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Center for Accurate Georeferencing of the Environment

Center Overview

The Center for Accurate Georeferencing of the Environment (CAGE), led by The Ohio State University, with partner sites at Purdue University and Saint Louis University, is dedicated to advancing methods for accurate and reliable geo-referencing of diverse geospatial data sources. The center serves as a collaborative research hub uniting academic researchers, government agencies, and industry partners to address the technical and operational challenges in geo-referencing, sensor calibration, spatial data fusion, data quality assessment, and data-driven decision making.

Universities

Purdue University
Ohio State University
St. Louis University

View Center Website

Center Personnel

Charles K Toth
Center Director

toth.2@osu.edu

Ayman Habib
Site Director, Purdue University

ahabib@purdue.edu

Vasit Sagan
Site Director, St. Louis University

vasit.sagan@slu.edu

Alper Yilmaz
Industry Liaison

yilmaz.15@osu.edu

Research Focus

The Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Accurate Georeferencing of the Environment (CAGE) led by The Ohio State University with partner sites at Saint Louis University and Purdue University, is dedicated to advancing methods for accurate and reliable geo-referencing of diverse geospatial data sources. The center serves as a collaborative research hub uniting academic researchers, government agencies, and industry partners to address the technical and operational challenges in geo-referencing, sensor calibration, spatial data fusion, data quality assessment, and data-driven decision making.

CAGE unites leading experts from The Ohio State University, Purdue University, and Saint Louis University to tackle three interconnected thrust areas:

Advanced Georeferencing providing resilient alternatives to GPS for navigation in denied environments—from Arctic expeditions to space missions,
Rigorous Quality Assurance and Control for industries like transportation and precision agriculture, and
Transformative Data Analytics by harnessing AI, machine learning for applications in smart farming, infrastructure maintenance, and autonomous systems.

CAGE Process diagram

CAGE works closely with industry and government partners providing geospatial services and technologies across a broad range of industries. Within the geospatial community, CAGE addresses the urgent need for alternative positioning and georeferencing technologies that can serve as reliable backups in the event of GPS unavailability, exploiting expertise in promising new areas including signals of opportunity and environment-based solutions.

CAGE also emphasizes research assessing and assuring the validity, accuracy, and reliability of geospatial data and derived products. CAGE addresses the entire geospatial data lifecycle, from data acquisition and curation to advanced processing, analysis, and application to ensure the highest level of accuracy throughout the entire pipeline and across different application areas. Importantly, all projects involve students and industry mentors ensuring pipeline development to address critical national workforce needs in the geospatial sciences.

Awards

2515271

IUCRC Phase I Purdue University: Center for Accurate Georeferencing of the Environment (CAGE)

Geospatial data has become a cornerstone of modern society, underpinning critical applications that range from navigation and logistics to emergency response, infrastructure management, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. As technologies such as smartphones, drones, satellite imaging, and connected sensors proliferate, the volume and variety of geospatial data continue to expand rapidly. However, the utility of this data hinges on one fundamental requirement: accurate geo-referencing. Without precise spatial georeferencing, the value of collected data and derived products is significantly compromised, leading to flawed analysis, poor decision-making, and even public safety concerns. The IUCRC Center for Accurate Georeferencing of the Environment (CAGE) at Purdue University (PU) in partnership with The Ohio State University (OSU), and Saint Louis University (SLU), is dedicated to advancing methods for accurate and reliable geo-referencing of diverse geospatial data sources. The center serves as a collaborative research hub uniting academic researchers, government agencies, and industry partners to address the technical and operational challenges in geo-referencing, sensor calibration, spatial data fusion, data quality assessment, data-driven and decision making. As artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools are increasingly applied to extract insight from massive geospatial datasets, there is a growing need to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and traceability of the input data. Poorly referenced or misaligned datasets can lead to biased models, unreliable predictions, and degraded system performance. CAGE develops rigorous methodologies and frameworks to evaluate and certify the positional quality of geospatial data, ensuring that downstream AI/ML applications are built on trustworthy spatial foundations. Research efforts focus on innovations in sensor calibration, photogrammetry, LiDAR, GNSS/INS based positioning, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), and uncertainty quantification. Emphasis is placed on developing scalable, cost-effective approaches suitable for deployment across a wide range of platforms—from satellite systems and aerial drones to mobile devices and wearable sensors. By fostering strong industry partnerships, CAGE ensures that the research remains aligned with real-world needs, accelerates technology transfer, and supports workforce development in the geospatial domain. Ultimately, the center will enable a new generation of accurate, AI-ready geospatial products and services that are critical to smart cities, autonomous systems, precision agriculture, climate monitoring, and beyond. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

2516116

Center: IUCRC Phase I The Ohio State University: Center for Accurate Georeferencing of the Environment (CAGE)

Geospatial data has become a cornerstone of modern society, enabling critical applications in navigation, national security, transportation, emergency response, infrastructure management, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, and more. The rapid proliferation of smartphones, drones, satellites, and connected sensors has resulted in an explosion of geospatial data. However, the utility of this data depends on one fundamental requirement: accurate and reliable georeferencing. Without precise spatial positioning, data products become misaligned, leading to flawed analysis, compromised decision-making, and even threats to public safety and national security. The Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Accurate Georeferencing of the Environment (CAGE) led by The Ohio State University with partner sites at Saint Louis University (SLU), in partnership and Purdue University (PU), is dedicated to advancing methods for accurate and reliable geo-referencing of diverse geospatial data sources. The center serves as a collaborative research hub uniting academic researchers, government agencies, and industry partners to address the technical and operational challenges in geo-referencing, sensor calibration, spatial data fusion, data quality assessment, and data-driven decision making. CAGE unites leading experts from The Ohio State University, Purdue University, and Saint Louis University to tackle three interconnected thrust areas: (1) Advanced Georeferencing providing resilient alternatives to GPS for navigation in denied environments—from Arctic expeditions to space missions, (2) Rigorous Quality Assurance and Control for industries like transportation and precision agriculture, and (3) Transformative Data Analytics by harnessing AI, machine learning for applications in smart farming, infrastructure maintenance, and autonomous systems. CAGE works closely with industry and government partners providing geospatial services and technologies across a broad range of industries. Within the geospatial community, CAGE addresses the urgent need for alternative positioning and georeferencing technologies that can serve as reliable backups in the event of GPS unavailability, exploiting expertise in promising new areas including signals of opportunity and environment-based solutions. CAGE also emphasizes research assessing and assuring the validity, accuracy, and reliability of geospatial data and derived products. CAGE addresses the entire geospatial data lifecycle, from data acquisition and curation to advanced processing, analysis, and application to ensure the highest level of accuracy throughout the entire pipeline and across different application areas. Importantly, all projects involve students and industry mentors ensuring pipeline development to address critical national workforce needs in the geospatial sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

2515296

IUCRC Phase I, Saint Louis University: Center for Accurate Georeferencing of the Environment (CAGE)

Geospatial data has become a cornerstone of modern society, enabling critical applications in navigation, national security, transportation, emergency response, infrastructure management, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, and more. The rapid proliferation of smartphones, drones, satellites, and connected sensors has resulted in an explosion of geospatial data. However, the true value of these datasets depends on one critical factor: accurate and reliable georeferencing. Without precise spatial positioning, data products become misaligned, leading to flawed analysis, compromised decision-making, and even threats to public safety. The Industry–University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for Accurate Georeferencing of the Environment (CAGE) at Saint Louis University (SLU), in partnership with The Ohio State University (OSU) and Purdue University (PU), aims to tackle this foundational challenge. CAGE seeks to accelerate innovation and enhance the economic competitiveness of the U.S. geospatial industry and its users through industry-driven, convergent, precompetitive research in geospatial technologies. The center unites academic researchers, government agencies, and industry stakeholders to advance next-generation methods for georeferencing, spatial data fusion, quality assurance, and decision support. Through a collaborative, industry-focused model, CAGE ensures that innovations are closely aligned with real-world needs while supporting the development of a highly skilled geospatial workforce. CAGE’s proposed research portfolio is organized into three thrust areas: (1) Georeferencing and Navigation, (2) Geoinformation Extraction Assisted by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), and (3) Rigorous Quality Assurance and Quality Control Processes, which are built upon the outputs of the first two thrusts. The development of quality assurance and control processes is essential due to the vast amounts of data generated by geospatial sensors. These processes will enable greater technological advancement by ensuring compatibility and managing known variables. To achieve these goals, SLU CAGE leverages world-class computing and AI infrastructure, robotics, and various remote sensing platforms to advance research in GeoAI, precision and quantum agriculture, GPS and Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), GPS alternatives, and food security. These innovations will enable scalable, cost-effective deployment across platforms ranging from satellites and UAVs to mobile phones and wearable sensors. As AI and machine learning become standard tools for extracting insights from geospatial big data, CAGE’s work helps ensure that these insights rest on a solid spatial foundation. CAGE directly serves the national interest by strengthening the geospatial innovation ecosystem, supporting national security, enabling data-driven public services, and training the next generation of geospatial professionals through inclusive outreach and education. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.