Implementation of an Automated Signal Processing Approach for the Analysis of Chemical Spectral Signatures Collected from FT-IR Mounted in an Aircraft

The automated detection of chemical spectral signatures using a passive infrared Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectrometer mounted in an aircraft is a difficult challenge due to the small total infrared energy contribution of a particular chemical species compared to the background signature. The detection of spectral signatures is complicated by the fact that a large, widely varying infrared background is present that is coupled with the presence of a number of chemical interferents in the atmosphere. This paper describes a mathematical technique that has been successfully demonstrated to automatically detect specific chemical species in ail automated processing environment. The data analysis methodology has been demonstrated to be effective using data of low spectral resolution at low aircraft altitudes. An overview of the implementation and basic concepts of the approach are presented.