Metrics to evaluate the performance of SLAM

1. RMSE (Root Mean Square Error)

Definition:
Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is a standard way to measure the error of a model in predicting quantitative data. In the context of SLAM, it is commonly used to quantify the error between the estimated positions or map points and the true positions or map points. It provides a measure of the magnitude of the error.

Formula:
$\text{RMSE}=\sqrt{\frac{1}{n}{\sum }_{i=1}^n({\hat{y}}_i-y_i{)}^2}$
Where:

• ${\hat{y}}_i$ is the predicted value,
• $y_i$ is the true value,
• $n$ is the number of observations.

Usage in SLAM:
In SLAM, RMSE can be used to measure the accuracy of the trajectory of a robot or the map created by the SLAM algorithm by comparing it against a ground truth trajectory or map.

2. PSNR (Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio)

Definition:
Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) is most commonly used in the field of image processing and compression. PSNR represents a measure of the peak error between the original and a compressed or reconstructed image.

Formula:
$\text{PSNR}=10\cdot {\log }_{10}\left(\frac{{\text{MAX}}_I^2}{\text{MSE}}\right)$
Where:

• ${\text{MAX}}_I$ is the maximum possible pixel value of the image,
• $\text{MSE}$ is the mean squared error between the original and the compressed image.

Usage in SLAM:
While PSNR is not typically a direct metric for SLAM performance, it could be used to evaluate the quality of visual reconstructions or maps generated by visual SLAM systems.

3. SSIM (Structural Similarity Index)

Definition:
The Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) is used to measure the similarity between two images. SSIM considers changes in texture, luminance, and contrast, rather than just color differences.

Formula:
$\text{SSIM}(x,y)=\frac{(2{\mu }_x{\mu }_y+c_1)(2{\sigma }_{xy}+c_2)}{({\mu }_x^2+{\mu }_y^2+c_1)({\sigma }_x^2+{\sigma }_y^2+c_2)}$
Where:

• ${\mu }_x,{\mu }_y$ are the average pixel values,
• ${\sigma }_x,{\sigma }_y$ are the variance,
• ${\sigma }_{xy}$ is the covariance,
• $c_1,c_2$ are constants to avoid division by zero.

Usage in SLAM:
SSIM might be used in a visual SLAM context to compare the perceptual quality of images in the map against reference images, ensuring that the visual information is preserved.

4. LPIPS (Learned Perceptual Image Patch Similarity)

Definition:
Learned Perceptual Image Patch Similarity (LPIPS) is a metric designed to assess perceptual similarity between two images based on deep learning features rather than traditional pixel-based measures.

Usage in SLAM:
LPIPS can be useful in evaluating how perceptually similar the reconstructed images or frames in a SLAM system are in comparison to the original ones, particularly in systems where high-quality visual output is crucial.

Conclusion:
Each of these metrics serves a different purpose and has a distinct application area. RMSE is directly applicable to the positional accuracies in SLAM, while PSNR, SSIM, and LPIPS are more related to the quality of visual outputs in visual-based SLAM systems. When selecting metrics for evaluating a SLAM system, it is crucial to consider what aspects of the system you are evaluating — whether it’s the accuracy of map construction, trajectory estimation, or the quality of visual reconstructions.