Multi-cluster agent-based emitter geolocation using Hough Transform data fusion

This paper is concerned with the use of multi-platform agent-based emitter geolocation. Multiple, self-aware, agents representing different types of emitter location method, naturally form clusters, which are controlled by the network connectivity. Each cluster provides a fusion hierarchy: each agent is able to geolocate individually, a cluster of agents can refine the emitter position using fusion and multiple clusters can further refine the position estimate by taking advantage of the different view of the target by each cluster. In this paper, the benefits of providing fusion between clusters of self-aware agents are examined and the advantages of such clustered agent-based data fusion are demonstrated for the scenario where imperfect communication forces the sensor platforms to operate as multiple clusters.