Issues in Target Tracking

TL;DR: This lecture discusses a number of concerns and items of interest that related to the tracking of targets in clutter, specifically aspects of sampling time for multi-sensor systems, sensor placement with target tracking in mind, and the choice of waveform when the goal is tracking.

Abstract: : In this lecture we discuss a number of concerns and items of interest that related to the tracking of targets in clutter. We begin with a discussion of performance evaluation methods. The familiar CRLB is shown to be adjusted in a straightforward way when deterministic trajectories are estimated in the presence of measurement-origin uncertainty (false alarms and missed detections); indeed, the same is true for nondeterministic ones, meaning those with process noise. We then mention the HYCA (hybrid conditional averaging) approach, which has considerable appeal in that it can predict the track-life as opposed to the accuracy of tracks that are kept. We then discuss track testing: the sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) for track acceptance, the Page test for track deletion, and here we most especially discuss variants (such as Shiryaev) for the case of fluctuating targets, as would be found in multi-static (fused) systems. Finally, we mention some management issues, specifically aspects of sampling time for multi-sensor systems, sensor placement with target tracking in mind, and the choice of waveform when the goal is tracking.