SPEARS: A Surface Ship Sonar Data Analysis and Reconstruction System

PL began developing the Surface Ship Acoustic Analysis Centers (SSAAC) PostExercise Acoustic Reconstruction System (SPEARS) in 1996 under sponsorship from PMS411 to fulfi ll a need at the SSAAC in Norfolk and San Diego. The two facilities required a system to support data analysis and reconstruction of events recorded at sea aboard ships equipped with a new generation of recording technology known as System Level Recorder (SLR). Initially, development centered on providing a capability to process and analyze SQS-53C active sonar recordings from SLR tapes. Later, emphasis shifted to implementing an SQR-19 passive towed array capability in parallel with the SQS-53C capability. APL, the SPEARS Lead System Integrator, and development team members from the Applied Research Laboratory of the University of Texas, Digital System Resources, and Applied Hydro-Acoustics released fi ve versions of SPEARS between 1996 and 1999. Each release included improvements over the preceding releases and provided SSAAC with increasingly more tools to produce comprehensive summaries of at-sea events.