Patent ID: 6420994
Filing Date: 2002-07-16
Classification: G01S

Abstract:
A method of determining location information corresponding to a volume in space, the volume in space occupied by a target, comprising the steps of:storing, within a database, location information associated with spatial geographic coordinates of a pre-determined geographic reference coordinate system; transmitting, from an observation platform, an interrogation signal toward the target; receiving, at the observation platform, a response signal passively reflected from the target; determining an observation platform spatial geographic coordinate within the pre-determined geographic reference coordinate system; determining compass heading, angular inclination, and distance to the target, relative to the observation platform spatial geographic coordinate, by using data gathered from the reflected response signal; determining a volume in space spatial geographic coordinate within the pre-determined geographic reference coordinate system, using the compass heading, angular inclination, distance to the target, and the observation platform spatial geographic coordinate; and associating the volume in space spatial geographic coordinate with location information corresponding to the volume in space by querying the database.