Method and apparatus for simulating a physical environment to facilitate vehicle operation and task completion

A system for simulating a physical environment to facilitate vehicle operation and task completion, the system comprising a mobile computer coupled to a vehicle, a central computer, and a sensor array, wherein:

• the mobile computer, the central computer, and the sensor array are coupled to each other through a network;
• and
• software modules within the central computer, the mobile computer, or both, render three-dimensional models of a plurality of objects within a physical environment in which the vehicle operates and, based on the three-dimensional models, generate visual representations of the physical environment at any selected viewpoint to facilitate vehicle operation by
• collecting data from a sensor array, wherein the collected data relates to various physical attributes, including size and shape, of objects within the physical environment,
• using the collected data to construct digital, three-dimensional models of the objects within the physical environment,
• accessing the three-dimensional models associated with respective ones of the plurality of objects, wherein the three-dimensional models enable creation of visual representations of respective ones of the plurality of objects from any perspective, correlating the three-dimensional models with the transmitted data from the sensor array to produce a correlation result,
• generating at least one visual representation of the physical environment from at least one viewpoint based on the correlation of the three-dimensional models with the transmitted data from the sensor array,
• identifying at least one obstruction represented by the three-dimensional models, within the physical environment, using the at least one visual representation generated based on the correlation of the three-dimensional models with the transmitted data from the sensor array, and
• operating the vehicle to complete a task based on the obstruction.