The Swedish aerial video exploitation software firm Imint and US-based L-3 Communications Systems-West, a leader in high-speed digital communication systems that connect air, space and ground systems, are partnering to provide enhanced video intelligence exploitation from airborne surveillance. L-3 Communication Systems-West will offer Imint’s unique Ihvert real-time video enhancement and exploitation software as an option on its immensely popular ROVER communication products to meet rapidly growing demand to deliver, enhance and exploit real-time aerial video intelligence directly to soldiers on the ground – a product solution known as a Remote Viewing Terminal (RVT).

The parties today announced an agreement, in which L-3 Communication Systems-West will offer the Imint Ihvert products as an option on ROVER products for receiving, enhancing, and exploiting live video and telemetry from aerial reconnaissance systems. The driving force in this alliance is the global emerging need of improved tactical situational awareness. The combined technology will enable the full range of video reception, enhancement, exploitation and reporting capabilities within one package. An additional benefit comes from linking unique European and American technologies to create an integrated product for a fast-growing international market.

Real-time situational awareness is essential in today’s highly asymmetrical conflicts. To meet this demand, every military force currently invests heavily in manned and unmanned aerial reconnaissance assets, with capabilities to transmit full-motion video around the clock directly to commanders and soldiers to support rapid and more accurate decision making.

The L-3 Communication Systems-West ROVER products are key enablers to deliver these video images from the air to all levels of command across the battlefield, linking air and ground assets. To further improve this time-critical decision-making process down to the level of the individual dismounted soldier, L-3 Communication Systems-West can now include Imint’s unique Ihvert software for real-time enhancement and exploitation.

Several factors can degrade the visual quality of an airborne surveillance system, such as vibrations, turbulence and bad weather. In the heat of a battle situation, this can lead to incorrect conclusions that could result in lethal action on noncombatants or missed threats leading to casualties. The Ihvert software compensates for the source’s environmental factors on the receiving side, resulting in a more stable picture which enhances video in real time and provides a crisp, stable picture that increases situational awareness – the outcome is improved operational effectiveness and saved lives.

Harald Klomp, Managing Director at Imint, commented, “This partnership is an important milestone for our company. L-3 is a renowned leader in the field of intelligence collection and communication, and we are excited to provide an important piece of the puzzle in improving our mutual customers’ situational awareness.”

Imint’s lead product Ihvert encapsulates the Vidhance technology – the latest research in motion image enhancement algorithms and in a way that enables its use in real-time and in ordinary performance-constrained portable systems. Ihvert also adds useful features for field operations, developed in partnership with Swedish armed forces. The market has responded very well to the Ihvert product because it offers a “weightless” solution to the growing demand for quicker, safer and longer-range detection and identification.

Imint AB

Company or Organisation Portrait:
Imint

Imint is a Swedish innovation’s company originating from University of Uppsala’s image processing research. Imint has specialized in real-time video improvement and analysis software, primarily for the UAV market. Main product Ihvert is a software suite that can run on Remote Viewing Terminals or Ground Control Stations, to receive, study, analyze and communicate video intelligence. Ihvert provides functions like video stabilization, noise reduction, contrast enhancement, automatic image mosaicing, target locking, etc. Through Ihvert, Imint offers benefits to its customers both through video improvements providing quicker and more reliable detection and recognition, and through cost reductions, as alternative solutions are more expensive and adds extra weight – thereby limiting the economics of operation.

L-3 Communication Systems-West

L-3 Communication Systems-West is a leader in communications systems for high-performance intelligence collection, imagery processing and satellite communications for the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies. The company provides high data rate, wideband, secure, real-time communications systems for surveillance, reconnaissance and other airborne intelligence collection systems.