THE EFFECTS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC GROUND RESOLUTION ON PHOTOINTERPRETATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79B00873A001600040016-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 17
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: February 24, 1970
• Content Type: MISC

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PROPOSAL FOR EXTENSION IN SCOPE ON
THE EFFECTS OF
PHOTOGRAPHIC GROUND RESOLUTION
ON PHOTOINTERPRETATION
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PROPOSAL FOR EXTENSION IN SCOPE ON
THE EFFECTS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC GROUND RESOLUTION
ON PHOTOINTERPRETATION
24 February 1970
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This is a proposal for an extension in scope of Contract
The Effects of Photographic Ground Resolu-
tion on Photointerpretation. The purpose of the extension
will be to conduct an experimental study of the effects of
photographic ground resolution on the identification of
ground order-of-battle targets. The high resolution photo-
graphy of Aberdeen Proving Ground already obtained under the
contract and other targets in other areas, if they are avail-
able, will be used to prepare photographs representing six
appropriate ground resolutions and scales. Professional
photointerpreters will view them for the purpose of identi-
fying the targets. A report and briefing describing the
results will be prepared.
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ABSTRACT.
Page
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INTRODUCTION .
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TECHNICAL DISCUSSION AND METHOD
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Experimental Photographs.
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Targets
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Experimental Design
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Subs ects .
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Data Collection
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Data Analysis
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WORK STATEMENT .
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SCHEDULE .
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DELIVERABLE ITEMS
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PERSONNEL
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ESTIMATED COSTS AND FEE
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NOTES
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PROPOSAL FOR EXTENSION IN SCOPE ON
THE EFFECTS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC GROUND RESOLUTION
ON PHOTOINTERPRETATION
Contract The Effects of Photo-
graphie Ground Resolution on Photointerpretation, was written
primarily for the purpose of obtaining high-resolution,
aerial photographs of ground order-of-battle targets to be
used subsequently in an experimental study of the effects of
ground resolution on photointerpretation. The specific tasks
to be performed were as follows:
Task 1. Selection and procurement of the re-
quired aircraft and camera.
Task 2. Selection, procurement, and place-
ment of appropriate targets.
Task 3. Construction or procurement and
placement of test targets.
Task 4. Collection of "ground-truth" infor-
mation.
Task 5. Collection of photography.
The contract thus called only for the collection and
preparation of photographic and other materials required for
an experimental study in which professional photointer-
preters (PIs) would serve as subjects. Most of that pre-
paratory work. has been done: an aircraft/camera system was
obtained from the sponsor's parent organization; arrangements
were made to photograph the tank/artillery museum at
Aberdeen Proving Ground; test targets were prepared and
placed adjacent to the museum; test flights were flown to
determine the altitude and camera settings required to
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achieve the desired ground resolution; and the photographic
acquisition flights were flown while luminance measures of
the targets and their background were being made on the
ground. In addition, part of the required ground-truth in-
formation was obtained.
This proposal for extension in scope is to conduct and
report the experimental study. In it, the effects of photo-
graphic ground resolution on PI identification of ground
order-of-battle targets will be investigated.
The relevance of the work was described in the origi-
nal proposal as follows:
Modern photographic reconnaissance systems are
enormously expensive, and the attainment of
better ground resolutions implies greater ex-
pense. The relation between resolution and
expense probably is not a linear one; improving
ground resolution by a factor of two, for ex-
ample, probably means an increase in system
expense by much more than a factor of two.
Furthermore, improvements in ground resolution
may imply a decrease in area coverage.
For these reasons, the intelligence community
should continue the effort to determine what
additional significant intelligence information
is obtained with improvements in ground resolu-
tion. Such knowledge is vital to the evaluation
of proposed systems.
No one has yet been able to develop an objec-
tive relation between intelligence information
and dollars. For one reason, the value of in-
telligence information varies over time and it
is difficult, if not impossible, to foresee
entirely what information will be valuable in
the future. Nevertheless, the effort to deter-
mine what information better ground resolutions
permit the photointerpreter to obtain should
continue, so as to provide the people responsi-
ble for designing and evaluating systems with
an additional source of relevant data.
Thus far, four studies of the effects of ground reso-
lution on the interpretation of targets have been completed.
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The targets in the first were aircraft; the targets in
the second were domestic, offensive ICBM sites; the
targets in the third were scale models of mobile radars;
and the targets in the fourth were models of tanks and
other military vehicles. Technical reports describing
these studies have been submitted to the sponsor. In addi-
tion, briefings on these studies have been given to both
the sponsor and other organizations in the intelligence
community.
Aircraft were selected as targets in the first study
primarily because of practical considerations: a large
number of different types of aircraft were located in a
small area and an aircraft/camera system was immediately
available in the area. The results showed the ground reso-
lution required for aircraft identification. In addition,
the experimenters learned a great deal about conducting
such studies, another valuable result.
Domestic, offensive ICBM sites were selected as tar-
gets for the second study because of the significance of
that type of target to the intelligence community. The
results showed that because of their relatively simple
external configurations, "very good" ground resolutions
were not required to exploit fully the intelligence in
overhead photographs of them.l
The fact was recognized then, and still is, that the
effects of ground resolution on interpretation is "target
specific." One class of targets requires better ground
resolution than another for the complete exploitation of
overhead photography.
For that reason, a similar study was done with models
of mobile radars serving as targets. They were selected
1The specific results are not presented here because of
security.
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because of the greater detail in their external configura-
tions--the antennas, horns, feeder lines, and so on. The
results showed that significantly better ground resolutions
are required for radars than for missile sites to exploit
fully the intelligence information available in overhead
photography.
It was suggested by representatives of the sponsor and
other intelligence organizations that ground order-of-battle
targets might require even better ground resolutions than
radars for the complete exploitation of photography. Con-
sequently, a third study of the effects of photographic
ground resolution was conducted using scale models of tanks
and other military vehicles as targets.2 The dependent
measure was percent correct target identification.
TECHNICAL DISCUSSION AND METHOD
In general, the experimental study proposed here will
be an extension of the previous photographic ground resolu-
tion studies. However, real ground order-of-b attle targets
will be used.
The method will be essentially the same as that used
in the previous studies. Experienced PIs will view the
targets at each ground resolution, starting with the poorest
and ending with the best. At each resolution, they will
attempt to identify each target by comparing its image in
the photographs with "ground-truth" information. The data
will be analyzed to determine the mean, standard deviation,
2In this study, the effects of line-scan images that varied
in signal-to-noise ratio and number of scans per target
were investigated simultaneously. This phase of the study
was a replication of a study previously done 0 and
A comparison of the results of the two
studies showed that the experimental methods yielded very
reliable data.
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and standard error of the mean of percent correct identifi-
cations at each ground resolution. Tests of the statistical
significance of differences in identification performances
between and among ground resolutions will be made. A de-
scription of the method and the results plus their implica-
tions will be presented in a technical report.
Following is a more detailed description of the
method.
Experimental Photographs
The ground resolution of the Aberdeen photography is
as determined from three-bar target
readings. If additional appropriate targets can be found
and additional missions can be flown, an effort will be
made to obtain an equivalent ground resolution.
The original negatives will be processed to obtain
six ground resolutions and scales that are relevant to
existing and proposed systems:
In producing positive transparencies to simulate the
different ground resolutions and scales, the modulation
transfer function (MTF) will be simulated.
MTF's will be determined for each ground resolution from
traces of a test target edge located in a frame adjacent to
the frame containing the target images.
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Targets
As previously mentioned, representatives of the
sponsor and other intelligence organizations suggested that
the effects of ground resolution on the identification of
ground order-of-battle targets should be investigated.
Consequently, a study was done of the effects of ground
resolution on the accuracy of identification of military
vehicles, tanks, and other types of vehicles. The targets
were scale models.
The sponsor requested that an additional study with
real ground order-of-battle targets be conducted. So
photographs of the WW II tank/artillery museum at Aberdeen
were obtained and additional target areas are currently
being examined to determine whether or not they should be
included in the study.
There may be a question concerning whether or not
these targets are representative of the ground order-
of-battle targets that PIs seek to identify today. They
appear to be. First, some of the WW II tanks and artillery
pieces at Aberdeen are still in use today; second, the
external configurations of the tanks and artillery pieces
developed since WW II, and being used today, are not sig-
nificantly different from those used in WW II; and, third,
the visual discriminations required to identify WW II
ground order-of-battle targets are not different from the
visual discriminations required to identify modern ground
order-of-battle targets..
Experimental Design
The major question in designing a study such as the
one proposed here is whether to use a within- or between-
sub~jects design. In the within-subjects design, the
subjects view the imagery at all ground resolutions and
thus serve as their own controls. The advantage of such a
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design is that, because the subjects serve as their own
controls, some experimental control is maintained over
relevant variables such as knowledge, experience, aptitude,
motivation, and so on. There are both practical and ex-
perimental disadvantages. The primary practical disadvan-
tage is that-the number of hours required per subject is
much larger. The primary experimental disadvantage is
uncontrolled "order effects," and the order effect of
greatest concern is the learning that takes place during
the course of the experiment.
In the between-subjects design, a different group of
subjects views the imagery at each ground resolution.
Thus, when a comparison is made among the performances at
the various ground resolutions, not only are the effects
of ground resolution being compared, individual differences
in knowledge, experience, and so on, are also being com-
pared.
In the previous experiments, within-subjects designs
have been used. The same type of design will be used in
the experiment proposed here if the task is not too time
consuming. A pilot study will be done to determine how
long it takes a subject to complete the entire target
identification task working from the poorest imagery to
the best. If the time taken is considered reasonable,
a within-subjects design will be used. If the time required
is considered too long, a combination within- and between-
subjects design will be used:.
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comparisons will be between subjects. Obviously, a pilot
study must be done before final design decisions can be
made.
Subjects
Professional PIs with a minimum of one year of recent
operational experience will serve as subjects and an effort
will be made to use only ground order-of-battle specialists.
However, previous results have shown that it is prob ably
not necessary to use only specialists. From 10 to 15 sub-
jects per ground resolution should be enough to achieve
adequate reliability, yet not seriously interfere with
operations.
The data collection will be conducted ~~ A room
with three viewing stations comparable to operational sta-
tions will be set up and an effort will be made to have
three subjects perform at a time. Each station will in-
clude a light table, a B and L microscope, and a tube
magnifier.
Data AnaZ~sis
Means, standard deviations, and standard errors of
the mean of percent correct target identifications at each
ground resolution will be computed. Different classes of
targets will be treated separately. Analyses of variance
will be performed to determine the statistical differences
among means. Additional statistical tests of the dif-
ferences between pairs of means will be made as required.
Other analyses will be performed if they appear possibly
to reveal relevant information.
The data analysis will be done on the IBM 1130
computer.
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The work in this proposed would in-
clude the following tasks:
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Task 1, of the experimental and
statistical design, books containing
the "ground-truth" information, sub-
ject requirements and instructions,
and data collection forms.
Task 2. Collection of the experimental data
using the customer's facilities and
PI personnel as subjects.
Task 3. Analysis of the experimental data.
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Task 4. Preparation of a technical report
and briefing describing the methods,
the results, and their implications.
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Task 5. Briefings, Q,~ Yegaes~tar D~ ~Q p~Dje~ ,~~.r,
Starting
Date
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It is expected that the expenditure rate will be
However, the rate during the execution of Task 1 could
be somewhat less due to delays in preparing the photo-
graphic materials. It could be somewhat greater during
the execution of Task 2 due to possible conflicts with
operations.
1. The photographic stimulus materials.
2. A book containing the "ground-truth" data.
3. Bimonthly progress reports.
4. A technical report.
5. Briefings, if requested by the sponsor.
6. A final, summary report.
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1. Formerly,~~ has had one overhead pool. Effec-
tive 1 January 1970 our accounting system was
changed to provide for a breakdown of indirect
expenses in the same format as is reflected in
this proposal. The Defense Contract Audit
Agency, 11099 South La Cienega Boulevard, Los
Angeles, California 90045, has audit responsi-
bility for HFR's Government contract work and a
review by them of our new system and the basis
for allocations have been approved.
2. Bidder is not dominant in its field of opera-
tions and with affiliates employs fewer than
500 employees.
3. The prices of the items covered do not exceed
those paid by any other purchaser from the con-
tractor and the Government is placed in the most
favored price category.
4. Prices are based on straight time.
5. Bidder represents that he has not employed or re-
tained a company or person (other than a full-
time employee) to solicit or secure this contract
and agrees to furnish information thereto as
requested by the Contracting Officer.
6. Bidder is incorporated in the State of Nevada.
7. Bidder is a profit institution as determined by
the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
24 February 1970
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