Matched-field tracking (MFT) algorithms have been successfully applied
to both simulated and measured data to determine the most likely posi
tions of a sound source that is localized ambiguously by a matched-fie
ld processing (MFP) system. They have been used to track sources movin
g linearly or on a circular path at constant speed and heading. The in
put to the trackers is a set of ambiguity surfaces, contiguous in time
, generated by MFP. These algorithms assume that the track start and e
nd times are known a priori; this restriction is removed in the piecew
ise MFT algorithm (PTA). The PTA was applied to narrow-band measured d
ata collected during the PACIFIC SHELF 93 trial to successfully identi
fy the significant source track segments.