Method and system for video-based positioning and mapping

A system including at least one circuit to execute instructions to cause the system to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining, from at least one camera associated with a vehicle traveling through a road network, a sequence of images of a road and/or a road environment, each image being associated with a location where that image is captured;
• generating a local map representation of an area of the road network using at least some images from the sequence of images and the locations associated therewith, the generating including:
• processing the at least some of the images to detect an object in the road or the road environment;
• determining at least one transformation for tracking the object between the at least some of the images;
• and
• based on the at least one transformation and the locations associated with the at least some of the images, generating a two- or three-dimensional representation of the object relative to the area of the road network;
• comparing the local map representation with a reference map covering the area of the road network;
• and
• determining, based on the comparison, a geographical location and an orientation of the vehicle within the road network.