A new method for processing signals to find and track difficult-to-detect targets has been developed by a consortium of scientists led by Prof Jonathon Chambers from the University of Leicester’s Department of Engineering.
The new research, funded by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), uses a novel mathematical approach called a polynomial matrix decomposition in order to analyse multiple broadband signals.
Professor Chambers says: “Signal processing is used frequently in the modern world, such as in radar, sonar and electro-optic applications. This has a variety of uses in defence, including detecting anomalous behaviour, dangerous chemicals in the environment and so on. Better processing of this information can also have a considerable impact on cyber defence and security by being able to detect and in certain instances pre-empt anomalies.”
More than 150 research outputs have been developed as part of the consortium which has attracted a further £12m in research funding beyond the initial £4m from Dstl and the EPSRC, showing the demand for the technology.
The research has been carried out by a consortium as part of the University Defence Research Collaboration (UDRC), six universities and eight companies which work on faster and more robust algorithms to extract useful information from sensor data, allowing for timely and better-informed military decision-making.
The UDRC provides the Ministry of Defence with access to academic talent and links higher education and UK Government. The current phase of the UDRC is a five-year, £11.5 million programme addressing the topic of ‘Signal processing in a networked battlespace’. The third stage of the project is due to begin later in the year.
Professor Chambers says: “I’m pleased that this is already impacting the Ministry of Defence’s policy in terms of engagement with universities. The project has exposed academics to the priorities of the UK armed forces, and provided opportunity to transfer the latest academic research to the defence sector. We’ve been really impressed at the range of impact the UDRC research has had, proving itself an excellent platform on which to build a world-leading signal processing research community.”
Prof Andrew Baird, of Dstl, said: “Wide bandwidth transmissions are becoming increasingly important in imaging in a range of applications. This work represents a significant step forward in the processing of these types of signal.”
The consortium is also providing academics with a toolbox built in MATLAB which contains other resources, for scientists and signal processing research to build upon and is available at: http://pevd-toolbox.eee.strath.ac.uk.
Engineering students at Leicester can learn the basics of MATLAB as part of their degree studies, familiarising them with software as used by engineers and scientists and with real-world applications.
Read about the ‘Signal processing in a networked battleplace’ research: http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/K014307/1. See also the Dstl website.
