--- a
+++ b/src/pcl_util.h
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+//
+// Created by markus d. solbach
+// solbach@eecs.yorku.ca
+//
+
+#ifndef FALLEN_PERSON_DETECTOR_PCL_UTIL_H
+#define FALLEN_PERSON_DETECTOR_PCL_UTIL_H
+
+#include <pcl/ModelCoefficients.h>
+#include <pcl/io/pcd_io.h>
+#include <pcl/point_types.h>
+#include <pcl/visualization/cloud_viewer.h>
+#include <pcl/visualization/pcl_visualizer.h>
+#include <pcl/sample_consensus/method_types.h>
+#include <pcl/sample_consensus/model_types.h>
+#include <pcl/segmentation/sac_segmentation.h>
+#include <pcl/filters/voxel_grid.h>
+#include <pcl/filters/extract_indices.h>
+#include <pcl/segmentation/progressive_morphological_filter.h>
+#include <pcl/common/centroid.h>
+#include <pcl/common/geometry.h>
+#include <pcl/surface/convex_hull.h>
+
+class pcl_util {
+public:
+
+    struct color {
+        uint8_t r;
+        uint8_t g;
+        uint8_t b;
+    };
+
+    pcl_util();
+
+    void displayCloud(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr cloud_in, std::string name);
+
+    void displayCloud(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZRGB>::Ptr cloud_in, std::string name);
+
+    void displayCloud(pcl::PCLPointCloud2::Ptr cloud_in, std::string name);
+
+    void colorCloud(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZRGB>::Ptr cloud_in,
+                    color color);
+
+    void colorCloud(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZRGB>::Ptr cloud_in, pcl::PointIndices::Ptr indices,
+                    color color);
+
+    void printCloud(const pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr &cloud) const;
+
+    void printIndices(const pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr &cloud, const pcl::PointIndices::Ptr &inliers) const;
+
+    void concatClouds(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZRGB>::Ptr cloud_dest,
+                      pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr cloud_src,
+                      pcl_util::color color);
+
+    pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr &
+    generateRandomCloud(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr &cloud, int elements) const;
+
+    int getColorSize();
+
+    pcl_util::color getColor(int index);
+
+    pcl::_PointXYZRGB vector4fToPointRGB(Eigen::Vector4f in, pcl_util::color color);
+
+    pcl::_PointXYZRGB calculateCentroidWAugmentation(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZRGB>::Ptr cloud_dest,
+                                                     pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr cloud_src,
+                                                     pcl_util::color color);
+
+    pcl::_PointXYZRGB calculateCentroid(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr cloud_src,
+                                        pcl_util::color color);
+
+    float calculateShortestDistance(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr cloud, pcl::PointXYZ point);
+
+    float calculateShortestDistance(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr cloud, pcl::PointXYZRGB point);
+
+    std::vector<double> calculateAreaVolume(pcl::PointCloud<pcl::PointXYZ>::Ptr cloud_in);
+
+private:
+
+    void init(void);
+
+    pcl::visualization::CloudViewer *viewer;
+    std::vector<pcl_util::color> util_color;
+
+    float euclideanDistance(pcl::PointXYZ pt1, pcl::PointXYZ pt2);
+};
+
+#endif //FALLEN_PERSON_DETECTOR_PCL_UTIL_H