New algorithm tackles big data problems.

AuthorVersprille, Allyson

* A new imaging algorithm from Lockheed Martin has the ability to root out big data problems, said a company engineer.

Lockheed's algorithm, referred to as "quick adjust," offers an alternative option for "geomosaicking" images taken by small, unmanned aerial vehicles. Geomosaicking is used to describe the process of taking tiny photos captured by a drone and adjusting them so they line up together to form one large image. Compared to "bundle adjustment," which is the current market competitor, quick adjust theoretically has no limit to the number of images it can process, said Mark Pritt, a systems engineer at Lockheed. Bundle adjustment stops working at around 100 images.

"In the case of 1,000 images, [quick adjust] is 100 times faster," said Pritt. "Bundle adjustment, as a mathematical technique, just doesn't do well when you have over 1,000 images."

The need for a faster imaging algorithm will increase as the problem of big data grows, said Lee Hall, director of exploitation and visualization solutions at Lockheed.

As the Federal Aviation Administration begins to open up the airspace for domestic use of drones and the number of commercial satellite companies launching large constellations of small satellites...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT