Getting a 3-D look at a city with new Buckeye system

DefenseLINK:

A system initially adopted to help the Army Corps of Engineers detect invasive vegetation growing in coastal waterways is giving warfighters an edge in the global war on terror.

"Buckeye," a digital imaging system that's installed on an aircraft, gives ground commanders a bird's-eye view of the area in which they're operating, Army Capt. Jed Richards, research and development coordinator for the Army's Topographic Engineering Center here, told American Forces Press Service.

Featuring a high-quality digital camera with an extra-large focal frame, Buckeye "looks" nearly straight down from an aircraft and captures images of the area below. Analysts on the ground eliminate any distortions as they combine these multiple shots into one extra-large image, Richards explained.

These overlapping images create a "stereoscopic pair" that enables viewers wearing special polarized glasses to see the image in three dimensions, said Michael Tischler, a physical scientist here. "So when you do this for an entire city, you create a series of three-dimensional images," he said.

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For example, the system's 3D capability, provided in a detailed map that includes grid coordinates, gives troops a level of situational awareness simply not possible from standard overhead imagery.

"And there are a lot of benefits to that," Tischler said. "You are able to see heights, the lay of the land, (and) you are able to plan better. You're able to get a better idea of what is there."

Troops can use it to rehearse patrols through areas where they've never been and identify potential sniper locations, evaluating them via a laptop computer or a hard-copy printout. "If you're getting a briefing before moving into a city, you can look at this and say, 'This is the route we'll take in, and these are the critical points as we move along,'" Richards said.

But unlike a traditional map, Buckeye enables troops to evaluate their operating area from different vantage points. "So if I'm on top of a building, this is the view I have," Richards said, pointing to a Buckeye image from an Iraqi city.

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This is a long way from having to visualize using a topography map and a compass. It has to be a real help for the lieutenants who have to lead their men through these areas.