We address the challenge of computing search paths in real-time for subseaapplications where the goal is to locate an unknown number of targets on theseafloor. Our approach maximizes a formal definition of search effectivenessgiven finite search effort. We account for false positive measurements andvariation in the performance of the search sensor due to geographic variationof the seafloor. We compare near-optimal search paths that can be computed inreal-time with optimal search paths for which real-time computation isinfeasible. We show how sonar data acquired for locating targets at a specificlocation can also be used to characterize the performance of the search sonarat that location. Our approach is illustrated with numerical experiments wheresearch paths are planned using sonar data previously acquired from BostonHarbor.
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