Optical sensing and image processing to detect a life raft

A system for maritime surveillance is presented. The system employs a high resolution IR camera and a color video camera to detect a very small object like a life raft. Several image processing techniques are presented to reduce noise in the data, identify targets and display them in an enhanced manner. Typical images obtained by the flight experiment are shown to demonstrate the validity of a series of procedures including these techniques. An example to enhance the visibility of the display is also presented.