Long-Range Binocular Vision Target Geolocation Using Handheld Electronic Devices in Outdoor Environment.

Area of Science:

• Computer Vision
• Geospatial Technology
• Robotics

Background:

• Traditional binocular vision is limited to short-range and indoor environments.
• Accurate long-range outdoor target localization and geolocation remain challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel vision-based geolocation method for long-range outdoor targets using handheld devices.
• To determine the geographic coordinates of targets in outdoor environments.

Main Methods:

• Utilized handheld electronic devices with integrated cameras, GPS, and inertial measurement units (IMU).
• Employed a binocular localization model and coordinate transformations for geolocation.
• Conducted experiments with targets up to 500m range.

Main Results:

• Achieved target geolocation accuracy within approximately 20m in the horizontal direction.
• Demonstrated comparable or superior performance to monocular vision methods.
• Validated the method on smartphones and tablets.

Conclusions:

• The proposed binocular vision method effectively enables long-range outdoor target geolocation.
• Handheld devices can be utilized for accurate outdoor target localization.
• This approach offers a viable alternative to existing monocular vision techniques.