Interoperability and Sensor Fusion Part II - System Architecture

Track management introduced the idea of a track as a structured set of sensor reports and showed that every track can be represented as a layered directed tree. Track structure is based on a track template that characterizes the order of the decision processes of the sensor fusion system developing the tracks. Sensor fusion systems that have different track templates cannot interoperate. The hierarchical association method (HAM) was shown to be the optimum way for units sharing at track template to disseminate track partitioning decisions, and to maintain the common track partition essential for unity of command. Its unwieldy predecesor, peer association management, (PAM), remains a standard on most data links, and should be eliminated.