Search Space Reduction for Localization and Tracking of an Acoustic Source

Experimental data from the SACLANTCEN 1993 Mediterranean Experiment are reviewed to assess the reduction of the search space for the localization and tracking of an acoustic source in a three-dimensional environment. Key to this goal is the availability of an initial estimate of source range and depth (called the 2D initial guess); an ambiguous estimate of source bearing can be obtained from the 2D initial guess through Environmental Signal Processing, and the ambiguity can be removed by searching for the source only in the range/bearing regions where bearing estimates are higher. This search provides a new estimate of source range and a single bearing, which together with the estimate for source depth constitute the center of the reduced search space for source localization and tracking. The suggested approach is tested on experimental data from the SACLANTCEN experiment considering different frequencies, as well as a stationary and a moving source.