Active clutter reduction through fusion with passive data

Active and passive sonar systems often provide complementary information. Active systems generally provide good localization but are subject to high rates of clutter from bottom and volumetric scatterers. Passive systems generally have good resolution only in bearing and only can detect objects that emit acoustic energy. By fusing measurements from both types of systems, the passive data can be used to reduce the clutter in the active data. The result is improved target tracking, as shown in two examples, including the injection of a single target into a recorded active clutter dataset.