Technical report | Expressing Sensor Maturity in Terms of Information Fusion: Re-defining Non-Traditional Sensing

Abstract

In recent years, the term ‘non-traditional sensing’, or NTS, has seen increased usage; particularly within military parlance. This paper explores the definition of NTS, some of the technologies that are typically associated with NTS and, ultimately, questions the need for NTS as a concept. Instead, it suggests that NTS is really an artefact of perception resulting from the natural and ongoing development of sensor systems towards higher levels of data and information fusion. A light-weight model that provides a generalised mapping between increasing sensor complexity and fusion is presented as an alternative to more formal models that have been proposed previously.

Executive Summary

In recent years, the term ‘non-traditional sensing’, or NTS, has seen increased usage; particularly within military parlance. This paper explores the definitions of both traditional and non-traditional sensors, including providing a précis of historical sensor development. Having providing a baseline definition of traditional sensing, and the driving technologies behind some of the systems that are typically associated with non-traditional sensing, the paper considers several sensing technologies that are presently associated with non-traditional sensing: hyper-spectral imaging; synthetic aperture radar and synthetic aperture sonar. Exploring what makes these technologies non-traditional, the paper ultimately questions the need for the concept of non-traditional sensing. Instead, it is suggested that NTS is simply an artefact of perception resulting from the natural and ongoing development of sensor systems towards higher levels of data and information fusion.

Given this premise, a light-weight model that provides a generalised mapping between increasing sensor complexity and fusion is presented as an alternative to more formal models that have been proposed previously. Some examples of techniques and technologies that not only provide evidence for the validity of the proposed model, but that sit higher on the non-traditional sensing ‘spectrum’ than those techniques presently categorised as non-traditional, are presented.