CoVista

UBC CAPSTONE CONCEPT · 2027

SEE MORE.
TOGETHER.

Collaborative drone mapping
for complex, GPS-denied spaces.

Watch the demo

Seeking teammates & application partners

Explore ↓
STUDENT PROPOSAL · SUBJECT TO APPROVALDEFINE MAY 2027 · START SEPTEMBER 2027
U.S. Coast Guard personnel conducting night search-and-rescue after Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, 2022.

REAL CONDITIONS · RESEARCH GOAL

SEE THE SPACE.
PLAN THE NEXT MOVE.

A shared picture of passages, obstacles and unseen areas—for planning before entry.

Why it matters ↓Night-response context · U.S. Coast Guard, 2022

BEFORE ENTRY.
KNOW MORE.

Our goal:
make complex spaces easier to understand.

Plan routes.

Understand passages and obstacles.

Change viewpoints.

Observe surfaces hidden from one pass.

Share what is known.

Combine observations and retain unknowns.

A REAL NEED.
A MEASURABLE START.

NIST's 3D mapping challenge addresses indoor, low-light and GPS-denied response.

PUBLISHED CONTEXT · NIST, 2025US$50k+

Some detailed real-time intelligence tools can cost this much, NIST noted.

Read source ↗
PUBLISHED BENCHMARK · DARPA, 202160 min

The SubT final scored-run window—not a CoVista flight-time claim.

Rules §8.3.7 ↗
COVISTA · INITIAL VALIDATION PLAN2 nodes

Start indoors: test map alignment and complementary observations.

How we test ↓

NIST UAS 5.0 ↗External sources establish context. CoVista remains a Capstone research proposal.

A drone flying through an indoor training facility during a NIST 3D mapping competition.
Indoor test context · R. Wilson / NIST

START WITH MEASUREMENT

TEST IT.
MEASURE IT.

Compare collaboration with independent passes under the same combined flight budget.

Surface coverageAlignment errorFalse merges

MANY NODES.
ONE SHARED MAP.

3D CONCEPT
Loading0%
Node ANode BSurface color
0%
00:00 / 00:56
Scan settings
A 2.0 mB 2.7 mPitch 0.0°0 sequence returns

Photo-reference UAV. Simulated environment and scan.

REAL SPACES.
REAL QUESTIONS.

Real-world context. CoVista has not been deployed at these sites.

A SPACE
WORTH MAPPING?

Bring a challenge. Help shape the project.

01

A real need

02

A test environment

03

Technical feedback

BUILD IT.
TOGETHER.

For UBC students taking Capstone in September 2027.

Meet Colin Zhang ↗

Robotics & SLAM

Software & embedded

Mechanical & integration

3D vision

CONTACT COLIN ZHANG

LET'S TALK.

Share your challenge, idea or skills.

Tohaotianzhang2005@gmail.com

Confirm sending on FormSubmit. Privacy

Email directly ↗LinkedIn ↗

THE UAV.

Download model ↓