A mobile agricultural machine , comprising: a controllable subsystem ; a pose detection sensor affixed to the machine and configured to identify a geographic position and an orientation of the pose detection sensor and to generate a position signal and an orientation signal; a point cloud identification system that is configured to identify, based on known dimensions of the mobile machine and the relationship of the pose detection sensor relative to the machine , a point cloud with a set of points that are coplanar with one another, in a fixed spatial relation to the pose detection sensor so that, as the mobile agricultural machine moves, the point cloud moves, the set of points being coplanar with a plane section, that is estimated to correspond to a ground surface on which the mobile agricultural machine is located and that are spaced from one another by a given distance, the set of points including a first point that is closest, of all points in the point cloud, to the pose detection sensor ; geographic map location identifier logic that is configured to generate a map structure representing a geographic area and having a set of map cells and corresponding to a set of global coordinates; an elevation map generation system that is configured to generate an elevation value for each point in the point cloud and a weight value for each point in the point cloud, the weight value being related to a distance of each point from the first point; map layer generator logic that is configured to correlate the elevation values and weight values generated for the points in the point cloud with the map cells on which the point cloud is disposed, to generate a first elevation map layer; and control signal generator logic that is configured to generate a control signal to control the controllable subsystem based on the first elevation map layer. a controllable subsystem ; a pose detection sensor affixed to the machine and configured to identify a geographic position and an orientation of the pose detection sensor and to generate a position signal and an orientation signal; a point cloud identification system that is configured to identify, based on known dimensions of the mobile machine and the relationship of the pose detection sensor relative to the machine , a point cloud with a set of points that are coplanar with one another, in a fixed spatial relation to the pose detection sensor so that, as the mobile agricultural machine moves, the point cloud moves, the set of points being coplanar with a plane section, that is estimated to correspond to a ground surface on which the mobile agricultural machine is located and that are spaced from one another by a given distance, the set of points including a first point that is closest, of all points in the point cloud, to the pose detection sensor ; geographic map location identifier logic that is configured to generate a map structure representing a geographic area and having a set of map cells and corresponding to a set of global coordinates; an elevation map generation system that is configured to generate an elevation value for each point in the point cloud and a weight value for each point in the point cloud, the weight value being related to a distance of each point from the first point; map layer generator logic that is configured to correlate the elevation values and weight values generated for the points in the point cloud with the map cells on which the point cloud is disposed, to generate a first elevation map layer; and control signal generator logic that is configured to generate a control signal to control the controllable subsystem based on the first elevation map layer. <EOS>