Automated Map Comparison using Non-invariant Fourier Descriptors

In this paper, we use non-invariant Fourier descriptors to derive transformation variables which allow us to optimally localize and reorient robot-generated maps based on the map shapes in order to determine, in an automated way, the accuracy of the generated maps. Our method uses only 4 simple calculations for alignment, therefore is extremely fast and gives a very good optimization for data maps that contain consistent, high frequency noise. A drawback to this method is occlusions in the map which affect the low frequency Fourier descriptors and cause localization and orientation errors. Preprocessing and optimization can help minimize these drawbacks. This application can be easily adapted to other areas such as image comparison or fault detection.