Army Research Laboratory, Attn: AMSRL-CS-PR-AP, Abeerden Proving Grounds, MD 21005-5066

A -- R&D SOL W26238 8176-7001 DUE 080798 POC Jeanine Worthington, Contract Specialist, 410-278-6514, Jean Craig, Contracting Officer, 410-278-6517 The Army Research Laboratory, Human Research and Engineering Directorate (ARL-HRED) intends to negotiate with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) for Statement of Work, Title: An Experimental Examination of a Categorization Scheme for Prototypical Backgrounds and Military Targets. This effort maintains continuity of the Industrial Graduate Internship Program in Human Factors Engineering for ARL-HRED. The objective of this effort is to use Fourier transform techniques to develop a categorization scheme for a variety of prototypical real-world backgrounds for military targets. Given this scheme, the research shall examine the effects of masking on target detection and recognition. The contractor shall apply the Fourier transform techniques, which were uniquely developed for the support of the joint HRED and AMSAA target acquisition project, to the objective of two experiments. The first experiment shall demonstrate classic visual masking phenomena using two-dimensionaltargets and masking fields to extend the extant research findings to the realm of two-dimensional spatial frequency targets and masking fields. Experiment 2 shall use the same methodology to examine realistic military targets and masking fields. The contractor shall be responsible for providing the HRED and AMSAA a quantitative, Fourier transform procedure for relating both target structure and background structure to the human target acquisition process. The detection and recognition phases of the target acquisition process shall be addressed. The contractor shall travel to ARL-HRED, Building 520, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland to conduct technical progress meetings with HRED technical representatives and to conduct Experiment 1. Experiment 2 shall be conducted at the contractor's site. Negotiations are planned solely with Virginia Tech. The Displays and Controls Laboratory (DCL) of Virginia Tech is a unique facility for the conduct of experiments on complex human-system interaction, visual psychophysics, and image quality. Virginia Tech has completed prerequisite work for the HRED that included a comprehensive literature review of the psychophysical aspects of the target acquisition literature. The review included research on characteristics of the target (type, number [single versus multiple], signature variation, target cues and target representation). The review included characteristics of the target environment such as the effects of background & foreground, local and global variation, and type of environment (tropical, desert, jungle, etc.). Virginia Tech has developed a new psychophysical procedure involving spatial frequency analysis to be used to examine the effects of visual masking on target acquisition. The value of this procurement is estimated at less than $50,000. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability. Information received will be considered only for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Capabilities statement referencing W26238 8176-7001 must be faxed to Jeanine Worthington, 410-278-6522. Posted 07/21/98 (W-SN226481). (0202)

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