Design, Implementation and Simulation of an Experimental Multi-Camera Imaging System for Terrestrial and Multi-Purpose Mobile Mapping Platforms: A Case Study

Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS’s) are powerful tools for rapidly and massively collect- ing imagery in various environments (e.g., rural, semi-urban, urban). In particular, the data collected at terrestrial level can be exploited to complement aerial acquisitions for extending GIS databases, visualizing and modeling environments and studying their morphogenesis over time. Hence, the de- velopment of mobile mapping platforms is a topic of great interest for many mapping agencies and surveying companies. Moreover, the experimental imaging systems of mapping vehicles are equipped with varied infrastructures in part resulting from the wide range of targeted applications. Determining a detailed design procedure for such imaging systems is of critical importance, and can be both ardu- ous and time-consuming. Although commercial imaging systems can be exploited directly they are often pre-configured for specific applications. For these reasons, we propose a case study that deals with the development of an orientable and scalable imaging system. In particular, this paper focusses on the primary stage of the mechanical implementation of a multi-camera infrastructure