Active and Passive Localization: Similarities and Differences

This paper compares Cramer-Rao bounds for active and passive localization of a target using an array of receiving sensors. It considers the effect on localization accuracy of uncertainties in array geometry and demonstrates that they are similar in active and passive systems. It further demonstrates that signal timing inaccuracies can seriously degrade the performance of the active system, in extreme cases reducing it to a level comparable with that of the passive system.