Search Track Spacing and Coverage

Probability of detection from sweep width and track spacing, or the spacing for a target POD.

Run the calculator

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

Details, formula, and sources

Single-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.

coverage = sweep_width / track_spacing; POD = 1 - e^(-coverage); track_spacing = sweep_width / (-ln(1 - target_POD)).

NSARC / USCG search theory (exponential random-search detection model), by name.

Search-theory relations are public (US Coast Guard / NSARC references); the incident commander and search plan govern.

Estimate. AHJ and licensed fire protection engineer govern.

Field names used by the API: sweep_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