Abstract: Multi-source data association is one of the key technologies of multi sensor data fusion in wireless sensor network. The joint probability data association algorithm is a data association algorithm of Multi-target tracking,it doesn't need any priori information about targets and clutters, but its computer expense is very large compared with the other related data association algorithms.The joint probability data association algorithm based on the nearest neighbor method integrates the ideology of nearest neighbor data association in the process of the construction of effective matrix, then selects three valid measurements which have the least statistical distance to construct the effective matrix.This method simplifies the effective matrix, thus reduces the computation of original algorithm.

Key words: Wireless sensor network, Multi-target tracking, Joint probability data association, Nearest neighbor