A method comprising: receiving, at a computing device from a LIDAR module, a structured laser point cloud indicative of an environment of a vehicle, the structured laser point cloud being received during navigation of a path of travel by the vehicle, wherein the structured laser point cloud includes a plurality of data points associated with one or more objects in the environment; as the structured laser point cloud is received, projecting the data points to incrementally generate a panoramic two dimensional range image that includes a plurality of pixels indicative of respective positions of the one or more objects in the environment relative to the vehicle; when enough data points of the structured laser point cloud to fill an initial portion of the two dimensional range image have been received, and prior to reception of the complete structured laser point cloud: modifying the initial portion of the two dimensional range image to provide respective values to one or more given pixels of the plurality of pixels that map to one or more portions of the one or more objects in the environment lacking laser data points, wherein modifying the initial portion of the two dimensional range image to provide respective values to the one or more given pixels is based on respective neighboring pixels (404, 406, 408) of the plurality of pixels positioned proximal to the one or more given pixels of the plurality of pixels in the initial portion of the two dimensional range image; and determining a plurality of normal vectors of one or more sets of pixels in the plurality of pixels that correspond to respective surfaces of the one or more objects in the environment; wherein the method further comprises: based on the plurality of normal vectors of the one or more sets of pixels, providing object recognition information indicative of the one or more objects in the environment to a control system configured to control operation of the vehicle, thereby to enable the control system to adjust at least one of a throttle, brakes or steering of the vehicle based on the object recognition information during the navigation of the path of travel by the vehicle. receiving, at a computing device from a LIDAR module, a structured laser point cloud indicative of an environment of a vehicle, the structured laser point cloud being received during navigation of a path of travel by the vehicle, wherein the structured laser point cloud includes a plurality of data points associated with one or more objects in the environment; as the structured laser point cloud is received, projecting the data points to incrementally generate a panoramic two dimensional range image that includes a plurality of pixels indicative of respective positions of the one or more objects in the environment relative to the vehicle; when enough data points of the structured laser point cloud to fill an initial portion of the two dimensional range image have been received, and prior to reception of the complete structured laser point cloud: modifying the initial portion of the two dimensional range image to provide respective values to one or more given pixels of the plurality of pixels that map to one or more portions of the one or more objects in the environment lacking laser data points, wherein modifying the initial portion of the two dimensional range image to provide respective values to the one or more given pixels is based on respective neighboring pixels (404, 406, 408) of the plurality of pixels positioned proximal to the one or more given pixels of the plurality of pixels in the initial portion of the two dimensional range image; and determining a plurality of normal vectors of one or more sets of pixels in the plurality of pixels that correspond to respective surfaces of the one or more objects in the environment; modifying the initial portion of the two dimensional range image to provide respective values to one or more given pixels of the plurality of pixels that map to one or more portions of the one or more objects in the environment lacking laser data points, wherein modifying the initial portion of the two dimensional range image to provide respective values to the one or more given pixels is based on respective neighboring pixels (404, 406, 408) of the plurality of pixels positioned proximal to the one or more given pixels of the plurality of pixels in the initial portion of the two dimensional range image; and determining a plurality of normal vectors of one or more sets of pixels in the plurality of pixels that correspond to respective surfaces of the one or more objects in the environment;