Autonomous tracking of a ground vehicle by a UAV

Abstract
We propose a generally applicable method for the tracking of ground vehicles by aerial vehicles. The method does not require any modifications to the guidance and control of the UAV. It only requires the capability to follow waypoint commands. Sensing of ground vehicle position with significant time delays is assumed. The delays model the time of image processing, and the communication delays involved in sending data to a ground station, performing the computations and receiving the results on the UAV. Variants of the method have been tested successfully on the field and may see widespread deployment.