Patent ID: 7498982

Claim:
A system of generating targeted position estimation of a passive target through a plurality of observers, comprising: a single handheld device comprising: a global positioning system (“GPS”) receiver, said GPS receiver being adapted to derive a first observer's first current location; a laser range finder, said laser range finder being adapted to derive first range and first azimuth from said first current location to said target, and optional first elevation of said first current location; an estimation engine coupled to and integrated with said laser range finder and said GPS, said estimation unit being adapted to generate first target data based on said first current location, first range, first azimuth and optional first elevation; a data receiver, said data receiver being adapted to receive at least second target data from at least a second observer, and to forward said second target data to said estimation engine, said second target data comprising a second current location, a second range, a second azimuth and a second elevation; wherein, said estimation engine is adapted to receive said second target data from said data receiver, and to correlate and combine all received target data to derive a final target solution and said estimation engine further comprises: an equipment variance processing unit, said equipment variance processing unit being adapted to determine position variance, range variance, azimuth variance and elevation variance of at least said first and second target data, and generate a plurality of adjustment measurements for specific equipment used by each observer; an error reduction filter processing unit coupled to said equipment variance processing unit, said error reduction filter processing unit being adapted to combine said adjustment measurements to create a unified state vector of said target to said first observer; a final target determination processing unit coupled to said error reduction filter processing unit, said final target determination processing unit being adapted to apply said first current location to said state vector and derive said final target solution; and where said final target determination processing unit comprises: a state vector adjustment unit, said state vector adjustment unit being adapted to adjust said state vector for a predetermined desired coordinate reference frame; an observer position unit coupled to said state vector adjustment unit, said observer position unit being adapted to apply said first current location to derive said final target solution.