Correlation of Multiple-Site Track Data

Tactical air defense systems often require the interchange of target tracking data between two radar sites. This paper presents a systematic and effective procedure, employing correlation gates, for associating , or correlating, track information from one site with that from the other. Using the correlation equation, gate sizes are selected, based on remote and local tracking accuracies, target separation, the number of track coordinates investigated, and the number of successive correlation attempts made, to maximize the selected measure of correlation accuracy. The modeling of physical encounters is discussed and a representative situation is selected for analysis. A variety of correlation procedures are compared in terms of correlation accuracy and ease of implementation.