Comparison of multitarget track initiation techniques in clutter environments

This paper compares the performance of multitarget track initiation techniques in clutter environments using real radar data collected by an operating radar system. The track initiation problem is considered a problem of detection, and the performance is evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics. Four track initiation techniques, namely the heuristic rule method, the logic-based method, the Hough transform approach and the modified Hough transform method, are considered. The first two methods are sequential and the last two are batch technique, which are the two major categories of track initiation methods. The effect of the number of radar scans used to initiate a track, the effect of the initiation method to a tracker, and the comparison of the four track initiation methods are analyzed to understand the practicalities of these track initiation techniques.