Patent ID: 8855442

Claim:
A method for image registration, the method comprising: establishing a three-dimensional reference model of a scene; acquiring a target image of the scene, the target image being captured with a sensor; determining the viewpoint of the sensor that captured the target image using one or more three-dimensional geoarcs, wherein the viewpoint of the sensor is determined relative to the three-dimensional reference model; and generating a composite three-dimensional representation of the scene by associating data from the target image with data from the three-dimensional reference model, wherein the viewpoint of the sensor is used to perform the association; wherein the step of determining the viewpoint of the sensor further comprises: identifying one or more feature pairs in the three-dimensional reference model; identifying one or more feature pairs in a target image; for each feature pair in the target image, associating the feature pair in the target image with one of the feature pairs in the three-dimensional reference model, estimating an angle associated with the feature pair in the target image, generating a three-dimensional geoarc surface associated with the three-dimensional reference model, wherein the geoarc surface represents relationships between the feature pair in the target image and the estimated angle; and identifying locations in three-dimensional space relative to three-dimensional reference model where two or more three-dimensional geoarc surfaces overlap.