Acoustic Source Localization in Shallow Water: A Probabilistic Focalization Approach

Abstract: This paper presents a Bayesian estimation method for the passive localization of an acoustic source in shallow water. Our probabilistic focalization approach estimates the time-varying source location by associating direction of arrival (DOA) observations to DOAs predicted based on a statistical model. Embedded ray tracing makes it possible to incorporate environmental parameters and characterize the nonlinear acoustic waveguide. We demonstrate performance advantages of our approach compared to matched field processing using data collected during the SWellEx-96 experiment.