A Kalman filter with smoothing for hurricane tracking and prediction

Abstract

The performance of a Kalman filter used to track a hurricane was substantially improved by implementing a fixed interval smoothing algorithm. This tracking routine was designed and implemented in a microcomputer program. Several tracking scenarios were simulated and analyzed. Actual storm tracks obtained from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Guam, Mariana Islands, were used for this research. The application of the Kalman tracker to a tropical storm's wind speed tracking was also investigated by using the best track data and observed data