SUAVE: Integrating UAV video using a 3D model

Controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) requires the operator to perform continuous surveillance and path planning. The operator's situation awareness degrades as an increasing number of surveillance videos must be viewed and integrated. The Picture-in-Picture display (PiP) provides a solution for integrating multiple UAV camera video by allowing the operator to view the video feed in the context of surrounding terrain. The experimental SUAVE (Simple Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Environment) display extends PiP methods by sampling imagery from the video stream to texture a 3D map of the terrain. The operator can then inspect this imagery using world in miniature (WIM) or fly-through methods. We investigate the properties and advantages of SUAVE in the context of a search mission with 3 UAVs