Modeling the column recognition problem in tactical information fusion

We discuss the application of Hidden Markov Modeling (HMM) techniques to the column recognition problem, where a non-cooperative military unit consisting of a sequence of objects forms a transportation column. The task is to infer the object composition and organizational structure of the column from imperfect observations of individual objects, in combination with generic a priori information about the organizational structure of the non-cooperative forces. Good solution methods for the column problem would provide a significant contribution to the automation of the force aggregation process in tactical situation assessment.