Real-Time Indoor and Outdoor Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

基于位置的服务被《时代》杂志评为十大技术趋势之首，其潜在应用领域包括基于位置的广告、推荐、导航、资产回收、游戏等。许多公司正在研究和改进基于位置的服务。例如，谷歌Map正在添加谷歌Store视图。然而，大多数现有的室内和室外地图是相对静态的。实际上，室内和室外环境可能会随着时间的推移而动态变化。因此，迫切需要新的技术和系统来改善现代城市（室外和室内）的同步定位、地图绘制和导航。此外，在许多应用中，例如灾难恢复，救援人员必须与其他团队成员合作才能执行任务。因此，救援人员能够实时准确地了解同伴的相对位置是非常需要的。该项目引入了一种整体方法，提供实时轻量级和精确的相对定位技术，以检测室内和室外环境中的同伴。这项研究的结果将构成一个重大的进步，在理论基础和实际算法的发展，同时定位和绘图。这项工作的更广泛影响将通过以下途径进一步扩大：(i)通过加强课程项目来改善课程发展；（ii）通过高知名度的教程和开源网站传播研究成果；（iii）通过开放日提高K-12学生和少数族裔对科技的兴趣；（四）支持少数民族优秀博士生顺利完成博士学业。

Location-based service has been ranked as #1 in top 10 technology trends by Time magazine, with potential applications in the area of location-based advertising, recommendation, navigation, asset recovery, gaming, etc. Lots of companies are investigating and improving the location-based services. For example, Google Map is working on adding Google Store Views. However, most of the existing indoor and outdoor maps are relatively static. In reality, the indoor and outdoor environments may dynamically change over time. Therefore, there is a pressing need for novel technologies and systems to improve simultaneous localization, mapping, and navigation in modern cities (both outdoor and indoor). Moreover, in many applications, such as disaster recovery, rescuers have to cooperate with other team members to perform their tasks. Therefore, it is highly desirable that rescuers can accurately know the relative positions of their peers in real-time.This project introduces a holistic approach for providing real-time light-weight and accurate relative positioning techniques to detect peers in both indoor and outdoor environment. The outcome of this research will constitute a significant advance in the development of theoretical foundations and practical algorithms for simultaneous localization and mapping. The broader impact of this work will be further amplified by (i) improving curriculum development with enhanced course projects; (ii) disseminating research results through high-profile tutorials and open-source sites; (iii) raising interest in technology among K-12 students and under-represented minority groups through open houses; and (iv) supporting a talented minority PhD student to successfully accomplish the doctoral study.