Structure from Motion

State-of-the-art Structure From Motion (SFM) techniques are combined with novel methods to yield a real-time SFM capability for long calibrated image sequences. Unlike most approaches, the work is tailored to long continuous sequences of calibrated imagery generated from the near-planar small-baseline motions of a loitering aerial platform. This environment enables novel approaches for optimizing the processing order of the image frames, and for seeding calculations for optical flow, stereo correspondence, and camera parameter estimate refinement. It allows the 3D scene model to be built incrementally and transmitted to the ground incrementally, reducing network bandwidth requirements. Combined, these approaches reduce the computational requirements and error in the system to a point that accurate real-time operation on a loitering air platform is feasible. This capability will improve automatic target recognition, situational awareness in the combat environment, operations against aboveground and underground structures, and battlefield damage assessment.