Shooter Localization based on DoA Estimation of Gunshot Signals and Digital Map Information

This paper discusses a technique to estimate the position of a sniper using a spatial microphone array placed on elevated platforms. The shooter location is obtained from the exact location of the microphone array, from topographic information of the area and from an estimated direction of arrival (DoA) of the acoustic wave related to the explosion in the gun barrel, which is known as muzzle blast. The estimation of the DOA is based on the time differences the sound wavefront arrives at each pair of microphones, employing a technique known as Generalized Cross Correlation (GCC) with phase transform. The main idea behind the localization procedure used herein is that, based on the DoA, the acoustical path of the muzzle blast (from the weapon to the microphone) can be marked as a straight line on a terrain profile obtained from an accurate digital map, allowing the estimation of the shooter location whenever the microphone array is located on an dominant position. In addition, a new approach to improve the DoA estimation from a cognitive selection of microphones is introduced. In this technique, the microphones selected must form a consistent (sum of delays equal to zero) fundamental loop. The results obtained after processing muzzle blast gunshot signals recorded in a typical scenario, show the effectiveness of the proposed method.