Visual Localization

Dear Colleagues,

The tasks involved in autonomous navigation (UAVs, robots and autonomous vehicles) can be categorized into five major modules: perception, localization, mapping, planning and control.

The localization module aims to determine the vehicle's pose (3D location and orientation) and plays a critical role in autonomous navigation. Navigation safety and comfort are highly dependent on the accuracy and robustness of this module.

This localization can be absolute (GPS coordinates or metric coordinates in a known map) or relative (the localization of the vehicle with respect to its lane, with respect to its initial pose, etc.). Although there are systems dedicated to localization, such as GPS, the accuracy of localization and signal loss in difficult environments (indoor or urban environments) make them unsuitable for autonomous navigation.

When the localization module uses only one camera, it is referred to as visual localization. The latter is particularly important for improving the accuracy and robustness of localization in difficult environments.

This Special Issue of the Journal of Imaging aims to feature papers on recent advances in visual localization. All levels of localization are of interest for this Special Issue (i.e., visual odometry, structure from motion, simultaneous localization and mapping, and place recognition) for any method based on the use of at least one camera. We also encourage work based on multisensor fusion and on the use of emerging imaging techniques (plenoptic, event camera, etc.).

Prof. Dr. Rémi Boutteau
Guest Editor

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