Outdoor mapping and localization using satellite images

Recently, satellite images of most urban settings has become available on the internet. In this study, a novel mapping and global localization approach, which uses these images, is proposed for outdoor mobile robots operating in urban environment. The mapping of large-scale outdoor environments is done by employing the satellite images acquired by remote sensing technology, and then a map-based approach, that is, Monte Carlo localization is used for localization. The novelty of proposed method is that it uses standard equipment present on almost all autonomous robots and satellite images thus it acts as an alternative to GPS data in urban environments. Extensive field tests are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed approach.