundary. The solution proposed includes the use of two cooled thermal imaging cameras mounted on a continuous-scanning pan-and-tilt head. Protection is enabled by the use of a military tracker which automatically monitors the images and identifies any unknown object in the field of view. Using Earth-plane Cartesian co-ordinates, it interprets the size, shape, location and velocity of the target and assesses the threat to the protected area against a set of database parameters. This ensures that the operator is presented with detailed information with regard to the target. During daylight hours, he can then utilise the co-located colour cameras to view the target and assess the likely threat. During the night, he can relay on the thermal images and can then issue an investigation command to the response force if the target is verified. Recording of all events is carried out to digital media, for later review. The whole system is integrated and controlled from a touch-screen monitor. This paper reports on the effective use of the system and its application to other scenarios