UAV global pose estimation by matching forward-looking aerial images with satellite images

A global pose estimation method of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) by matching forward-looking aerial images from the UAV flying at low altitude with down-looking images from a satellite is proposed. To overcome the limitation of significantly different camera viewpoints and characteristics, we use buildings as a cue of matching. We extract buildings from aerial images and construct a 3D model of buildings, using the fundamental matrix. We estimate the global pose of the vehicle by matching 3D structure of buildings with satellite images, using a particle filter. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is a promising method to the global pose estimation of the UAV with forward-looking vision data.