IFT Research

At IFT we are performing research to advance the data fusion community on many fronts.  We create intelligent algorithms for building context awareness. We develop methods for more efficient information processing.

In our Artificial Intelligence R&D with unstructured data, we input unorganized data of different formats (text, images, videos, etc.) and output actionable predictions. We perform unsupervised learning on historical data and produce mathematical functions. These functions intake data of present day events to produce actionable predictions and recommendations.
As the conventional radio spectrum below 10 GHz becomes more crowded, innovative technologies are needed to allow spectrum sharing between government and industry. IFT is a member of the National Spectrum Consortium (NSC) and partners with both industry and academia to solve this problem via software and hardware development.
IFT specializes in developing advanced sensors and systems for military and commercial applications. Areas of focus include radar, location and tracking, and electronic systems. Our clients include the Army, Air Force, DARPA, and Navy. We design, develop, and customize sensors and systems to meet requirements of our clients by conducting system analysis, simulation and verification, identifying appropriate system architectures based on state-of-the-art components, implementing the sensor system, and demonstrating it in a relevant environment. IFT has extensive experience with a wide range of sensor modalities including electromagnetic, EO/IR, and acoustic.
To meet the ever-growing demand for high resolution imaging systems, IFT is developing a suite of image enhancing advanced algorithms. Our current focuses include clutter/particulate removal, shadowed region enhancement, and multi-frame super-resolution imaging. Our product significantly improves image interpretability increasing its Video National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (VNIIRS) rating.
An Intelligent Image Compression Broker Based on Objective with Feedback
An intelligent compression broker that is able to maximally compress visual data while maintaining all the essential elements of information (EEI).

Video Enhancement Technologies and Capabilities Assessment
A smart video enhancement technology will simultaneously perform clutter/particulate matter removal and shadowed region enhancement.
Space situational awareness aims to view, understand, and predict the natural and man-made space objects in orbit around the earth. IFT has strong capability in tracking, uncertainty propagation, maneuver detection, characterization of the space object. IFT also provides solutions for high level information extraction and decision making for large scale space object monitoring.
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Cyber Security

Networking technologies have given rise to today’s worldwide social, business, and military networks, and commercial networks in the United States has been growing explosively. Because these networks are vulnerable to various types of attacks, there is an urgent need for cyber security. Cyber-attacks are increasing in frequency, impact, and complexity, which demonstrate extensive network vulnerabilities with the potential for serious damage.

This project resulted in a prototypical system based on the proposed network sensor-based defense framework for active network security situation awareness and impact mitigation. Our designed system includes four main components: (i) optimally configured and deployed network sensors; (ii) effective anomaly detection algorithms; (iii) a game-theoretic inference engine to conduct impact estimation and evaluation of mitigation strategies; and (iv) a multi-viewer-based visualization.

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Defending against these cyber attacks calls for the network security situation awareness (SA) through the distributed collaborative monitoring, detection, and mitigation. Such a system should be able to characterize, track, and mitigate security threats in a timely fashion. Note that SA is generally described as “knowing what is going on around the system and within that knowledge of surroundings and being able to identify which events in those surroundings are important”. SA is also a key in the ability to predict the adversary’s intention and important to cyber security.
IFT has developed an enhanced cyber-defense testbed architecture with three-player game-theoretic game analysis module. In detail, the game analysis reasons interactions between attackers, passive sensors, and active sensors. The passive sensor snort acts as one player to interact with an attacker, dynamic strategies are selected when snort is detecting different priority malicious behaviors. A honey net acts as another player (that can be camouflaged in the network) to help passive sensors to detect the cyber-attacks. The use of a Honeynet as a third player in the game model (few research studies or published papers use a three-player model). For the cyber research, game theory is relatively a new application and the use of a Honeynet is a unique aspect of the work that enhances game-theoretic developments over active and passive sensors.

High-Throughput, Cyber-Secure Multiuser Superposition Covert Avionics Systems, Xu, Y., Wang, G., Wei, S., Blasch, E., Pham, K., & Chen, G. IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, vol. 33, issue 2, pp. 4-15, 2018.
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Cyber security with radio frequency interferences mitigation study for satellite systems, Gang Wang; Sixiao Wei; Genshe Chen; Xin Tian; Dan Shen; Khanh Pham; Tien M. Nguyen; Erik Blasch; Proc. SPIE 9838, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IX, 2016.
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Sensors and Sensor Networks with Applications on Cyber Physical Systems, Tien Nguyen, Charles C. Nguyen, Genshe Chen, Khanh Pham, in L.M. Patnaik etal (Eds); Cyber Physical Systems –A Computational Perspective, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, Florida, USA, 2015.
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On effectiveness of game theoretic modeling and analysis against cyber threats for avionics systems, Sixiao Wei, Dan Shen, Genshe Chen, Hanglin Zhang, We Yu, Erik blasch, Khanh Pham, Jose B. Cruz, 34rd DASC, Sept, 2015.
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Towards an integrated defense system for cyber security situation awareness experiment, Hanlin Zhang, Sixiao Wei, Linqiang Ge, Dan Shen, Wei Yu, Erik P. Blasch, Khanh D. Pham, Genshe Chen, Proc. SPIE 9469, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications VIII, May 2015.
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On Detection and Visualization Techniques for Cyber Security Situation Awareness, Wei Yu, Xiao Wei Shi, Guobin Xu, Dan Shen, Misty Blowers, Erik P. Blasch, Khanh D. Pham, Genshe Chen, Hanlin Zhang, Chao Lu, SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing Symposium, Baltimore, MD, USA, April 29-May 3, 2013.
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An Adaptive Markov Game Model for Cyber Threat Intent Inference, Dan Shen, Genshe Chen, Jose B. Cruz, Jr., Erik Blasch and Khanh Pham, invited Ch. 21 in Theory and Novel Applications of Machine Learning, M. J. Er and Y. Zhou. (Eds.), IN-TECH, 2009.
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Pattern of Life Analysis

IFT’s PoL analysis tools allow the user to understand datasets consisting of multiple data types, e.g. video, text, imagery. This provides the customer actionable information behavior patterns and anomaly alerts. Our tools retrieve, analyze, and exploit complex data and dark data.

IFT is able to provide these tools and services because of our expertise in many technologies including lambda architecture, high performance computing, data fusion, game theory, and machine learning. We have designed frameworks for supervised, semi-supervised and unsupervised data analysis. All of these skills allow us to produce efficient tools for complete or incomplete datasets comprised of any combination of data types.

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I-TAP is a software toolkit that takes trajectories of moving vehicles extracted from aerial images or video, and performs Pattern of Life (PoL) analysis on the traffic flow. In the current prototype, I-TAP uses the trajectories of individual motor vehicles from both simulated and real WAMI (WPAFB09) data and performs several PoL analysis. In one scenario, I-TAP learns the normal traffic patterns at different times and days of a week and detects abnormal traffic patterns at the same sites. In another scenario, I-TAP discovers the most frequent trajectory patterns in a given zone.

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Open source Big Data (for example, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) produce data at a rate that exceeds their data analysis throughput. This often leads to "data overload." Valuable conclusions can often be extracted from these large datasets if able to be analyzed efficiently. IFT creates a Big Data ecosystem that enables the storage, retrieval, analysis, and exploitation of these data sets. This ecosystem is composed of a wide variety of technologies that must work well together and build upon one another.

A container-based elastic cloud architecture for real-time full-motion video (FMV) target tracking, Ryan Wu, Yu Chen, Erik Blasch, Bingwei Liu, Genshe Chen, and Dan Shen, IEEE Applied Imagery Pattern Recognition Workshop (AIPR) 2014. (Best Student Poster-2014 award).
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Pattern of life from WAMI objects tracking based on visual context-awareness tracking and infusion network models, Jianjun Gao, Haibin Ling, Erik P. Blasch, Khanh Pham, Zhonghai Wang, Genshe Chen, SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing Symposium, Baltimore, MD, USA, April 29-May 3, 2013.
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Cartoon of Satellite Communications

Space & Satellite Technology

IFT develops novel communication waveforms for improved spectrum efficiency. We apply information fusion technologies to satellite communication (SATCOM) and satellite operation (SATOP) systems, which leads to enhanced Radio Frequency (RF) situation awareness. This supports advanced decision makings for enhanced RF Interference (RFI) mitigation and anti-jamming (AJ) capabilities, in challenging environments with Size Weight and Power (SWaP) constraints. For SATCOM networks, IFT specializes in cross-layer network performance optimization, SATCOM network security, and investigation of emerging networking technologies for improved performance and security in various application areas.

IFT developed innovative IP routing algorithms onboard satellites, which can link user preferences to network conditions and improve end-to-end network performance.
A dynamic antenna array emulating GPS satellite constellation for testing GPS receiver antenna’s anti-jamming capability will greatly reduce the requirement on field test of newly designed anti-jamming GPS antennas.
IFT develops novel communication waveforms for improved spectrum efficiency. We apply information fusion technologies to satellite communication (SATCOM) and satellite operation (SATOP) systems, which leads to enhanced Radio Frequency (RF) situation awareness. This supports advanced decision makings for enhanced RF Interference (RFI) mitigation and anti-jamming (AJ) capabilities, in challenging environments with Size Weight and Power (SWaP) constraints. For SATCOM networks, IFT specializes in cross-layer network performance optimization, SATCOM network security, and investigation of emerging networking technologies for improved performance and security in various application areas.

Cognitive radio testbed for Digital Beamforming of satellite communication, Wenhao Xiong; Jingyang Lu; Xin Tian; Genshe Chen; Khanh Pham; Erik Blasch; 2017 Cognitive Communications for Aerospace Applications Workshop (CCAA), pp. 1-5, 2017.
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SATCOM Link Adaptive Configuration Design in Radio Frequency Interference Environment,, Gang Wang; Dan Shen; Genshe Chen; Xin Tian; Lun Li; Khanh Pham; Erik Blasch; Tien Nguyen; IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2017.
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Minimax Anti-Jammer Design for FHSS/QPSKSatellite Communication Systems, Mengqi Ren, Ruixin Niu, Gang Wang, Genshe Chen; IEEE MILCOM, Baltimore, MD, 2016.
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Joint Transmission Power Control in Transponded SATCOM Systems, Xin Tian, Genshe Chen, Khanh Pham, and Erik Blasch, IEEE MILCOM, Baltimore, MD, 2016.
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Secure Spectrum-Efficient Frequency Hopping for Return Link of Protected Tactical Satellite Communications, Lun Li, Xin Tian, Genshe Chen, Khanh Pham, Erik Blasch, IEEE MILCOM, Baltimore, MD, 2016.
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SDR-based Adaptive Waveform Tool with Efficient Channel Estimation for SATCOM Systems, Wenhao Xiong; Lun Li; Xin Tian; Khanh Pham; Erik Blasch; Genshe Chen; Gang Wang; Dan Shen; International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC), Cleveland, Ohio, 2016.
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Cyber security with radio frequency interferences mitigation study for satellite systems, Gang Wang; Sixiao Wei; Genshe Chen; Xin Tian; Dan Shen; Khanh Pham; Tien M. Nguyen; Erik Blasch; Proc. SPIE 9838, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IX, 2016.
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Hybrid onboard and ground based digital channelizer beam-forming for SATCOM interference mitigation and protection, Wenhao Xiong; Gang Wang; Xin Tian; Khanh Pham; Erik Blasch; Genshe Chen; Proc. SPIE 9838, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IX, 2016.
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Mitigation of weather on channel propagation for satellite communications, Zhihui Shu; Xin Tian; Gang Wang; Dan Shen; Khanh Pham; Erik Blasch; Genshe Chen; Proc. SPIE 9838, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IX, May 2016.
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Hybrid onboard and ground based digital channelizer beam-forming for SATCOM interference mitigation and protection, Wenhao Xiong; Gang Wang; Xin Tian; Khanh Pham; Erik Blasch; Genshe Chen; Proc. SPIE 9838, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IX, 2016.
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A study of multiple access schemes in satellite control network, Zijian Mo; Zhonghai Wang; Xingyu Xiang; Gang Wang; Genshe Chen; Tien Nguyen; Khanh Pham; Erik Blasch, Proc. SPIE 9838, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IX, 2016.
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Analysis of a probability-based SATCOM situational awareness model for parameter estimation, Todd W. Martin; Kuo-Chu Chang; Xin Tian; Genshe Chen; Proc. SPIE 9838, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IX, May 2016.
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SINR estimation for SATCOM in the environment with jamming signals, Lun Li; Gang Wang; Xin Tian; Dan Shen; Khanh Pham; Erik Blasch; Genshe Chen; Proc. SPIE 9838, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IX, May 2016.
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Resource allocation in underlay cognitive radio satellite communication systems, Zhihui Shu; Gang Wag; Xin Tian; Dan Shen; Kahnh Pham; Erik Blasch; Genshe Chen; 34rd DASC, Sept, 2015.
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Game theoretic power allocation and waveform selection for satellite communications, Zhihui Shu; Gang Wang; Xin Tian; Dan Shen; Khanh Pham; Erik Blasch; Genshe Chen; Proc. SPIE 9469, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications VIII, May 2015.
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Efficient Quantum-Error Correction for QoS Provisioning Over QKD-Based Satellite Networks, Ping Wang; Xi Zhang; Genshe Chen; IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC), New Orleans, LA, USA, 9 – 12 March 2015.
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A Probabilistic Situational Awareness and Reasoning Methodology for Satellite Communications Resource Management, Todd Martin, Kuo-Chu Chang, Xin Tian, Genshe Chen, Tien Nguyen, Khanh Pham, Erik Blasch, IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, March 7-14, 2015.
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Quantum Key Distribution for Security Guarantees Over Quantum-Repeater-Based QoS-Driven 3D Satellite Networks, Ping Wang, Xi Zhang, Genshe Chen, Khanh Pham, Erik Blasch, IEEE GlobeCom, Austin, Texas, Dec 8-12, 2014.
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Network survivability oriented Markov games (NSOMG) in wideband satellite communications, Dan Shen, Genshe Chen; Gang Wang; Pham, Khanh; Erik Blasch, Zhi Tian, Proceedings of 33rd AIAA/IEEE Digital Avionics Systems Conference, 2014. (Best Paper in the Unmanned Systems and Networks Track).
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Distributed QoS awareness in satellite communication network with optimal routing (QuASOR), Erik Blasch, Khanh Pham; Genshe Chen, Gang Wang, Chaoyong Li, Xin Tian, Dan Shen, Proceedings of 33rd AIAA/IEEE Digital Avionics Systems Conference, 2014.
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Polarization tracking for quantum satellite communications, Gang Wang, Dan Shen, Genshe Chen, Khanh Pham, Erik Blasch, DSS 2014.
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On Effectiveness of Routing Algorithms for Satellite Communication Networks, Wei Yu, Sixiao Wei, Guobin Xu, Genshe Chen, Khanh D. Pham, Erik P. Blasch, Chao Lu, SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing Symposium, Baltimore, MD, USA, April 29-May 3, 2013.
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Orbital Satellite Pursuit-Evasion Game-Theoretical Control, Erik P. Blasch, Khanh Pham, Dan Shen, Proceedings of ISSPA’12, July 3 – 8th, Montreal, Canada. 2012
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Pursuit-evasion orbital game for satellite interception and collision avoidance, Dan Shen, Khanh Pham, Erik Blasch, Huimin Chen, Genshe Chen, SPIE Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IV,Orlando, FL, 2011.
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Ground jammer localization with two satellites based on the fusion of multiple parameters, Zhonghai Wang, Khanh Pham, Erik Blasch, Genshe Chen, SPIE Sensors and Systems for Space Applications IV, Orlando, FL, 2011.
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CC Image Credits made available under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 license: Cyber security: Blue Coats Photo, Network: Simon Cockell

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