# The Revisiting Problem in Simultaneous Localization and Mapping: A Survey on Visual Loop Closure Detection

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.12831 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.12831/

## Key facts

- Cited by 29 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 27 Apr 2022.

## Built on by (most cited first, 29 of 29)

- [Visual Place Recognition: A Tutorial](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.03281/) (2023)
- [Revisit Anything: Visual Place Recognition via Image Segment Retrieval](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.18049/) (2024)
- [Applications of Spiking Neural Networks in Visual Place Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.13186/) (2023)
- [JIST: Joint Image and Sequence Training for Sequential Visual Place Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.19787/) (2024)
- [GV-Bench: Benchmarking Local Feature Matching for Geometric Verification of Long-term Loop Closure Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.11736/) (2024)
- [Improving Visual Place Recognition with Sequence-Matching Receptiveness Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.06840/) (2025)
- [Light-SLAM: A Robust Deep-Learning Visual SLAM System Based on LightGlue under Challenging Lighting Conditions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.02382/) (2024)
- [Visual-Inertial SLAM for Unstructured Outdoor Environments: Benchmarking the Benefits and Computational Costs of Loop Closing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.01716/) (2024)
- [Monocular visual simultaneous localization and mapping: (r)evolution from geometry to deep learning-based pipelines](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.02955/) (2025)
- [Ensemble-Based Event Camera Place Recognition Under Varying Illumination](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.01968/) (2025)
- [A Survey on Reinforcement Learning Applications in SLAM](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.14518/) (2024)
- [VLAD-BuFF: Burst-aware Fast Feature Aggregation for Visual Place Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.19293/) (2024)
- [Hardware, Algorithms, and Applications of the Neuromorphic Vision Sensor: a Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.08588/) (2025)
- [Object Goal Navigation Based on Semantics and RGB Ego View](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.11543/) (2022)
- [From Gaming to Research: GTA V for Synthetic Data Generation for Robotics and Navigations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.12303/) (2025)
- [ROVER: Robust Loop Closure Verification with Trajectory Prior in Repetitive Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.13488/) (2025)
- [Active Semantic Localization with Graph Neural Embedding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.06141/) (2023)
- [DK-SLAM: Monocular Visual SLAM with Deep Keypoint Learning, Tracking and Loop-Closing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.09160/) (2024)
- [Addressing the challenges of loop detection in agricultural environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.15761/) (2024)
- [A Hyperdimensional One Place Signature to Represent Them All: Stackable Descriptors For Visual Place Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.06153/) (2024)
- [LSGDDN-LCD: An Appearance-based Loop Closure Detection using Local Superpixel Grid Descriptors and Incremental Dynamic Nodes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03872/) (2023)
- [Racing With ROS 2 A Navigation System for an Autonomous Formula Student Race Car](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.14276/) (2023)
- [Lost in Tracking Translation: A Comprehensive Analysis of Visual SLAM in Human-Centered XR and IoT Ecosystems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.07146/) (2024)
- [Exploring Emerging Trends and Research Opportunities in Visual Place Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.11481/) (2024)
- [Visual Loop Closure Detection Through Deep Graph Consensus](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.21754/) (2025)
- [LoopDB: A Loop Closure Dataset for Large Scale Simultaneous Localization and Mapping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.06771/) (2025)
- [Visual Place Recognition for Large-Scale UAV Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.15089/) (2025)
- [Uncertainty-Aware Hierarchical Re-Localization in OpenStreetMap via Semantic Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.01613/) (2026)
- [InLiER: Learning-Free Heterogeneous LiDAR Place Recognition via Intermediate Mixed-Radix Structural Keypoint Tokenization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.16862/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Where am I? This is one of the most critical questions that any intelligent system should answer to decide whether it navigates to a previously visited area. This problem has long been acknowledged for its challenging nature in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), wherein the robot needs to correctly associate the incoming sensory data to the database allowing consistent map generation. The significant advances in computer vision achieved over the last 20 years, the increased computational power, and the growing demand for long-term exploration contributed to efficiently performing such a complex task with inexpensive perception sensors. In this article, visual loop closure detection, which formulates a solution based solely on appearance input data, is surveyed. We start by briefly introducing place recognition and SLAM concepts in robotics. Then, we describe a loop closure detection system's structure, covering an extensive collection of topics, including the feature extraction, the environment representation, the decision-making step, and the evaluation process. We conclude by discussing open and new research challenges, particularly concerning the robustness in dynamic environments, the computational complexity, and scalability in long-term operations. The article aims to serve as a tutorial and a position paper for newcomers to visual loop closure detection.