Extraction of road intersections from GPS traces based on the dominant orientations of roads

Abstract

Many studies have used Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) traces to successfully extract segments of road networks because such data can be rapidly updated at a low cost. However, most studies have not focused on extracting intersections, which are indispensable parts of road networks in terms of connectivity. However, extracted intersections often present unsatisfactory precision and misleading connectivity. This study proposes a novel method for extracting road intersections from Global Position System (GPS) trace points and for capturing intersections with better accuracy. The key to improving the geometric accuracy of intersections is to identify the dominant orientations of road segments around intersections, merge similar orientations and maintain independent conflicting orientations. Extracting intersections by aligning the dominant orientations can largely reduce location offsets and road distortions. Experiments are performed to demonstrate the increased accuracy and connectivity of extracted road intersections by the proposed method.