Benchmarking Structure from Motion Algorithms of Urban Environments with Applications to Reconnaissance in Search and Rescue Scenarios

Angel Martell, Helge A. Lauterbach, Klaus Schilling, Andreas Nüchter

Abstract: Structure from motion is a common approach to generate 3D models of objects and structures. The ease of the data acquisition and the wide selection of available algorithms makes the technique easily accessible. Previous benchmarks on the topic have been focused on scanning small structures, specially for archaeology, or have been limited to single or very few algorithms. In this work different algorithms are benchmarked regarding accuracy and processing time for datasets acquired in urban environments, with the goal of analyzing the feasibility of utilizing this technique on search and rescue operations. Real-world rescue scenarios are demanding due to the presence of challenging surfaces and smoke.