VISUAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

VISUAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

Visual Positioning System, or VPS, has been the buzz of the town for the past few months. VPS is a feature in Google Maps that helps to overcome the challenges of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and gives more precise locations.

Since 2018-19 Google has been experimenting to solve the GPS problem using a technique called global localization, which combines VPS, Street View, and machine learning to identify position and orientation more accurately. And recently, in Dec 2022, the company embedded immersive, location-based AR experiences with the ARCore Geospatial API.


What is Visual Positioning System (VPS)?


VPS is a technology that enables a device, such as a smartphone or a drone, to determine its location and orientation in the physical world using visual cues. VPS systems use computer vision algorithms to analyze images from a camera or other optical sensor and match them against a database of known locations or features.


Google’s VPS


Google Maps uses VPS to provide location and navigation services for users of its AR ‘Live View’ feature. This feature uses the camera on a user’s smartphone to provide real-time, AR-enhanced navigation instructions and location information.


The VPS system processes the images captured by the smartphone camera to determine the user’s location and orientation and then overlays AR elements, such as virtual signs and arrows, onto the camera view to provide directions and other information.

Overall, VPS technology plays a crucial role in many of the location and navigation features offered by Google Maps, helping to provide precise and accurate location information in various environments.


How does VPS work?


VPS determines a device’s location based on imagery rather than GPS signals. VPS first creates a map by taking a series of images that have a known location and analyzing them for key visual features, such as the outline of buildings or bridges, to create a large-scale and fast searchable index of those visual features. To localize the device, VPS compares the features in imagery from the phone to those in the VPS index. However, the accuracy of localization through VPS is greatly affected by the quality of both the imagery and the location associated with it.


Google has connected it with Street View images, which have been captured around the globe for more than 15 years and are the foundation of VPS. Deep neural networks identify and describe parts of the images that are likely to be recognizable over long periods. Those parts are then combined across tens of billions of images to compute a 3D point cloud of the global environment. This localization model consists of trillions of points and spans nearly all countries with future coverage.


When the user’s device requests the Geospatial API, a neural network processes the pixels to find recognizable parts of the user’s environment and matches them to the VPS localization model. Computer vision algorithms then compute the position and orientation of the device, offering a location that is much more accurate than what was previously possible with GPS alone.


What is the role of Geospatial API?


The ARCore Geospatial API enables remotely attach content to any area covered by Google Street View and creating AR experiences on a global scale. It uses a device sensor and GPS data to detect the device’s environment, then matches the recognizable parts of that environment to a localization model provided by Google’s Visual Positioning System (VPS) to determine the precise location of a user’s device. The API also merges the user’s local coordinates with the geographic coordinates from VPS so that a user can work within a single coordinate system.


What are the advantages?


The new visual system is aimed at offering ample support to fix navigation concerns. Here are a few advantages of Google VPS that make it stand out in this technology-driven era: 


VPS can help you get better business insights and assist clients on foot.


Provides the user with the advantages of local marketing.


It can be made available for all transportation modes. It is an icon in the transportation sector.


Very handy in urban areas where GPS services are often distracted or blocked by skyscrapers.


Usability in indoor and outdoor areas and GPS-denied environments with assured accuracy despite the size of the area. 


VPS can be a great aid to the visually impaired, as the close-up visual assistance can help them navigate.

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