Now, I will introduce you to sensor data fusion, if you don't know and if you like it:
If you take a picture of one object with the help of two cameras, of the similar or slightly different types, then you can combine these two pictures, by some means, to get only one picture, since the original object is only one; then that is image fusion.
Here, the fusion is to be done at the digital signal levels, i.e. data level fusion.
In a similar way, if you have data from two sensors about one object, and if you combine these in one form, then it is sensor data fusion.
If you have more objects and the data from more sensors, then if you combine these, it is called multi-sensor multi-object data fusion. Since, this has a great application in military, it is known as MSMT, here T is for a target.
The idea of data fusion is that the overall information by fusion is enhanced about the object of our interest.
Examples:
1. If you go to a doctor with some health complaint, s/he will ask several questions, and also check your BP, temperature, pulse, chest with stethoscope, ask you to open your mouth wide open, check tongue, and even your eyes; oh my how much information he needs to gather, then this will form the basis of the diagnosis. This is information fusion. The doctors have been routinely doing this with us for ages.
2. If you are going to some body's place which is a bit far, and you don't know the exact route, you will ask one person, then after two kms one more person, and again ask some more persons enroute, and analyze the collected information, and your clever brain would take a decision and guide to follow a particular path. This is information fusion, that we have been doing for millions of years.
The data/information/image fusion has tremendous applications in predictions of weather, tsunamis, enemy targets, navigation, diagnosis of cancer & other health problems, and land mines, and so on...
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