Sensitivity analysis of ATR algorithms to scene distortions: the key to performance evaluation of automatic target recognition systems

This paper presents a methodology to characterize the automatic target recognition (ATR) algorithm performance when it is subjected to geometrical scene distortions. The methodology presented is a parametric variation technique whereby perturbations in sensor parameters are made and the target probability of detection and location determined. The generic methodology developed here can serve as a very useful tool in the test and evaluation of ATR systems used in industrial, scientific, commercial, medical, civil defence, and national defence applications