ABSTRACT
Automatic target detection is a rapidly growing field, increasing in importance as the number, variety, and resolution of deployed sensors expand. The proliferation of sensors, driven by the need for improved situational awareness and reduced cost, has made it impossible to allow human interpretation of every image. Automatic target detection algorithms are used to search large numbers of images for possible targets. The performance of an ATD is often characterized by the percentage of targets successfully detected, the number of false detection, and the computational cost. Many ATD approaches have been attempted in the past decades, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In order to provide a quick overview on ATD, a number of common ATD approaches are described in this entry. Some difficulties in the development of realistic ATD algorithms are also discussed.
