Visual Positioning System, or VPS, has been all the rage in recent months. VPS is a part of Google Maps that makes the Global Positioning System (GPS) work better and gives more accurate locations.
Google has been trying out a method called “global localization” to solve the GPS problem since 2018–19. This method combines VPS, Street View, and machine learning to find location and orientation more accurately. And just recently, in December 2022, the company used the ARCore Geospatial API to add AR experiences that are realistic and based on where they are.
What is Visual Positioning System (VPS)?
A visual positioning system (VPS) is a type of technology that lets a device, like a smartphone or a drone, figure out where it is and how it is oriented in the real world by looking at its surroundings. Computer vision algorithms are used by VPS systems to look at images from a camera or other visual sensor and compare them to a library of known places or features.
There are different kinds of VPS systems, like those that use markers and those that don’t. Marker-based systems use artificial marks, like QR codes or augmented reality tags, to help the device figure out where it is in the world. Markerless systems, on the other hand, use things like buildings or landmarks in the surroundings to figure out where the device is.
One of the best things about VPS systems is that they can work inside and in cities where GPS readings may be weak or not work at all. Because of this, they are especially useful for things like indoor tracking, augmented reality, and self-driving cars.
How Does Visual Positioning System (VPS) Work?
Visual Positioning System (VPS) is a system that uses computer vision and machine learning algorithms to figure out where a device or vehicle is in the real world and what direction it is facing. It works by comparing the images taken by the device’s camera with a database of pre-mapped images and using machine learning methods to estimate the device’s position and orientation based on the similarities and differences between the captured images and the pre-mapped images.
Here is a general overview of how VPS works:
- The device has a camera that takes pictures of what is around it.
- Machine learning algorithms compare these pictures to a database of images that have already been mapped.
- The VPS system figures out where the device is and how it is facing by comparing the captured images to pictures that have already been mapped.
- The device’s location and orientation are then used to provide location-based services, such as indoor or outdoor navigation, augmented reality, or autonomous car localization.
When combined with other positioning technologies, like GPS, VPS can give a more accurate and reliable idea of where and how the device is. It can also be used on its own without GPS readings when they are not needed or are not available.
Difference Between GPS and VPS
GPS (Global Positioning System) and VPS (visual positioning system) are both tools that can be used to find out where something is in the real world and how it is oriented. But they work differently and have a few important differences:
How Do They Work?
GPS figures out where a device on the ground is by using a network of satellites that circle the Earth. The gadget gets signals from several satellites and uses the time difference between these signals to figure out how far away it is from each one. By adding up the distances from several satellites, the gadget can triangulate its position with high accuracy.
VPS, on the other hand, uses computer vision algorithms to compare pictures from a camera or other visual sensor to a database of known places or features.
Accuracy: Most of the time, GPS is more exact than VPS, being able to give sub-meter accuracy. Some VPS systems can even be exact to within a few centimeters, but this depends on the quality of the visual database as well as the lighting and occlusion conditions.
Availability: GPS can be used almost everywhere on Earth, as long as the gadget can see the sky. But GPS signals can be messed up by things like buildings and mountains, as well as by things in the air like sun storms.
VPS systems don’t need a clear view of the sky and can be used indoors and in cities where GPS signals may be weak or not work at all. But for them to work, they need a database of known places or traits, and they may be sensitive to lighting and occlusion.
GPS and VPS are two technologies that work well together and can be used together or separately, based on the situation and the application.
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Conclusion
VPS is a technology that uses computer vision and machine learning algorithms to figure out where a device or vehicle is in the real world and what direction it is facing. It works by comparing images taken by the device’s camera with a database of pre-mapped images. VPS and GPS are two technologies that can be used together or separately to find out where a device is in the real world and how it is oriented. GPS is more accurate than VPS, but can be messed up by buildings and mountains.
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