Datasets

POLAR Traverse Dataset

The POLAR Traverse Dataset provides stereo pairs of camera images that mimic the traverse of a rover or other mobile platform across the lunar surface near the poles of the moon. The south polar regions are of particular interest for upcoming NASA missions such as VIPER and are characterized by extreme lighting conditions (absence of atmosphere, low solar incidence angles, long shadows, and permanently shadowed regions). This dataset was inspired by the POLAR Stereo Dataset but provides sequential images taken along the length of a large test bed to simulate traverses across the terrain. Multiple views are provided, differing by the terrain structure and incident lighting angle, as well as multiple camera parameter settings (height, pitch angle, exposure time). The dataset and a README with more information can be found at the link below.

Link: POLAR Traverse Dataset

Suggested Citation: Margaret Hansen, Uland Wong, Terrence Fong. Polar Optical Lunar Analog Reconstruction (POLAR) Traverse Dataset. NASA Ames Research Center, Nov 2023.

Associated paper: M. Hansen, U. Wong, and T. Fong, “The POLAR Traverse Dataset: A Dataset of Stereo Camera Images Simulating Traverses across Lunar Polar Terrain under Extreme Lighting Conditions,” arXiv preprint, 2024, accessed at https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.12194.