Multi-Target Tracking Algorithm Based on 2-D Velocity Measurements Using Dual-Frequency Interferometric Radar

Multi-target tracking (MTT) generally requires either a network of Doppler radar receivers distributed at different locations or a phased array radar. The targets moving with small/no radial velocity or angular velocity only cannot be detected and localized completely by deploying Doppler radar without antenna arrays or multiple receivers. To resolve this issue, we present a new MTT algorithm based on 2-D velocity measurements, namely, radial and angular velocities, using dual-frequency interferometric radar. The contributions of the proposed research are twofold: First, we introduce the mathematical model and implementation of the proposed algorithm by explicitly establishing the relationship between 2-D velocity measurements and kinematic state of the target in terms of Cartesian coordinates. Based on 2-D velocity measurement function, the proposed MTT algorithm comprises the following steps: (i) data association using global nearest neighbor (GNN) method (ii) target state estimation using interacting multiple model (IMM) estimator combined with square-root cubature Kalman filter (SCKF) (iii) track management using rule-based M/N logic. Second, performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated in terms of tracking accuracy, computational complexity and IMM mean model probabilities. Simulation results for different scenarios with multiple targets moving in different tracks have been presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Satellite microwave assessment of Northern Hemisphere lake ice phenology from 2002 to 2015

A new automated method enabling consistent satellite assessment of seasonal lake ice phenology at 5 km resolution was developed for all lake pixels (water coverage ≥ 90 %) in the Northern Hemisphere using 36.5 GHz H-polarized brightness temperature (Tb) observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR-E/2) sensors. The lake phenology metrics include seasonal timing and duration of annual ice cover. A moving t test (MTT) algorithm allows for automated lake ice retrievals with daily temporal fidelity and 5 km resolution gridding. The resulting ice phenology record shows strong agreement with available ground-based observations from the Global Lake and River Ice Phenology Database (95.4 % temporal agreement) and favorable correlations (R) with alternative ice phenology records from the Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (R = 0.84 for water clear of ice (WCI) dates; R = 0.41 for complete freeze over (CFO) dates) and Canadian Ice Service (R = 0.86 for WCI dates; R = 0.69 for CFO dates). Analysis of the resulting 12-year (2002–2015) AMSR-E/2 ice record indicates increasingly shorter ice cover duration for 43 out of 71 (60.6 %) Northern Hemisphere lakes examined, with significant (p < 0.05) regional trends toward earlier ice melting for only five lakes. Higher-latitude lakes reveal more widespread and larger trends toward shorter ice cover duration than lower-latitude lakes, consistent with enhanced polar warming. This study documents a new satellite-based approach for rapid assessment and regional monitoring of seasonal ice cover changes over large lakes, with resulting accuracy suitable for global change studies.

Satellite Microwave Assessment of Northern Hemisphere Lake Ice Phenology from 2002 to 2015

Abstract. A new automated method for satellite assessment of seasonal lake ice phenology at 5-km resolution was developed for all lake pixels (water coverage ≥ 90 %) in the Northern Hemisphere using 36.5 GHz, H-polarized brightness temperature (Tb) observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E/2) sensors. The lake phenology metrics include seasonal timing and duration of annual ice cover. A Moving t-Test (MTT) algorithm allows for automated lake ice retrievals with daily temporal fidelity and 5-km resolution gridding. The resulting ice phenology record shows strong agreement with available ground-based observations from the Global Lake and River Ice Phenology Database (95.4 % temporal agreement), and favourable correlations (R) with alternative ice phenology records from the Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (R = 0.84 for water clear of ice [WCI] dates; R = 0.41 for complete freeze over [CFO] dates) and Canadian Ice Service (R = 0.86 for WCI dates; R = 0.69 for CFO dates). Analysis of the resulting 12-year (2002-2015) AMSR ice record indicates increasingly shorter ice-cover duration for 43 out of 71 (60.6 %) Northern Hemisphere lakes examined, with significant (p < 0.05) regional trends toward earlier ice melting for only five lakes. Higher latitude lakes reveal more widespread and larger trends toward shorter ice cover duration than lower latitude lakes, consistent with enhanced polar warming. This study documents a new satellite-based approach for rapid assessment and regional monitoring of seasonal ice cover changes over large lakes, with resulting accuracy suitable for global change studies.

Dynamically Reconfigurable Embedded Architectures for Safe Transportation Systems

Embedded system designers are increasingly relying on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) as target design platforms. Today's FPGAs provide high levels of logic density and rich sets of embedded hardware components. They are also inherently flexible and can be easily and quickly modified to meet changing applications or system requirements. On the other hand, FPGAs are generally slower and consume more power than Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). However, advances in FPGA architectures, such as Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration (DPR), are helping bridge this gap. DPR enables a portion of an FPGA device to be reconfigured while the device is still operating. This chapter explores the advantage of using the DPR feature in an automotive system. The authors implement a Driver Assistant System (DAS) based on a Multiple Target Tracking (MTT) algorithm as the automotive base system. They show how the DAS architecture can be adjusted dynamically to different scenario situations to provide interesting functionalities to the driver.