More on the Rollout of ARCHER

" . . . first operational airborne hyperspectral imaging system in the world"

Civil Air Patrol officially rolled out the nation’s first fully operational hyperspectral-imaging system during a ceremony March 2 at the Fort Belvoir's Davison Army Airfield near Washington, D.C.

The new high-tech aerial-imaging system, dubbed ARCHER for Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance, will make CAP more effective in its search and rescue, disaster relief, counterdrug, and homeland security missions.            

"To the best of my knowledge, this is the first operational airborne hyperspectral imaging system in the world," said Col. Robert Gaudette of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, one of several dignitaries attending the rollout.

“CAP’s spearheading such a project for civilian use is a tribute to the commitment and determination of our members,” said CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Dwight H. Wheless. “It took almost four years of dedicated work to complete this project.”

NHQ: CAP rolls out new high-tech aerial imaging system

:: Ummm... I guess it all depends on how you define "first," and "operational," but even a quick google search will point you to other HSI implementations like this.

That being said, this is definitely the first HSI platform of it's kind to be made available to emergency managers and homeland security agencies.

Key to the process, General Wheless said, were support and assistance provided by the Naval Research Laboratory, Air Force Research Laboratory and Coast Guard Research and Development Center. “This is the largest interagency project in CAP’s 63-year history,” General Wheless said.

Also included in the ARCHER team were Gippsland Aeronautics, which provided the aerial platform for the system with its GA8 Airvan, NovaSol Corporation of Honolulu, which provided hardware, and Space Computer Corporation of Los Angeles, which provided the software.

“Using hyperspectral-imaging equipment onboard an aircraft, we can identify an object on the ground as small as one meter in size from half a mile in the air,” General Wheless said.

Wheless said the HSI sensor detects an object by looking for and identifying its spectral signature, the way the object reflects light. Airborne ARCHER operators can program the target object’s spectral signature into the system in advance or, in the absence of such a signature, set the system to search for anomalies -- objects significantly different from the surrounding area. Data on possible targets that match the sought-for spectral signatures or anomalies can be processed in real time, stored and analyzed, and transmitted to ground teams. Since the system relies on reflected light, it cannot detect objects at night, underwater, under dense cover, underground, under snow or inside buildings.

“Despite these minor limitations, you can see how HSI will greatly increase CAP’s effectiveness in aerial reconnaissance,” said Col. Drew Alexa, director of the CAP Advanced Technologies Group. “CAP already has satellite-transmitted digital-imaging systems in place throughout the nation. We can use HSI to capture images in the air and then transmit them to the ground via e-mail in two minutes or less, using a satellite phone. With such rapid response, ground operators can quickly see if they need to redirect the aircraft or deploy ground teams to a particular location.”

Colonel Alexa said CAP will deploy 16 ARCHER systems to strategic locations throughout the nation.

The official ARCHER rollout drew CAP leaders, scientists, military officers and industry leaders from throughout the nation. Cutting the ceremonial red ribbon were: Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. William J. Makell Jr., Coast Guard Headquarters; Dr. Thomas G. Giallerezi and Lt. Col. (Dr.) John Kershenstein of the Naval Research Laboratory; Dr. Robert Gaudette of the Air Force Research Laboratory; and CAP leaders General Wheless and Colonel Alexa.

Other dignitaries attending were Michael Dominguez, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Lt. Col. Carl Geng of the CAP Advanced Technologies Group, CAP National Headquarters Executive Director Al Allenback, and representatives from Gippsland Aeronatics, NovaSol and Space Computer Corporation.

The rollout ceremony included a technical briefing on ARCHER presented by Colonel Alexa. Afterward, attendees examined the system first-hand in a Gippsland GA8 Airvan on static display. Hosting the event for CAP was Fort Belvoir’s 12th Air Battalion, represented at the rollout by Lt. Col. James Brandon, 12th AB commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Herbert McCoy.

Comments

[Larry B. York]

Col.Drew Alexa,

I work for the City of Houston in the Environmental Health Division Bureau of Air Quality. In June 2004, the EPA approved and funded a project I presented to them in using a Hyperspectral Sensor over the Houston Ship Channel to detect illegal discharges and spills. The over flights were limited, but the results were outstanding. The results can be found at:

http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/science/remotesensing.htm

I would like to start a dialogue between the CAP and the City of Houston, the EPA, Harris County, TCEQ, and the U.S. Coast Guard in collecting data using the ARCHER system to solve environmental and enforcement problems in the Houston area. This would also include Home Land security.

Best Regards,

Larry B. York
Senior GIS Analyst
City of Houston
Bureau of Air Quality
713.640.4219

[Roy G. Biv]

With respect to the other HSI systems you pointed out, they are not "operationally fielded" in the sense that they are research instruments which require highly trained scientists/engineers for operation and field maintenance. In contrast, ARCHER can be operated, and the information interpreted by CAP volunteers who go through a training program targeted at the high school graduate/undergrad college student. There's a lot more to something being "operational" than the screen lighting up when you push the button!

[frustrated CAP member]

I have taken the online test and have been waiting for a while now to be selected for the training at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. I have spoken to several individuals who have gone through the program and more than half of the class attendees at MAFB fail the final exam. I know two individuals with Masters Degrees who have failed. Archer is not for the average CAP member. It is not SDIS. One has to have a deep understanding of the principles used for target detection for that operator to be useful. The problem has been that the CAP wings and regions have been sending the usual suspects, the region commander's and wing commander's buddies to the training. You know that most often those buddies are the members who are in CAP for the rank, a salute and politics. We who do the work and are qualified usually get left behind.

Having pulled of an accomplishment such as the Archer program makes Col. Alexa stand out from the mediocre hierarchy. If Col. Alexa has the goods to stand up to the career CAP members who were cadets and now after 20+ years is a wing or region commander, then this program will be a success. CAP NHQ should do a better job of screening the candidates and look for educated well meaning, capable individuals. It’s perfectly fine to ask that the candidates at least have a Bachelors Degree. CAP should stop catering to the retired, bored, looking for another certificate to full the life accomplishment void kind of members.

I heard Col. Alexa is the same person who got SDIS launched. This is the kind of guy we need as a National Commander. I hear he is well spoken and educated. Haven’t heard anything negative about him. Why promote individuals who can’t even speak proper English. We need individuals who care about real accomplishments such as Archer, SDIS, Counter drug and homeland security, and not those who waste USAF time and CAP money arguing about getting the USAF leather jacket approved for CAP members.