Systems and methods for image based mapping and navigation

A navigation system comprising:

• a first sensor configured to acquire vision data of a space;
• a user device including a second sensor configured to acquire a query image associated with a location and a direction that are indicative of a location and a direction of a user within the space;
• one or more processing circuits configured to:
• generate, based on the vision data, a map of the space;
• receive, from the user device, the query image of the space;
• compare a feature of the query image with features of one or more reference images of the vision data to generate a comparison between the query image and the one or more reference images;
• determine, based on the comparison between the query image and the one or more reference images, the location and the direction associated with the query image within the space;
• associate the location and the direction associated with the query image with a position and an orientation within the map;
• and
• compute, based on the position and the orientation within the map, a path through the space to a destination.

A method for environment mapping and navigation, the method comprising:

• processing vision data of a space;
• generating, based on the vision data, a map of the space;
• comparing a feature of a query image associated with a location and a direction within the space with features of a reference image of the vision data to generate a comparison between the query image and the reference image;
• determining, based on the comparison between the query image and the reference image, the location and the direction associated with the query image within the space;
• associating the location and the direction associated with the query image with a position and an orientation within the map;
• and
• computing, based on the position and the orientation within the map, a path through the space to a destination.