Described is a system and method for generating a unique signature for a space. During operation, the system causes a mobile platform to make one or more passes through the space along a repeatable path. While moving through the space, the system captures an image of the space around the mobile platform. A filter is applied to the image to generate vertical bins, the vertical bins being one-dimensional vectors of the space around the mobile platform. The one-dimensional vectors are combined over time to create a two-dimensional trace, with the two-dimensional trace being a unique signature for the space.