RESOLUTION DEPENDENCE OF ACOUSTIC SCATTERING STATISTICS FOR COMPLEX SEAFLOORS
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Authors
Lehman, Alexander J.
Subjects
synthetic aperture sonar
sonar
multi-look
scattering statistics
sonar
multi-look
scattering statistics
Advisors
Olson, Derek
Date of Issue
2022-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) utilize sonar perception to conduct sea floor mapping and target detection operations. However, systems with different resolutions may generate different probability density functions (PDFs) of the magnitude of the complex pressure. An area of research that has not been adequately studied is the effects of resolution manipulation during the post-processing of high-resolution data from complex seafloor environments. This work analyzed synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) data collected from multiple seafloor geomorphologies surrounding Bergen, Norway, to study the resolution dependence of scattering statistics for complex seafloors. Multi-look methods were applied to reduce the resolution. The original data and reduced resolution data were compared in terms of PDF amplitude and evaluated by standard goodness of fit tests with heavy-tailed statistical models that are commonly used in the radar and sonar community, including mixture models. Top-performing physics-based distributions were analyzed by how well they model how background and clutter parameters change with resolution manipulation. Empirical equations and a table of environmental constants were developed to allow a user to understand better how sonar data behaves at a given resolution and bottom type.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Oceanography (OC)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA, 22217
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.