Method and apparatus for localizing and mapping the position of a set of points on a digital model

A computer program product comprising:

• a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for mapping a position of a physical point on a digital model, the computer program product including:
• computer usable program code for receiving sensor data for the physical point from a sensor unit;
• computer usable program code for correlating a position of the physical point to the digital model, wherein correlating the position of the physical point to the digital model is accomplished by aligning the sensor data from the sensor unit to place-identifiers in the digital model, thereby forming a correlated position;
• computer usable program code for calculating an alignment probability for the correlated position;
• computer usable program code for comparing the alignment probability for the correlated position to a predetermined threshold probability, wherein if the alignment probability for the correlated position exceeds the predetermined threshold probability, an aligned position of the physical point is formed, and wherein if the alignment probability for the correlated position does not exceed the predetermined threshold probability an unaligned position is formed;
• and
• computer usable program code for storing the aligned position of the physical point relative to the digital model, responsive to a store map location command.

An apparatus comprising:

• a sensor unit, wherein the sensor unit comprises an image sensor and an accelerometer;
• a digital model;
• a bus system;
• a communications system connected to the bus system;
• a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions;
• and
• a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive sensor data for the physical point from the sensor unit, to correlate a position of the physical point to the digital model, wherein correlation of the position of the physical point to a digital model is accomplished by aligning sensor data from the sensor unit to place-identifiers in the digital model, thereby forming a correlated position, to calculate an alignment probability for the correlated position, to compare the alignment probability for the correlated position to a predetermined threshold probability, wherein if the alignment probability for the correlated position exceeds the predetermined threshold probability, an aligned position of the physical point is formed, and responsive to a save aligned position command, to store the aligned position of the physical point relative to the digital model.