3D Mapping with Automotive Radars in Inland Waterways Environment

This paper explores the use of automotive radars for 3D mapping in inland waterways (IW), a domain where radar-based mapping remains largely underexplored. A methodology is proposed for constructing 3D maps using a network of four automotive radars mounted on a water surface vessel (WSV), with data collected from diverse IW environments in Germany. The performance of the radar-based maps is evaluated in comparison to LiDAR-generated maps using the Iterative Closest Point (ICP), with metrics such as fitness score and inlier correspondence RMSE analyzed. The results demonstrate that radar maps effectively capture the overall structure of water channels and the infrastructure surrounding it, but exhibit reduced detail compared to LiDAR. Despite these limitations, radar's robustness to adverse environmental conditions, suitability for detecting moving targets and cost-effectiveness highlight its potential for enhancing autonomous navigation and transport operations in IW environments.