Visual-LiDAR Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) has garnered significant attention in robotics research over the years. While SLAM has demonstrated success, its application in mobile mapping systems (MMS) presents unique challenges. This study builds upon prior research (RPV-SLAM), extending its framework to enhance accuracy and perform boundary tests on a specific MMS, Maverick MMS. Our contribution introduces a novel SLAM approach termed HDPV-SLAM, addressing critical limitations encountered by the existing system. The first challenge addressed is the sparsity of LiDAR depth data, complicating its correlation with extracted visual features from RGB images. The second challenge stems from the lack of horizontal overlap between the panoramic camera and the tilted LiDAR sensor, causing difficulties in depth association. Furthermore, a comprehensive dataset named YUTO MMS is presented to the public. This dataset spans 18.95 km and was collected from diverse environments, including York University's Keel campus and Teledyne Optech headquarters building.