A system and methods enable efficient data association of input sensor data with uniquely identified candidate targets. The methods may use information provided by a target status history database, a target geolocation history database, and a target technical characteristics database, as well as data processing procedures provided by an algorithm rules database. The algorithm rules database provides procedures for generating target classification and identification information for input sensor data, for matching target classification and identification information obtained from input sensor data with information provided by the target technical characteristics database to generate an initial set of consistent, uniquely identified candidate targets, for estimating the minimal required speed of advance for each candidate target, for calculating weights and corresponding data association probabilities for the initial set of candidate targets with the input sensor data, and for selecting a final set of uniquely identified candidate targets with their data association probabilities.