# A General Optimization-based Framework for Global Pose Estimation with Multiple Sensors

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1901.03642 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.03642/

## Key facts

- Cited by 44 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 11 Jan 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 44)

- [VGGT-SLAM: Dense RGB SLAM Optimized on the SL(4) Manifold](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.12549/) (2025)
- [TUM-VIE: The TUM Stereo Visual-Inertial Event Dataset](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.07329/) (2021)
- [M2DGR: A Multi-sensor and Multi-scenario SLAM Dataset for Ground Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.13659/) (2021)
- [From SLAM to Situational Awareness: Challenges and Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.00273/) (2021)
- [Long-term Visual Localization with Mobile Sensors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.07691/) (2023)
- [Panoramic annular SLAM with loop closure and global optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.13400/) (2021)
- [RD-VIO: Robust Visual-Inertial Odometry for Mobile Augmented Reality in Dynamic Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.15072/) (2023)
- [SmartPortraits: Depth Powered Handheld Smartphone Dataset of Human Portraits for State Estimation, Reconstruction and Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.10211/) (2022)
- [Semantic Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.06428/) (2022)
- [LuSNAR:A Lunar Segmentation, Navigation and Reconstruction Dataset based on Muti-sensor for Autonomous Exploration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.06512/) (2024)
- [DBA-Fusion: Tightly Integrating Deep Dense Visual Bundle Adjustment with Multiple Sensors for Large-Scale Localization and Mapping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.13714/) (2024)
- [DynamicPose: Real-time and Robust 6D Object Pose Tracking for Fast-Moving Cameras and Objects](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.11950/) (2025)
- [Comparison of modern open-source visual SLAM approaches](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.01654/) (2021)
- [Learning Cross-Scale Visual Representations for Real-Time Image Geo-Localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.04087/) (2021)
- [SUPS: A Simulated Underground Parking Scenario Dataset for Autonomous Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.12966/) (2023)
- [SM/VIO: Robust Underwater State Estimation Switching Between Model-based and Visual Inertial Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.01988/) (2023)
- [CAMAv2: A Vision-Centric Approach for Static Map Element Annotation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.21331/) (2024)
- [Gravity-aligned Rotation Averaging with Circular Regression](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.12763/) (2024)
- [GeoFlow-SLAM: A Robust Tightly-Coupled RGBD-Inertial and Legged Odometry Fusion SLAM for Dynamic Legged Robotics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.14247/) (2025)
- [Relatively Lazy: Indoor-Outdoor Navigation Using Vision and GNSS](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.05107/) (2021)
- [A Benchmark Dataset for Collaborative SLAM in Service Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.14775/) (2024)
- [ROVER: Robust Loop Closure Verification with Trajectory Prior in Repetitive Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.13488/) (2025)
- [Hyperion -- A fast, versatile symbolic Gaussian Belief Propagation framework for Continuous-Time SLAM](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.07074/) (2024)
- [Is That Rain? Understanding Effects on Visual Odometry Performance for Autonomous UAVs and Efficient DNN-based Rain Classification at the Edge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.12663/) (2024)
- [P2U-SLAM: A Monocular Wide-FoV SLAM System Based on Point Uncertainty and Pose Uncertainty](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.10143/) (2024)
- [Towards autonomous photogrammetric forest inventory using a lightweight under-canopy robotic drone](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.12073/) (2025)
- [A Plug-and-Play Learning-based IMU Bias Factor for Robust Visual-Inertial Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.12527/) (2025)
- [Holistic Fusion: Task- and Setup-Agnostic Robot Localization and State Estimation with Factor Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.06479/) (2025)
- [An Online Adaptation Method for Robust Depth Estimation and Visual Odometry in the Open World](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.11698/) (2025)
- [The S3LI Vulcano Dataset: A Dataset for Multi-Modal SLAM in Unstructured Planetary Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.19557/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Accurate state estimation is a fundamental problem for autonomous robots. To achieve locally accurate and globally drift-free state estimation, multiple sensors with complementary properties are usually fused together. Local sensors (camera, IMU, LiDAR, etc) provide precise pose within a small region, while global sensors (GPS, magnetometer, barometer, etc) supply noisy but globally drift-free localization in a large-scale environment. In this paper, we propose a sensor fusion framework to fuse local states with global sensors, which achieves locally accurate and globally drift-free pose estimation. Local estimations, produced by existing VO/VIO approaches, are fused with global sensors in a pose graph optimization. Within the graph optimization, local estimations are aligned into a global coordinate. Meanwhile, the accumulated drifts are eliminated. We evaluate the performance of our system on public datasets and with real-world experiments. Results are compared against other state-of-the-art algorithms. We highlight that our system is a general framework, which can easily fuse various global sensors in a unified pose graph optimization. Our implementations are open sourcefootnotehttps://github.com/HKUST-Aerial-Robotics/VINS-Fusion.