Search Track Spacing and Coverage
Probability of detection from sweep width and track spacing, or the spacing for a target POD.
Example
You enter
- Sweep width m 100
- Track spacing m 50
- Target single-pass POD (0-1, used when spacing is 0) 0.8
You get
- Coverage 2
- Single-pass POD 0.8647
- Spacing for target POD 62.13
Checked against published worked examples from: NSARC / USCG search theory (exponential detection model).
Details, formula, and sources
ScopeSingle-pass probability of detection from corrected sweep width and track spacing (coverage = W/S, POD = 1 - e^-coverage), or the spacing that hits a target POD. The planning number a search segment's resources are set from.
Formula or tablecoverage = sweep_width / track_spacing; POD = 1 - e^(-coverage); track_spacing = sweep_width / (-ln(1 - target_POD)).
Source and editionNSARC / USCG search theory (exponential random-search detection model), by name.
Free accessSearch-theory relations are public (US Coast Guard / NSARC references); the incident commander and search plan govern.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed fire protection engineer govern.
API field namessweep_width_m, track_spacing_m, target_pod, coverage, pod, spacing_for_pod_m
- Detection model exponential (random-search) POD = 1 - e^(-coverage); conservative vs parallel-trackNSARC / USCG