Many of the metrics developed for informational imaging are useful in automotive imaging, since many of the tasks – for example, object detection and identification – are similar. This work discusses sensor characterization parameters for the Ideal Observer SNR model, and elaborates on the noise power spectrum. It presents cross-correlation analysis results for matched-filter detection of a tribar pattern in sets of resolution target images that were captured with three image sensors over a range of illumination levels. Lastly, the work compares the crosscorrelation data to predictions made by the Ideal Observer Model and demonstrates good agreement between the two methods on relative evaluation of detection capabilities.