Thermal Imaging Analysis: Optical Filtration of the Infrared for Improved Lifeform Identification

Abstract

Global warming-induced crises are rampant. Natural disasters are happening more frequently, and more erratically. Emergency responders easily become stretched thin between disaster mitigation, relief, and search and rescue operations during these times. This paper sought to determine if it is possible to improve imaging systems to aid in these search and rescue missions. Thanks to black-body radiation, it is known that all objects in this universe emit radiation in some capacity. According to Wien’s Displacement Law, the wavelengths of maximum emission from a warm- blooded mammal and Earth both fall within the infrared spectrum, which is sensitive to thermal imaging cameras. With a FLIR Vue Pro thermal imaging camera, an 8500nm bandpass filter, and an 8650nm longpass filter, it was found that optical filters do have the capability to manipulate the output of thermal imagers. Using ImageJ’s Fiji, it was found that the Contrast-to-Noise Ratio of an image of a lifeform was significantly (>50%) reduced upon the application of a bandpass filter. Further testing is needed to determine if this method can effectively isolate a desired band of wavelengths from a temperature signature using optical filters. However, results of this study show that optical filtration of the infrared is possible, and therefore improved lifeform identification in search and rescue operations may be too.