Sensor based creation of indoor virtual environment models

A system that can rapidly, reliably, remotely and accurately create a photo-realistic 3D model of indoor environments is needed for many applications. In this paper, we present a mobile mapping system that is designed to generate such models automatically from various sensors. Surfaces and features can be accurately mapped from images acquired by a unique configuration of different types of optical imaging sensor and dead-reckoning positioning device. This configuration guarantees that all the information required to create the 3D model of the environment is included in the collected data. The same general design concept can be used for environments ranging from simple office hallways to long, winding underground mine tunnels. This paper describes the hardware systems and processing procedures. We also present test results and describe our virtual environment facility to display such models.