Understanding Infrared Thermography Reading 3

Night Vision, Seareh, Surveillance, Security and Fire Detection
The level of heat given off by the human body makes it readily detectable to
thermographic instruments. Similarly. exothermic actions of engines and
moving vehicles make them good targets for infrared surveillance applications.
Night vision, seareh, surveillance and security applications are, with very few
exceptions, qualitative applications of infrared thermography. They provide
the user with the capability to see through an atmospheric path in total
darkness. The clarity of the image is of critical importance and temperature
measurement is not required. Ideally, in these applications. the objective is to
display (and sometimes to record) an image that has the very best spatial
resolution at the longest possible range under the most adverse atmospheric
conditions. An example of a typical surveillance image is the thermogram of a
helicopter taken at night, shown in Figure 5.4.
Charlie Chong/ Fion Zhang