An informative two-part workshop for those interested in learning more about sensor fusion; Part 1 will focus primarily on airborne applications, and Part 2 on land and indoor applications. Sensor Fusion enables both Mapping and Autonomous Driving. Surveying and Mapping evolved over the past couple of decades by using multi-sensor systems to survey and map our planet including both indoors and outdoors using land, air, and marine vehicles. On the other hand, the same sensors are being used today for on-road and off-road autonomous driving.
Sensor technology has significantly evolved in the past few decades. Including:
- Multi-head cameras using oblique/nadir components,
- Outstanding LiDAR systems and radar sensors,
- The evolution of GPS into GNSS by integrating satellite positioning systems from around the globe in addition to the contribution of public sector and private sector GNSS aiding services.
- The evolution of inertial sensor technology due to their successful use in the automotive industry to trigger airbags and even their implementation in cellular phones that led to smaller, lighter weight, higher accuracy, and more economical Inertial measuring units IMU’s.Â
- Navigation, Guidance and Control algorithms significantly evolved to allow for successful autonomous driving.
Reaping the benefits of these evolving technologies to address the surveying/mapping and self-driving challenges is the main scope of this proposed workshop. Designed to be informative, educational, and interactive, the workshop is designed to address the following Audience categories:
- Decision Makers
- Technicians, Technologists, and Engineers
- Students
The workshop will start by addressing the ‘here and now’ technological challenges and their associated solutions as well as the future technological development plans to address that. First, the technological evolution of film into digital cameras, GPS into GNSS, laser profilers into LiDAR systems, INS into IMU, etc. will be addressed including the algorithmic evolution of aerotriangulation, SLAM, direct georeferencing (DG) and integrated sensor orientation (ISO). The benefits of integrating all the aforementioned technologies in the form of simultaneous adjustment and mapping (SAM). Then, it will address the integration mechanisms of imaging, LiDAR, radar, inertial and GNSS into not only georeferencing an image or LiDAR range but to also leveraging the precise LiDAR ranges and image pixels to improve the precision of the trajectory in post-processing and real time modes.
