"EZ-Gram" sonar display tools: applying interactive data visualization and analysis to undersea environments

Today's sonar operator is overloaded with an extraordinary amount of processed acoustic sensor data to search through and analyze. Technological advances in sensors, signal processing, and computational power allow sonar operators to collect an overwhelming amount of data, generating highly cluttered displays. Consequently, operators are burdened with the need for more training and experience to achieve the desired level of performance. The sonar system itself is traditionally designed to maximize signals in the presence of noise, while the operator must use training and experience to efficiently detect and classify objects of interest. In this paper we present an ongoing effort to develop and evaluate revolutionary acoustic assessment aids and analysis tools designed to tremendously simplify the acoustic tactical picture while guiding the sonar operator in picking the "wheat from the chaff" in a sonar display.