Sophisticated imagery analysis

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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory launched its Imaging Science and Technology Initiative (ISAT) in 2001 to cover a broad range of potential applications, including counterterrorism.

The initiative's ultimate goal is to assist experts in numerous fields who rely on imagery make more timely and beneficial decisions. These fields include national security, biological sciences, natural resources and energy. In national security, for example, remote sensing satellite imagery could be used to monitor treaties or to identify terrorist training camps or other threatening activities. Closer to home, personnel scanning at airports involves some type of imaging, such as an x-ray or millimeter wave system that detects not only metal, but also plastic and ceramic weapons.

Pacific Northwest scientists are developing a flexible, easy-to-use suite of image analysis tools based on new mathematical methods and advanced imagery visualization technologies. These tools will enhance image analysis and understanding, whether the images are from space satellites or laboratory microscopes.