Development of positioning technique using omni-directional IR camera and aerial survey data

This paper describes an outdoor positioning system that can be applied for an urban canyon by using an omni directional IR camera and the DSM (digital surface model). The image captured by an IR camera has high robustness to light disturbances in the outdoor environment. The omni directional image, which includes several building profiles, is compared with building-restoration images that are calculated from the corresponding DSM in order to identify the self-position. Field experiments at Fujisawa City show that the proposed outdoor positioning method is valid and effective even if high-rise buildings cause satellite blockages affecting GPS measurements.