Topometric Localization on a Road Network

Abstract

Current GPS-based devices have difficulty localizing in cases where the GPS signal is unavailable or insufficiently accurate. This paper presents an algorithm for localizing a vehicle on an arbitrary road network using vision, road curvature estimates, or a combination of both. The method uses an extension of topometric localization, which is a hybrid between topological and metric localization. The extension enables localization on a network of roads rather than just a single, non-branching route. The algorithm, which does not rely on GPS, is able to localize reliably in situations where GPS-based devices fail, including ``urban canyons'' in downtown areas and along ambiguous routes with parallel roads. We demonstrate the algorithm experimentally on several road networks in urban, suburban, and highway scenarios. We also evaluate the road curvature descriptor and show that it is effective when imagery is sparsely available.