A system for processing images captured by a moving platform comprising a steering system, a propulsion system, and a navigation system, the system comprising: a central processing unit, said CPU being interconnected functionally via a system bus to: at least one sensor configured and disposed to capture a perceived environment including at least one of visual images of the environment and range data to objects in the environment; a graphics processing unit; and at least one memory device thereupon stored a computer model of the environment and a set of instructions which, when executed by said CPU, causes the image processing system to: capture a perceived environment through the at least one sensor, the perceived environment including visual images and range data; render the computer model of the environment in the GPU forming a rendered model of the environment; compare the rendered model of the environment with the perceived environment; selectively update the computer model of the environment based on the perceived environment; and pass the computer model to the navigation system, the navigation system being coupled to the steering system to direct the platform along a desired course through the environment, wherein the set of instructions cause the image processing system to: employ an iterative process to compute a position and orientation of the moving platform by performing an iterative closest point optimization against the computer model of the environment, wherein the ICP optimization includes a point-to-point optimization of the perceived environment, or wherein the ICP optimization includes a point-to-plane optimization of the perceived environment. a central processing unit, said CPU being interconnected functionally via a system bus to: at least one sensor configured and disposed to capture a perceived environment including at least one of visual images of the environment and range data to objects in the environment; a graphics processing unit; and at least one memory device thereupon stored a computer model of the environment and a set of instructions which, when executed by said CPU, causes the image processing system to: capture a perceived environment through the at least one sensor, the perceived environment including visual images and range data; render the computer model of the environment in the GPU forming a rendered model of the environment; compare the rendered model of the environment with the perceived environment; selectively update the computer model of the environment based on the perceived environment; and at least one sensor configured and disposed to capture a perceived environment including at least one of visual images of the environment and range data to objects in the environment; a graphics processing unit; and at least one memory device thereupon stored a computer model of the environment and a set of instructions which, when executed by said CPU, causes the image processing system to: capture a perceived environment through the at least one sensor, the perceived environment including visual images and range data; render the computer model of the environment in the GPU forming a rendered model of the environment; compare the rendered model of the environment with the perceived environment; selectively update the computer model of the environment based on the perceived environment; and capture a perceived environment through the at least one sensor, the perceived environment including visual images and range data; render the computer model of the environment in the GPU forming a rendered model of the environment; compare the rendered model of the environment with the perceived environment; selectively update the computer model of the environment based on the perceived environment; and pass the computer model to the navigation system, the navigation system being coupled to the steering system to direct the platform along a desired course through the environment, wherein the set of instructions cause the image processing system to: employ an iterative process to compute a position and orientation of the moving platform by performing an iterative closest point optimization against the computer model of the environment, wherein the ICP optimization includes a point-to-point optimization of the perceived environment, or wherein the ICP optimization includes a point-to-plane optimization of the perceived environment.