Multiagency Urban Search Experiment Detector and Algorithm Test Bed

• Published in: IEEE transactions on nuclear science Vol. 64; no. 7; pp. 1689 - 1695
• Main Authors: Nicholson, Andrew D., Garishvili, Irakli, Peplow, Douglas E., Archer, Daniel E., Ray, William R., Swinney, Mathew W., Willis, Michael J., Davidson, Gregory G., Cleveland, Steven L., Patton, Bruce W., Hornback, Donald E., Peltz, James J., McLean, M. S. Lance, Plionis, Alexander A., Quiter, Brian J., Bandstra, Mark S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.07.2017; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Algorithms; Asphalt; Atmospheric measurements; Background radiation; Data acquisition systems; data management; Data models; Data processing; Datasets; detectability and estimation metrics; Detectors; Downloading; Filtration; Gamma rays; Geometry; Germanium; Gravel; Interpolation; Lidar; Localization; Mathematical models; MCNP; Particle measurements; Radiation; Radiation detectors; radiation environment characterization; radiation environment modeling; Radiation measurement; radiation transport modeling; Sampling; Sampling methods; Soil; Soil measurements; Statistical sampling; Transport
• ISSN: 0018-9499; 1558-1578
• DOI: 10.1109/TNS.2017.2677092

In order to provide benchmark data sets for radiation detector and algorithm development, a particle transport test bed has been created using experimental data as model input and validation. A detailed radiation measurement campaign at the Combined Arms Collective Training Facility in Fort Indiantown Gap, PA (FTIG), USA, provides sample background radiation levels for a variety of materials present at the site (including cinder block, gravel, asphalt, and soil) using long dwell high-purity germanium (HPGe) measurements. In addition, detailed light detection and ranging data and ground-truth measurements inform model geometry. This paper describes the collected data and the application of these data to create background and injected source synthetic data for an arbitrary gamma-ray detection system using particle transport model detector response calculations and statistical sampling. In the methodology presented here, HPGe measurements inform model source terms while detector response calculations are validated via long dwell measurements using 2"×4"×16" NaI(Tl) detectors at a variety of measurement points. A collection of responses, along with sampling methods and interpolation, can be used to create data sets to gauge radiation detector and algorithm (including detection, identification, and localization) performance under a variety of scenarios. Data collected at the FTIG site are available for query, filtering, visualization, and download at muse.lbl.gov.