Scientists improve tracking capabilities with signal processing

The new research, which has been funded by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), uses a novel mathematical approach called a polynomial matrix decomposition in order to analyse multiple broadband signals.

“Signal processing is used frequently in the modern world, such as in radar, sonar and electro-optic applications,” explained Professor Chambers.

“This has a variety of uses in defence, including detecting anomalous behaviour, dangerous chemicals in the environment and so on. Better processing of this information can also have a considerable impact on cyber defence and security by being able to detect and in certain instances pre-empt anomalies.”

More than 150 research outputs have been developed as part of the consortium which has attracted a further £12m in research funding beyond the initial £4m provided by Dstl and the EPSRC, highlighting the demand for the innovative technology.

The research has been carried out by a consortium as part of the University Defence Research Collaboration (UDRC), composed of a group of six universities and eight companies which works to deliver faster and more robust algorithms to extract useful information from sensor data, allowing for timely and better-informed military decision-making.

The UDRC provides the Ministry of Defence with access to a high quality and current academic talent pool and strengthens the links between the Higher Education sector and government.

The current phase of the UDRC is a five year, £11.5m programme addressing the topic of ‘Signal processing in a networked battlespace’. The third stage of the project is due to begin later in the year.

"The second phase of the UDRC has been a great success,” said Professor Chambers. “I’m pleased that this is already impacting the Ministry of Defence’s policy in terms of engagement with universities. The project has exposed academics to the priorities of the UK armed forces, and provided opportunity to transfer the latest academic research to the defence sector. We’ve been really impressed at the range of impact the UDRC research has had, proving itself an excellent platform on which to build a world-leading signal processing research community.”

Professor Andrew Baird, from the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, said: “Wide bandwidth transmissions are becoming increasingly important in imaging in a range of applications. This work represents a significant step forward in the processing of these types of signal.”

The consortium is also providing the academic community with a toolbox built in MATLAB which contains additional resources, laying the foundation for future scientists and signal processing research to build upon and is available here.

Engineering students at the University of Leicester have the opportunity to learn the basics of MATLAB as part of their degree studies, familiarising them with a valuable software environment which is used by professional engineers and scientists and has real world applications.