Real-time accurate geo-localization of a MAV with omnidirectional visual odometry and GPS

Abstract

This paper presents a system for direct geo-localization of a MAV in an unknown environment using visual odometry and precise real time kinematic (RTK) GPS information. Visual odometry is performed with a multi-camera system with four fisheye cameras that cover a wide field of view which leads to better constraints for localization due to long tracks and a better intersection geometry. Visual observations from the acquired image sequences are refined with a high accuracy on selected keyframes by an incremental bundle adjustment using the iSAM2 algorithm. The optional integration of GPS information yields long-time stability and provides a direct geo-referenced solution. Experiments show the high accuracy which is below 3 cm standard deviation in position.