An efficient target tracking algorithm for matched field processing

The objective of the paper is to illustrate the use of matched field processing (MFP) for tracking targets of low signal-to-noise ratio moving linearly at constant speed and depth. The input to the tracker consists of the positions and correlation squared of the largest peaks on the MFP ambiguity surfaces. These largest peaks usually include the match at or near the source position. Since an exhaustive search for the best matching track over all possible target tracks is beyond the scope of today's computers for any realistic oceanic surveillance region, the authors propose the use of an efficient algorithm based on examining the average Bartlett output along a set of linear tracks that connect the largest peaks. A simulated example is given which the most significant tracks determined by the algorithm includes the true target track. If the true target track is one of those examined then it can be shown that its average Bartlett statistic is almost certainly maximum.<>