Vision-based target geo-location using camera equipped MAVs

A method for determining the location of a fixed ground target when imaged from the air using camera equipped micro air vehicles (MAVs) is developed. The ground objects' elevation is assumed known. Rather than a "one shot" affair, multiple bearing measurements of the ground object taken as the aircrafts fly around the target are used. This makes it possible for the deleterious effects of both the random measurement errors and the systematic measurement errors, a.k.a., attitude sensor biases, to be mitigated. As a result, the target is accurately geo-located and the attitude sensors are calibrated. If only one target bearing measurement can be taken, the attitude sensors will be calibrated in proximity of and prior to the arrival at the target area using an initial point (IP). The technique has been successfully tested on actual flight data and has been extended to multiple MAVs operations and cooperative geo-location.