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Existing and Potential Standoff Explosives Detection Techniques (2004) / Chapter Skim
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8 Summary of Committee Recommendations
Pages 117-122

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From page 117...
... As noted in Chapter 4, the ability to detect explosive vapors is hampered by the lack of volatility of many energetic materials and bomb casings that help to confine vapors emitted by explosives. That being said, many explosive compounds do contain volatile impurities that can serve as markers indicating the presence of explosives.
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From page 118...
... Recommendation: Research is needed on biological markers re lated to physiological changes of persons associated with bomb making and bomb delivery and based on the chemical composition of the explosive. SIGNAL DISCRIMINATION FROM BACKGROUND In its statement of task, the committee was asked to pay particular consideration to discriminating possible signals from explosives from background and interferents that can be anticipated in real applications.
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From page 119...
... Recommendation: Because discrimination of a useful signal in a noisy environment is always a problem, a research effort should be aimed at determining baseline ambient conditions and detecting changes in ambient conditions in real time. DETECTION SYSTEMS INTEGRATION The following findings and recommendations are made by the committee in response to its charge to discuss the potential for integrating detection techniques into detection systems that would have sufficient sensitivity without an unacceptable false positive rate.
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From page 120...
... In keeping with the committee's statement of task, these recommendations are divided into research expected to yield significant advances in the near, mid, and long term: Research Recommendations for Near-Term Technology Advances Wide-area surveillance depends heavily on the distribution of multiple low-cost sensors, and effective integration of the data received by these sensors. The development of inexpensive sensors is presently a field of active research for a multitude of applications.
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From page 121...
... Recommendation: The committee recommends continued research into biomimetic sensing based on animals, but research should fo cus on distributed, low-cost sensors. Effective standoff detection requires not only identification of the threat, but action to intercept the threat before major damage can be inflicted by the perpetrator.
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From page 122...
... Recommendation: Research is needed on biological markers re lated to physiological changes in persons associated with bomb making and bomb delivery and based on the chemical composition of the explosive. Recommendation: Feasibility studies should be developed on the ideas suggested in Chapter 7 to assess their potential in sensors suit able for standoff detection.
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Key Terms

  • effective standoff
  • standoff detection
  • standoff explosives
  • physiological changes
  • technology advances

  • plume dynamics
  • significant advances
  • biological markers
  • persons associated
  • advances research

  • bomb delivery
  • vapor plume
  • decision fusion
  • chemical composition
  • chemical explosives

  • yield significant
  • ambient conditions
  • detection techniques
  • detect explosive
  • changes resulting

  • challenges involved
  • improvised explosives
  • conflict resolution
  • additional means
  • sufficient sensitivity

  • differentials pose
  • major damage
  • imaging methods
  • vapor space
  • background conditions


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