# Cooperative Localization and Multitarget Tracking in Agent Networks with the Sum-Product Algorithm

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.02573 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.02573/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 5 Aug 2021.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Neural Enhanced Belief Propagation for Data Association in Multiobject Tracking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.09948/) (2022)
- [Classification-Aided Robust Multiple Target Tracking Using Neural Enhanced Message Passing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.12407/) (2023)
- [Joint Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Localization in WSNs with Distributed Scaled Proximal ADMM Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.18213/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper addresses the problem of multitarget tracking using a network of sensing agents with unknown positions. Agents have to both localize themselves in the sensor network and, at the same time, perform multitarget tracking in the presence of clutter and miss detection. These two problems are jointly resolved using a holistic and centralized approach where graph theory is used to describe the statistical relationships among agent states, target states, and observations. A scalable message passing scheme, based on the sum-product algorithm, enables to efficiently approximate the marginal posterior distributions of both agent and target states. The proposed method is general enough to accommodate a full multistatic network configuration, with multiple transmitters and receivers. Numerical simulations show superior performance of the proposed joint approach with respect to the case in which cooperative self-localization and multitarget tracking are performed separately, as the former manages to extract valuable information from targets. Lastly, data acquired in 2018 by the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) through a network of autonomous underwater vehicles demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach in a practical application.