Application of a Monte Carlo method for tracking maneuvering target in clutter

The Monte Carlo methods provide a possibility for improved sub-optimal Bayesian estimation. In preceding studies the authors have suggested a new implementation of the general bootstrap simulation approach - the bootstrap multiple model (BMM) filter for tracking a maneuvering target. In the present paper this algorithm is further extended for operating in a cluttered environment. Probabilistic data association (PDA), taking into account the possible measurement-to-target association hypotheses, is incorporated into the BMM algorithm to overcome the measurement-origin uncertainty. By simulation the proposed BMM PDA algorithm is evaluated and compared with the well-known interacting multiple model (IMM) PDA filter. The obtained results demonstrate a superior tracking performance of the BMM PDA algorithm at the cost of an increase in computation. (C) 2001 IMACS. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.