Moving-Target Tracking in Airport Airside Operations Using AIMM-STUKF

In this paper, we propose a mobile target tracking method for airport movement areas based on an adaptive interacting multiple model framework combined with a strong tracking unscented Kalman filter, referred to as the AIMM-STUKF algorithm. The objective is to enhance real-time tracking accuracy, improve model adaptability, and strengthen robustness against abrupt disturbances in complex airport environments. The proposed AIMM-STUKF adopts a standard STUKF formulation within the overall tracking framework, thereby enhancing responsiveness to maneuvering targets. An exponential correction factor is further constructed based on posterior model probability differences to adaptively adjust the Markov transition matrix, enabling self-adaptive mode switching. In addition, airport map information is incorporated to impose constraints on the position components of the filtered state estimates, enhancing the adaptability of the algorithm to the airport operational environment. Experimental validation is conducted through Monte Carlo simulations using representative trajectories that reflect realistic airport operational characteristics. Comparative results with the standard IMM-UKF and two existing AIMM-UKF algorithms demonstrate that the proposed AIMM-STUKF achieves superior performance in terms of tracking accuracy, model matching consistency, mode-switching responsiveness, and robustness against sudden disturbances.