Real-Time Ground Normal Vector Estimation for Spherical Mobile 3D Mapping using LiDAR-Inertial Odometry

Overview & Synopsis

Accurate ground plane normal estimation is essential for odometry in spherical mobile mapping systems (SMMS), which face challenges from rapid rotations and limited ground coverage. We propose two RANSAC-based approaches: single-scan estimation with normal vector scoring and multi-step validation, and LiDAR-inertial odometry (LIO)-based estimation using a global 3D map. Evaluated across diverse real-world datasets against terrestrial laser scanner ground truth, results show that LIO-based estimation significantly outperforms single-scan methods in accuracy and robustness. Integrating ground normal estimates into the motion model improves pose estimation, supporting autonomous navigation in challenging and hazardous environments.