Terrain Passability Modeling for Cross‐Country Unmanned Ground Vehicle Navigation

ABSTRACT This study aimed to model a high‐precision map for cross‐country small autonomous vehicle—unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) movements across various terrains. It explores the compound influence of diverse terrain characteristics—including slope, terrain indices (terrain ruggedness index [TRI], vector ruggedness measure [VRM], local relief model [LRM]), soil conditions, land cover classes, and road networks—on UGV passability. The two primary objectives are creating a high‐precision terrain passability map with a resolution of 0.1 m and valorizing the research area by generating a comprehensive map with a 1 × 1 m grid and rating fields for vehicle passage suitability. GIS, CAD software, and Python process and calculate the necessary data and terrain indices. New coefficient values are determined for input indices, and for the final step—multicriteria decision‐making (MCDM), weighted overlay analysis from ESRI's ArcGIS PRO software is utilized. This analysis incorporated all input parameters with coefficients ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates no passability. The findings offer substantial practical implications and contribute to the creation of passability maps. Such maps can serve as vital geographical aids for military and civilian operations, enhancing vehicular navigation across natural terrains.