Array shape estimation from sources of opportunity

The radiated signatures of ships transiting through an area can be used as natural sources of opportunity for the estimation of array element locations (AEL) and waveguide environmental parameters (e.g. water column sound speed structure, bathymetry, and seafloor geoacoustic characteristics). Using a full-wave model of shallow water acoustic propagation, a matched field processing approach for AEL is demonstrated with horizontal line array data from SWellEx-96 and extended using a simple parametric representation of the array shape along with a genetic algorithm global search strategy.