II-New: Acquisition of a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) Scanner System

该奖项为乔治梅森大学(GMU)一个新的计算研究基础设施(CRI)项目提供资金，该项目专注于购买一台激光雷达扫描仪、一台GPS设备和一台全方位摄像机，以收集室内和室外3D位置数据和图像。所要求的基础设施将提供几个研究和教育机会。该项目的智力优势围绕着能够在GMU的几个CISE研究领域进行研究，包括用于机器人导航和操纵的三维(3D)映射、语义解析、运动规划和在重大环境不确定情况下基于可见性的跟踪。该设备还为研究和评估在传感器存在重大不确定性的情况下的重要几何算法提供数据来源，包括数据压缩、场景分割和目标识别。这个项目的更广泛的影响，除了使机器人导航和操纵的研究成为可能之外，还包括支持其他学科的研究和教育。新的基础设施还将使GMU的多学科研究团队能够对国土安全、家庭和工厂自动化、灾难恢复以及环境和基础设施监测等重要问题进行研究；并加强与其他机构的研究合作。研究结果、收集和处理的几何数据以及使用该仪器开发的软件将提供给更广泛的研究界。在GMU的大力机构支持下，此次收购拥有可持续的管理和维护计划，以支持GMU服务不足的社区的STEM项目、本科生和研究生课程活动以及机器人学、计算机视觉、几何计算、计算机游戏设计和地理信息系统的独立研究，并将有助于培养学生对这些尖端技术领域的学习和兴趣。

This award provides funding for a new Computing Research Infrastructure (CRI) project focused on acquisition of a LiDAR scanner, a GPS unit, and an omnidirectional video camera to collect indoor and outdoor 3D positional data and imagery at George Mason University (GMU). Several research and educational opportunities will be enabled by the requested infrastructure. The intellectual merit of this project revolves around enabling research on several CISE research fields at GMU, including three-dimensional (3D) mapping for robotic navigation and manipulation, semantic parsing, motion planning and visibility-based tracking under significant environmental uncertainties. The equipment also provides data sources for studying and evaluating important geometric algorithms under significant sensor uncertainties including data compression, scene segmentation, and object recognition. The broader impacts of this project, beyond enabling research in robotic navigation and manipulation, include support for research in other disciplines, and education. The new infrastructure will also enable multidisciplinary research teams at GMU to conduct research on important problems in homeland security, home and factory automation, disaster recovery, and environmental and infrastructure monitoring; and lead to enhanced research collaboration with other institutions. Research results, collected and processed geometric data, and software developed using this instrumentation will be made available to the wider research community. With strong institution support from GMU, the acquisition has sustainable management and maintenance plans to support STEM programs for underserved communities at GMU, activities in undergraduate and graduate courses and independent studies in robotics, computer vision, geometric computing, computer game design and GIS, and will help spawn student learning and interest in these cutting-edge technology areas.