Searching for targets who want to be found

The paper reports some simulation results for models of the types of search that might be conducted by a rescue helicopter when looking for a walker who is lost in the desert and wants to be found. The walker has a smaller speed than the helicopter, but the walker can detect the helicopter at a greater distance than the helicopter can detect the walker. Possible search strategies include those in which the helicopter flies in a decreasing spiral or sweeps back and forth across a region. The walker may remain stationary, move randomly or walk towards the helicopter when he hears it. Simulation work suggests the types of strategies that may do best.