Canopy penetration

Beezer2711 · Dec 31, 2018

Has anyone found a particular camera or sensor that can see thru the trees? It almost seems point less to try and search for someone in a wooded area because the leaves obscure/block almost everything. Also to make one thing clear, I don't usually look for people who want to be found or realize they are missing. We are utilizing Inspire 1 with Camera (x5?) and FLIR most of the time.

jkerrins · Dec 31, 2018

What sensor are you using on the Inspire currently. There is no thermal that can see through trees. Thermal sensors measure inbound thermal radiation and set a temp value on the pixel to render an image we can see. The greater the delta between your background and the target, the more likely you will pickup an anomaly. Also, the palette choice you are using is also very important for Search and Rescue. Most common is white hot, black how. If you are using isotherms, it is very easy to miss a target. Do you have any video you can share to show an example of not being able to see through the canopy?

Beezer2711 · Jan 2, 2019

jkerrins said:
What sensor are you using on the Inspire currently. There is no thermal that can see through trees. Thermal sensors measure inbound thermal radiation and set a temp value on the pixel to render an image we can see. The greater the delta between your background and the target, the more likely you will pickup an anomaly. Also, the palette choice you are using is also very important for Search and Rescue. Most common is white hot, black how. If you are using isotherms, it is very easy to miss a target. Do you have any video you can share to show an example of not being able to see through the canopy?

That is my point. If there is heavy leaf coverage. It does not matter what palette you choose. All the FLIR sees is leafs