Which images were used primarily for navigation algorithms on the Spirit rover?

Question

I've noticed a lot of variations on the MER image data: we have RDR, EDR, and a whole lot of images that haven't been corrected yet (which appear mostly black in colour). On top of this, in the PDS databases, we have a collection of panoramic images and cropped images. I've read through a few papers on computer vision on the MER, but it hasn't specified which data they use.

Analyst's Notebook

PDS Geosciences Node

I'm designing an algorithm for terrain estimation using MER data, and in order to get as realistic results as possible, I want to use the data that the rover actually uses to navigate. Which data collections should I be looking at?

Answer 1

What you're looking for is the images from the "Navigation Camera". As explained here, the mast-mounted stereo imagers collectively referred to as the "Navigation Camera" were used for navigation.

You can browse the collection of images from the Navigation Camera here:

http://mars.nasa.gov/mer/gallery/all/spirit.html

You didn't mention Opportunity, but it is available as well:

http://mars.nasa.gov/mer/gallery/all/opportunity.html

Just select one of the sols available under the "Navigation Camera" heading and click the "View Selected Sol" button. The images for that sol will appear in the new page.

The body-mounted Hazard Avoidance cameras assisted in navigation as well, and you should also see the headings for them listed at the above links as "Hazcam".