Efficacy Prediction of Low Observable Measures with Range & Search Time Using Eye Tracker

Low Observable Measure (LOM) plays a decisive role in the signature reduction of the target to increase its survivability. The LOM attempts to reduce the contrast of the target so that it blends in the immediate background. Consequently, LOM creates a state of confusion during the target search-cum-acquisition process which results in enhancing the survivability of the target. The performance of LOM is measured in terms of reduction in target detectability. Two methodologies namely subjective & objective methods are reported in the published literature to quantify the performance of the LOM. The subjective approach is based on observer response whereas the objective approach applies image processing, artificial intelligence and other techniques to quantify the effectiveness of the LOM. Both the subjective & objective methods quantify the performance of the LOM in terms of reduction in target detectability, particularly with range. In the target search process, the search time is a significant parameter. Therefore, it is imperative to estimate the effectiveness of the LOM in terms of search time during the target detection process. The work presented in the article aims to gauge the performance of the LOM in terms of search time. An eye tracker device was employed to measure the search time parameter during the target acquisition. The process steps involved in the data collection, and conduct of photo simulation activity using eye tracker are discussed in detail. The photo-simulation activity using an eye tracker was conducted with thirty-five observers to deduce the target detectability with time. The eye tracker also facilitates to log the observer response in the form of mouse click. The mouse click enables the calculation of the detection probability. Thus, it is viable to characterize the performance of LOM using an eye tracker in terms of detection probability with range and search time, with minimum human involvement.