Ofer Hadar

Any image acquired by optical, electro-optical or electronic means is likely to be degraded by the environment. The resolution of the acquired image depends on the total MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) of the system and the additive noise. Image restoration techniques can improve image resolution significantly; however, as the noise increases, improvements via image processing become more limited because image restoration increases the noise level in the image. The purpose of this research is to check and characterize the MTF and noise level influences on target acquisition probability by a human observer, i.e., checking the worthwhileness of the restoration. The immediate quantity that was measured is not the probability of detection, but rather the number of targets of different sizes and degradation recognized in each scene. Conditions when restoration is advisable are determined. Further research will include real-world target recognition probability.