Unified Map Handling for Robotic Systems: Enhancing Interoperability and Efficiency Across Diverse Environments

Abstract: Mapping is a time-consuming process for deploying robotic systems to new environments. The handling of maps is also risk-adverse when not managed effectively. We propose here, a standardised approach to handling such maps in a manner which focuses on the information contained wherein such as global location, object positions, topology, and occupancy. As part of this approach, associated management scripts are able to assist with generation of maps both through direct and indirect information restructuring, and with template and procedural generation of missing data. These approaches are able to, when combined, improve the handling of maps to enable more efficient deployments and higher interoperability between platforms. Alongside this, a collection of sample datasets of fully-mapped environments are included covering areas such as agriculture, urban roadways, and indoor environments.