IEEE 1873

Description / Abstract: This standard provides specifications for representing 2D metric and topological maps. This standard defines a recommended format for exchanging map data among robots, computers, and other devices. The map representation format specified by this standard only considers static maps; in other words, moving objects are not explicitly represented in the maps. Additionally, no limit is placed on geographic scale or sensor modalities in applying this standard.

To this end, the standard:

a) Defines a hierarchy of terminologies related to 2D robot maps for navigation in indoor and outdoor environments;

b) Specifies a data model for each element of the hierarchy; and

c) Specifies an XML format for map data exchange between different robots, computer systems, and devices.

There are several standards related to map specifications already published or under development from other standard developing organizations (SDOs), including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) City Geography Markup Language (CityGML) [B6].¹ The scope of this document can be restated from a scale point of view by illustrating the application domains of the other standard specifications with respect to that of this document

Purpose

The purpose of this standard is to define a common representation for robot map data, including metric and topological maps. It is intended to facilitate interoperability among different navigating robots, extending operational range and application areas of the robots. While facilitating technological advancement for spatial mapping carried out by robots and/or other relevant devices, this standard does not cover the activities of building, maintaining, updating, and revising robot maps.

¹ The numbers in brackets correspond to those of the bibliography in Annex B.