We present analysis methods that may be used to geolocate emitters using one or more moving receivers. While some of the methods we present may apply to a broader class of signals, our primary interest is locating and tracking ships from short pulsed transmissions, such as the maritime Automatic Identification System (AIS.) The AIS signal is difficult to process and track since the pulse duration is only 25 milliseconds, and the pulses may only be transmitted every six to ten seconds. In this article, we address several problems including accurate TDOA and FDOA estimation methods that do not require searching a two dimensional surface such as the cross-ambiguity surface. As an example, we apply these methods to identify and process AIS pulses from a single emitter, making it possible to geolocate the AIS signal using a single moving receiver.

Date Published: 2 May 2017
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 10200, Signal Processing, Sensor/Information Fusion, and Target Recognition XXVI, 1020017 (2 May 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2262943

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10200:
Signal Processing, Sensor/Information Fusion, and Target Recognition XXVI
Ivan Kadar, Editor(s)