Calculating Probability of Detection in Search and Rescue
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how to calculate a probability density distribution for a missing person search. This was the first element of the optimal search problem. The second element is to be able to calculate the probability of detection. There have been numerous articles and methodologies proposed in the past. Most [...]
February 9, 2010
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Robert Bradley ·
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Tags: Area Effectively Swept, GPS Track, Koopman's Exponential Detection Function, Optimal Search Problem, POD, Probability Density, Probability Density Distribution, Probability of Detection, Search Coverage, Sweep Width, Track Length · Posted in: Search Thoughts
The POD of a Search Dog
I wrote a short piece last week entitled “The POD of a Search Dog is 100%” and promised to give my thoughts on the subject at a later date. It is interesting to note that the two commenters – Daryl Toogood and Johnnie Walker – highlighted the two main issues I wanted to cover with [...]
January 28, 2010
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Robert Bradley ·
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Tags: Daryl Toogood, Johnnie Walker, POD, Probability of Detection, Search Dog, Search Dog Handler, Search Management, Search Planning, Search Sector · Posted in: Search Thoughts
Searching in the Dark
You may remember a long while back me writing a short news article introducing a Specialist Night / Low Light Search Technician Certification Course from Gary Foo. Several comments were made at the time, with Jennie Webster making the valid point that; Maybe explicit courses such as this would make it more obvious that ALSAR teams can [...]
January 27, 2010
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Robert Bradley ·
10 Comments
Tags: ACPO, ALSAR, Bob Koester, Ed Johnson, Gary Foo, Greg Fuller, Jennie Webster, Misper, Missing Person Search, Night Search, Night Searching, POD, POS, Rrobert J Koester, Search Team Leader, Search Technician, UKLSI · Posted in: Search Thoughts
Coverage
Coverage as a word is often used to describe how much of a search area or sector has been searched. This is wrong. Coverage has a specific mathematical definition in search theory. It refers to the Area Effectively Swept divided by the Area of the Search Sector. Â This figure is then used in Koopman’s Exponential [...]
January 22, 2010
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Robert Bradley ·
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Tags: Area Effectively Swept, Coverage, Koopman's Exponential Detection Function, POD, Probability of Detection, Search Sector, Search Theory · Posted in: SAR Dictionary
Elements of the Optimal Search Problem
Lawrence Stone defined the elements of the optimal search problem in his 1986 book, Theory of Optimal Search. This was paraphrased extremely well by Cooper, Frost and Robe in their 2003 report – Compatibility of Land SAR Procedures with Search Theory as quoted below; A probability density distribution on search object location and state (so [...]
January 19, 2010
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Robert Bradley ·
2 Comments
Tags: Compatibility of Land SAR Procedures with Search Theory, Consensus, D Cooper, J Frost, Lawrence Stone, Missing Person Behaviour Statistics, Optimisation, POA, POC, POD, POS, Probability Density, Probability Density Distribution, Probability of Area, Probability of Detection, Probability of Success, R Quincy Robe, Search Effort, Search Planning, Search Resource, Search Theory, Theory of Optimal Search · Posted in: Search Research, Search Thoughts, Search Training


