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Real-time Mapping

Build 3D environmental maps during missions.

Map Representation

AQUA Stack creates maps as:

  • Point cloud: Sparse 3D points
  • Keyframe poses: Camera positions
  • Connectivity graph: Spatial relationships

Map Types

Local Map

  • Recent observations
  • Optimized continuously
  • Sliding window

Global Map

  • All keyframes
  • Updated on loop closures
  • Saved for reuse

Map Export

# Export to PCD format
aqua-map export mission_map.pcd

# Export to ROS bag
aqua-map export mission_map.bag

# Visualize in RViz
rosrun aqua_slam map_viewer mission_map.pcd

Map Reuse

Load previous maps for localization:

aqua-slam --map previous_mission.map --localization-only

Next: Loop Closure