Automatic Detection of Driving–Lane Geometry Based on Aerial Images and Existing Spatial Data

Abstract

Spatial data are a key element of geographic information systems (GIS). With the growing computational power of modern GIS, the demand for accurate and up-to-date high definition (HD) spatial data grows accordingly and increases the requirements of data acquisition. To simplify and automate the process of obtaining HD road data, several methods have been created with different approaches and stages of automation. A new method combining high resolution aerial images and existing linear road data is presented in this article. The method models roads in a vector environment at the level of single driving lanes. Object-based image analysis (OBIA) is used to identify road surface markings (RSMs) in aerial images; the geometry of RSM polygons is analysed (skeletonization, neighbourhood and context analysis, pattern recognition) in order to obtain a coherent network of driving lanes. The technique is able to distinguish automatically between solid and broken lines. The method proposed was tested and proven to satisfactorily model driving lanes, including in complex situations like junctions, roundabouts or over- or underpasses.