Comparative Analysis of Octomap and RTABMap for Multi-robot Disaster Site Mapping

This paper presents an experimental comparison between Octomap and RTABMap, which are two popular 3D mapping techniques that are widely used in robotic systems. The purpose of this comparison is to assess the suitability of these mapping techniques to map a dynamically changing environment for human users. In this paper we present a real-world implementation of Octomap and RTABMap in an environment where different characteristics and features of the two mapping techniques are clearly demonstrated. For example, RTAPMap clearly visualize inclined planes. The two mapping techniques are compared experimentally in terms of a number of metrics such as their ability to give a realistic 3D view of the environment, perception of colours and identification of shaded areas. The testbed uses ROS, robotics middleware on a factory calibrated robot based on Kobuki mobile research base.