A system and method and for analyzing dew in a system of interest are
provided. A representative method comprises receiving infrared
information corresponding to a degree of polarization of dew in a
particular environment, and using the degree of polarization to determine
dew presence in the environment. Changes in the degree of polarization
can be attributed to changes in the density, size or shadowing of the dew
drops. Infrared emissions information can be detected and accumulated
over a range of emission angles and over a period of time. The system
compares the accumulated data for the particular environment to detect
the presence of dew, the rate of growth of the dew and the change in
characteristics of dew over a period of time starting from a first time
interval. The system also compares the accumulated data with other
previous accumulated data from the environment to detect if changes
should be made to the environment.