HyPerspectives, a Bozeman company that specializes in analyzing remotely sensed images of the earth, won a $100,000 contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop new methods for identification of camouflaged military targets. The company will use ecological data collected in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem to help the Air Force solve security and defense problems.
The TechLink Center at Montana State University assisted HyPerspectives in winning the contract. TechLink informed the company of the contract opportunity, arranged for discussions with Air Force personnel, and helped it to develop a successful proposal.
During the project, HyPerspectives will help Air Force engineers increase the speed and accuracy of identifying ground-based military threats. Scientists at HyPerspectives have successfully pioneered state-of-the-art techniques for precise identification of environmental features in the Yellowstone region.
The local ecologists will use their methods of detecting features in images of fields or forests taken at heights of 10,000 feet or more to help Air Force technicians reliably identify objects that may be camouflaged with vegetation and other natural elements.
HyPerspectives has already demonstrated that it can combine high-precision “hyperspectral” data and radar images of the earth to detect features as small as a wire fence hidden in brush.
In addition to enabling the Air Force to better identify threats, this project is expected to help HyPerspectives develop better methods for using remote sensing to study forest fire potential and environmental threats such tree diseases and invasive species.
“This is a unique opportunity for ecologists to use remotely sensed data gathered in space to assist our national defense efforts,” said Ron Cooper, president of HyPerspectives. “Our technology can penetrate ground camouflage and make precise identification of objects possible.”
HyPerspectives is a recent startup company located in TechRanch, a technology venture center in Bozeman’s Advanced Technology Park. TechLink is funded by the Department of Defense and NASA to link companies in Montana and the surrounding region with federal laboratories for joint research, technology transfer, and commercialization of new technology.
