A comparison of whale tracking algorithms in the Indian Ocean using the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Hydrophone Data

This paper will present results comparing several geo-location and tracking algorithms applied to whale signals as monitored by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) sensor network. The performance of three tracking algorithms are compared using several hours of acoustic data collected off Cape Leeuwin, Australia, containing the apparent broadcast call of a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). The first approach used cross-correlation in time on the entire signal, while the second used a smaller time sample that covers the leading or trailing edge of the signal and creates a motion vector from the pair. The third approach used the Cross-Ambiguity-Function Mapping technique to generate 2-D energy maps on a geographic plot. Accuracy and energy detection algorithms based on blind-processing of the data are compared.