3D Navigational Insight using AR Technology

Navigation, the ability to relocate from one place to another, is a critical skill for any individual or group. Navigating safely across unknown environments is a critical factor in determining the success of a mission. While there is an existing body of applications in the field of land navigation, they primarily rely on GPS-enabled technologies. Moreover, there is limited research on Augmented Reality (AR) as a tool for navigation in unknown environments. This research proposes to develop an AR system to provide 3-dimensional (3D) navigational insights in unfamiliar environments. This can be accomplished by generating 3D terrestrial maps leveraging Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, Google earth imagery and sparse knowledge of GPS coordinates of the region. Furthermore, the 3D terrestrial images are converted to navigational meshes to make it feasible for path-finding algorithms to work. The proposed method can be used to create an iteratively refined 3D landscape knowledge-database that can assist personnel in navigating novel environments or assist in mission planning for other operations. It can also be used to help plan/access the best strategic vantage points in the landscape.