Search Results (187)

Sea surface target detectors are often interfered by various complex sea surface factors such as sea clutter. Especially when the signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR) is low, it is difficult to achieve high-performance detection. This paper proposes a triple-channel network model for maritime target detection based on the method of multi-modal data fusion. This method comprehensively improves the traditional multi-channel inputs by extracting highly complementary multi-modal features from radar echoes, namely, time-frequency image, phase sequence and correlation coefficient sequence. Appropriate networks are selected to construct a triple-channel network according to the internal data structure of each feature. The three features are utilized as the input of each network channel. To reduce the coupling between multi-channel data, the SE block is introduced to optimize the feature vectors of the channel dimension and improve the data fusion strategy. The detection results are output by the false alarm control unit according to the given probability of false alarm (PFA). The experiments on the IPIX datasets verify that the performance of the proposed detector is better than the existing detectors in dealing with complex ocean scenes. Full article

A method for evaluating Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence and Squared Hellinger (SH) distance between empirical data and a model distribution is proposed. This method exclusively utilises the empirical Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) of the data and the CDF of the model, avoiding data processing such as histogram binning. The proposed method converges almost surely, with the proof based on the use of exponentially distributed waiting times. An example demonstrates convergence of the KL divergence and SH distance to their true values when utilising the Generalised Pareto (GP) distribution as empirical data and the K distribution as the model. Another example illustrates the goodness of fit of these (GP and K-distribution) models to real sea clutter data from the widely used Intelligent PIxel processing X-band (IPIX) measurements. The proposed method can be applied to assess the goodness of fit of various models (not limited to GP or K distribution) to clutter measurement data such as those from the Adriatic Sea. Distinctive features of this small and immature sea, like the presence of over 1300 islands that affect local wind and wave patterns, are likely to result in an amplitude distribution of sea clutter returns that differs from predictions of models designed for oceans or open seas. However, to the author’s knowledge, no data on this specific topic are currently available in the open literature, and such measurements have yet to be conducted. Full article

In this study, we propose a novel method for retrieving the three-dimensional (3D) wave surface from sea clutter using both simulated and measured data. First, the linear wave superposition model and modulation principle are employed to generate simulated datasets comprising 3D wave surfaces and corresponding sea clutter. Subsequently, we develop a Pix2Pix model enhanced with a self-attention mechanism and a multiscale discriminator to effectively capture the nonlinear relationship between the simulated 3D wave surfaces and sea clutter. The model’s performance is evaluated through error analysis, comparisons of wave number spectra, and differences in wave surface reconstructions using a dedicated test set. Finally, the trained model is applied to reconstruct wave surfaces from sea clutter data collected aboard a ship, with results benchmarked against those derived from the Schrödinger equation. The findings demonstrate that the proposed model excels in preserving high-frequency image details while ensuring precise alignment between reconstructed images. Furthermore, it achieves superior retrieval accuracy compared to traditional approaches, highlighting its potential for advancing wave surface retrieval techniques. Full article

The modeling and analysis of sea clutter are of great significance in radar target detection studies in marine environments. Sea clutter typically exhibits non-Gaussian characteristics and spatiotemporal correlations, posing challenges for modeling, especially when generating simulation data of continuous correlated non-Gaussian random processes. This paper proposes a novel method for sea clutter modeling. First, feature description functions are constructed to individually characterize the amplitude, temporal, and spatial correlations of sea clutter, allowing for an accurate depiction of its characteristics with fewer parameters. Subsequently, simulation data are generated based on these feature description functions, satisfying the amplitude distribution, temporal correlation, and spatial correlation characteristics of sea clutter. Additionally, complex signal forms are introduced in the underlying signal processing to generate texture and speckle components of sea clutter, enhancing the alignment of simulation data with actual data. Through comparison with measured sea clutter data, the proposed method has been shown to accurately simulate complex sea clutter with real-world characteristics. Full article

Wind is one of the important environmental factors influencing marine target detection as it is the source of sea clutter and also affects target motion and drift. The accurate estimation of wind speed is crucial for developing an efficient machine learning (ML) model for target detection. For example, high wind speeds make it more likely to mistakenly detect clutter as a marine target. This paper presents a novel approach for the estimation of sea surface wind speed (SSWS) and direction utilizing satellite imagery through innovative ML algorithms. Unlike existing methods, our proposed technique does not require wind direction information and normalized radar cross-section (NRCS) values and therefore can be used for a wide range of satellite images when the initial calibrated data are not available. In the proposed method, we extract features from co-polarized (HH) and cross-polarized (HV) satellite images and then fuse advanced regression techniques with SSWS estimation. The comparison between the proposed model and three well-known C-band models (CMODs)—CMOD-IFR2, CMOD5N, and CMOD7—further indicates the superior performance of the proposed model. The proposed model achieved the lowest Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE), with values of 0.97 m/s and 0.62 m/s for calibrated images, and 1.37 and 0.97 for uncalibrated images, respectively, on the RCM dataset. Full article

Accurate modeling of sea clutter amplitude distribution plays a crucial role in enhancing the performance of marine radar. Due to variations in radar system parameters and oceanic environmental factors, sea clutter amplitude distribution exhibits multiple distribution types. Focusing solely on a single type of amplitude prediction lacks the necessary flexibility in practical applications. Therefore, based on the measured X-band radar sea clutter data from Yantai, China in 2022, this paper proposes a multi-task one-dimensional convolutional neural network (MT1DCNN) and designs a dedicated input feature set for the joint prediction of the type and parameters of sea clutter amplitude distribution. The results indicate that the MT1DCNN model achieves an F1 score of 97.4% for classifying sea clutter amplitude distribution types under HH polarization and a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.746 for amplitude distribution parameter prediction. Under VV polarization, the F1 score is 96.74% and the RMSE is 1.071. By learning the associations between sea clutter amplitude distribution types and parameters, the model’s predictions become more accurate and reliable, providing significant technical support for maritime target detection. Full article

Sea surface non-stationarity poses significant challenges to sea-surface small target detection, particularly in maintaining a stable false alarm rate (FAR). In dynamic maritime scenarios with non-stationary characteristics, the non-stationarity of sea clutter can easily cause significant changes in the clutter feature space, leading to a notable deviation between the preset FAR and the measured FAR. By analyzing the temporal and spatial variations in sea clutter, we model the relationship between the preset FAR and the measured FAR as a two-parameter linear function. To address the impact of sea surface non-stationarity on FAR, the model parameters are estimated in real time within the environment and used to guide the dynamic adjustment of the decision region. We applied the proposed method to both convex hull and support vector machine (SVM) detectors and conducted experiments using measured X-band sea-detecting datasets. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method effectively reduces the deviation between the measured mean FAR and the preset FAR. When the preset FAR is 10⁻², the proposed method achieves an average FAR of 1.067 × 10⁻² with the convex hull detector and 1.043 × 10⁻² with the SVM detector. Full article

The performance of marine radar constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detection method is significantly influenced by the modeling of sea clutter distribution and detector decision rules. The false alarm rate and detection rate are therefore unstable. In order to address low CFAR detection performance and the modeling problem of non-uniform, non-Gaussian, and non-stationary sea clutter distribution in marine radar images, in this paper, a CFAR detection method in generalized extreme value distribution modeling based on marine radar space-time filtering background clutter is proposed. Initially, three-dimensional (3D) frequency wave-number (space-time) domain adaptive filter is employed to filter the original radar image, so as to obtain uniform and stable background clutter. Subsequently, generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution is introduced to integrally model the filtered background clutter. Finally, Inclusion/Exclusion (IE) with the best performance under the GEV distribution is selected as the clutter range profile CFAR (CRP-CFAR) detector decision rule in the final detection. The proposed method is verified by utilizing real marine radar image data. The results indicate that when the $P_{fa}$ is set at 0.0001, the proposed method exhibits an average improvement in $P_D$ of 2.3% compared to STAF-RCBD-CFAR, and a 6.2% improvement compared to STCS-WL-CFAR. When the $P_{fa}$ is set at 0.001, the proposed method exhibits an average improvement in $P_D$ of 6.9% compared to STAF-RCBD-CFAR, and a 9.6% improvement compared to STCS-WL-CFAR. Full article

Ship detection, a crucial task, relies on the traditional CFAR (Constant False Alarm Rate) algorithm. However, this algorithm is not without its limitations. Noise and clutter in radar images introduce significant variability, hampering the detection of objects on the sea surface. The algorithm’s theoretically Constant False Alarm Rates are not upheld in practice, particularly when conditions change abruptly, such as with Beaufort wind strength. Moreover, the high computational cost of signal processing adversely affects the detection process’s efficiency. In previous work, a four-stage methodology was designed: The first preprocessing stage consisted of image enhancement by applying convolutions. Labeling and training were performed in the second stage using the Faster R-CNN architecture. In the third stage, model tuning was accomplished by adjusting the weight initialization and optimizer hyperparameters. Finally, object filtering was performed to retrieve only persistent objects. This work focuses on designing a specific methodology for ship detection in the Peruvian coast using commercial radar images. We introduce two key improvements: automatic cropping and a labeling interface. Using artificial intelligence techniques in automatic cropping leads to more precise edge extraction, improving the accuracy of object cropping. On the other hand, the developed labeling interface facilitates a comparative analysis of persistence in three consecutive rounds, significantly reducing the labeling times. These enhancements increase the labeling efficiency and enhance the learning of the detection model. A dataset consisting of 60 radar images is used for the experiments. Two classes of objects are considered, and cross-validation is applied in the training and validation models. The results yield a value of 0.0372 for the cost function, a recovery rate of 94.5%, and an accuracy rate of 95.1%, respectively. This work demonstrates that the proposed methodology can generate a high-performance model for contact detection in commercial radar images. Full article

Ship wake detection stands as a pivotal task in marine environment monitoring. The main challenge in ship wake detection is to improve detection accuracy and mitigate false alarms. To address this challenge, a novel procedure for ship wake detection in a single SAR image is proposed in this study. Initially, an entropy distance similarity criterion is designed to measure nonlocal image patch similarity. Based on the proposed criterion, a low-rank and sparse decomposition method is modified using nonlocal similar patch matrix construction to separate the sparse wake. Subsequently, a field-of-experts (FOE) model is introduced to generate a series of multi-view wake feature maps, which are fused to construct an enhanced feature map. The sparse wake is further enhanced in the Radon domain with the enhanced feature map. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method on real SAR ship wake images. Full article

The monitoring of the sea surface, whether it is the state of the sea or the position of targets (ships), is an up-to-date research topic. In order to determine localization parameters of ships, we propose a high-resolution algorithm for primary signal processing in high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) which operates at two frequencies. The proposed algorithm is based on a high-resolution estimate of the range–Doppler (RD-HR) map formed at every antenna in the receive antenna array, which is an essential task, because the performance of the entire radar system depends on its estimation. We also propose a new focusing method allowing us to have only one RD-HR map in the detection process, which collects the information from both these carrier frequencies. The goal of the bi-frequency mode of operation is to improve the detectability of targets, because their signals are affected by different Bragg-line interference patterns at different frequencies, as seen on the RD-HR maps during the primary signal processing. Also, the effect of the sea (sea clutter) manifests itself in different ways at different frequencies. Some targets are masked (undetectable) at one frequency, but they become visible at another frequency. By exploiting this, we increase the probability of detection. The bi-frequency architecture (system model) for the localization of sea targets and the novel signal model are presented in this paper. The advantage of bi-frequency mode served as a motivation for testing the detectability of small boats, which is otherwise a very challenging task, primarily because such targets have a small radar reflective surface, they move quickly, and often change their direction. Based on experimentally obtained results, it can be observed that the probability of detection of small boats can also be significantly improved by using a bi-frequency architecture. Full article

The spectral detection of weak frequency band signals poses a serious problem in many applications, especially when the target is within a certain frequency band under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions. A kind of novel technique based on the pre-whitening scale transformation of stochastic resonance (SR) in a symmetric bistable system in a parallel configuration is proposed to solve the problem. Firstly, pre-whitening can ensure the Gaussian distribution of the receiving signal fits the requirements for SR processing. Secondly, scale transformation can help to effectively utilize the properties of a weak signal, especially under a low-frequency band. Thirdly, the SR in a symmetric bistable system in a parallel configuration can try to smoothly reduce the variances in the clutter and additive noise. Fourthly, by subtracting the steady state response of the SR in the selected symmetric bistable system from the parallel output, the spectral detection of a weak signal can be realized successfully. Experiment results based on actual sea clutter radar data guarantee the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed symmetric bistable PSR processing approach. Full article

As an effective physical field feature to perceive ferromagnetic targets, magnetic anomaly is widely used in covert marine surveillance tasks. However, its practical usability is affected by the complex marine magnetic noise interference, making robust magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) quite a challenging task. Recently, learning-based detectors have been widely studied for the discrimination of magnetic anomaly signal and achieve superior performance than traditional rule-based detectors. Nevertheless, learning-based detectors require abundant data for model parameter training, which are difficult to access in practical marine applications. In practice, target magnetic anomaly data are usually expensive to acquire, while rich marine magnetic noise data are readily available. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop effective models to learn discriminative features from the abundant marine magnetic noise data for newly appearing target anomaly detection. Motivated by this, in this paper we formulate MAD as a single-edge detection problem and develop a self-supervised marine noise learning approach for target anomaly classification. Specifically, a sparse autoencoder network is designed to model the marine noise and restore basis geomagnetic field from the collected noisy magnetic data. Subsequently, reconstruction error of the network is used as a statistical decision criterion to discriminate target magnetic anomaly from cluttered noise. Finally, we verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach on real sea trial data and compare it with seven state-of-the-art MAD methods on four numerical indexes. Experimental results indicate that it achieves a detection accuracy of 93.61% and has a running time of 21.06 s on the test dataset, showing superior MAD performance over its counterparts. Full article

Aiming at the low observable target detection under sea clutter backgrounds, this paper emphasizes the exploration of distinguishable full-polarization features between target and sea clutter echoes. To overcome the shortcomings of the existing polarization feature-based methods, the full-polarization features of sea clutter are modeled and analyzed in detail by using Van Zyl polarization decomposition. Then, three polarimetric features (the relative surface scattering energy, the relative dihedral scattering energy and the relative diffuse scattering energy) are extracted from the fully polarimetric radar sea clutter echoes, which improve the feature differences between sea clutter and targets. And a tri-polarimetric feature detector with constant false alarm rate (CFAR) is constructed based on the fast convex hull learning algorithm. The experimental results on the real measured IPIX radar datasets prove that the proposed full-polarization feature detector obtains more competitive detection performance and lower computational complexity than the several existing feature-based detectors. Full article

Compound-Gaussian models (CGMs) are widely used to characterize sea clutter. Various types of texture distributions have been developed so that the CGMs can cover sea clutter in different conditions. In this paper, the Weibull distributions are used to model textures of sea clutter, and the CGM with Weibull-distributed textures is used to derive the CGWB distributions, a new type of biparametric distribution. Like the classic K-distributions and Compound-Gaussian with lognormal texture (CGLN) distributions, the biparametric CGWB distributions without analytical expressions can be represented by the closed-form improper integral. Further, the properties of the CGWB distributions are investigated, and four moment-based estimators using sample moments, fractional-order sample moments, and generalized sample moments are given to estimate the parameters of the CGWB distributions. Their performance is compared by simulated clutter data. Moreover, measured sea clutter data are used to examine the suitability of the CGWB distributions. The results show that the CGWB distributions can provide the best goodness-of-the-fit for low-resolution sea clutter data as alternatives to the classic K-distributions. Full article