NGPS: GPS-Denied Aerial Geo-Localization and 2.5D Reconstruction via Deep Satellite Image Matching and Multi-Rate Sensor Fusion

Title:NGPS: GPS-Denied Aerial Geo-Localization and 2.5D Reconstruction via Deep Satellite Image Matching and Multi-Rate Sensor Fusion

Abstract:We present NGPS (Next-Generation Positioning System), a visual geo-localization framework for high-altitude UAVs that provides GPS-free absolute positioning by matching down-facing images to georeferenced satellite imagery with deep features. The system combines (1) adaptive confidence-weighted UKF fusion, where NGPS covariance is modulated by RANSAC inlier ratio, reprojection error, and match confidence; (2) velocity-predictive kernel extraction, using VIO velocity to predict the satellite search region; and (3) an asynchronous multi-rate temporal priority queue that interleaves absolute position (1-2 Hz), VIO (10-20 Hz), and IMU (100-200 Hz) updates in chronological order. Globally optimized poses from VINS pose-graph optimization, anchored by NGPS corrections, further enable real-time 2.5D georeferenced orthomosaic reconstruction. On five flight sequences (60-150 m AGL), NGPS achieves 2.94 m position RMSE, with worst-case ATE 6.04 m at 150 m AGL and 2 m/s, yielding a 3.5x improvement over standalone monocular VIO. The system runs in real time on an NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX. Part of the implementation is open-sourced at this https URL.

9 pages (8-page paper + IEEE copyright/citation cover page), 6 figures. Accepted to IEEE/RSJ IROS 2026

Robotics (cs.RO); Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (cs.CV)

arXiv:2607.18936 [cs.RO]

(or arXiv:2607.18936v1 [cs.RO] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2607.18936 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.

Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.

Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.