Abstract
Until now, road network generalization has mainly been applied to the task of generalizing from one fixed source scale to another fixed target scale. These actions result in large differences in content and representation, e.g., a sudden change of the representation of road segments from areas to lines, which may confuse users. Therefore, we aim at the continuous generalization of a road network for the whole range, from the large scale, where roads are represented as areas, to mid- and small scales, where roads are represented progressively more frequently as lines. As a consequence of this process, there is an intermediate scale range where at the same time some roads will be represented as areas, while others will be represented as lines. We propose a new data model together with a specific data structure where for all map objects, a range of valid map scales is stored. This model is based on the integrated and explicit representation of: (1) a planar area partition; and (2) a linear road network. This enables the generalization process to include the knowledge and understanding of a linear network. This paper further discusses the actual generalization options and algorithms for populating this data structure with high quality vario-scale cartographic content.
Highlights
Automated map generalization has been an important research area for years [1,2,3], and it is the topic of this paper
We focused on road network features in the larger scales [27], but these investigations were limited to the theoretical concepts
We “fused” all data layers together and created a planar partition as input that we converted to a topological data structure with the help of Feature Manipulation Engine (FME)
Summary
Automated map generalization has been an important research area for years [1,2,3], and it is the topic of this paper. It progressively leads to a simpler and simpler map. These generalization steps are stored in the vario-scale data structure called tGAP (topological Generalized Area Partition), which has been proposed in [8,9]. Recent development is focusing on on-line applications with effective vector data transfer [7]. This provides a different approach to conventional discrete scale maps on the Internet. Those discrete maps have abrupt changes between scales, which can lead to disorientation, result in confusion and eventually the frustration of map users.
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