Autonomous cars use GPS to perform coarse location estimation using a method called trilateration. However, the precision is 1 to 10 m, which is dangerous. Hence, localization needs to be done
Localization methods
- Odometry - Use of data from motion sensors (starting position and wheel displacement) to estimate a position. Generally inaccurate
- Kalman Filters - State estimation of vehicle. Combines noisy and inaccurate data together to produce accurate data
- Particle Filters - Variant of Bayesian Filters. Creates particles around areas where observations are similar to maps
- SLAM - Simultaneous Localization And Mapping. Estimation of position and landmarks