Systems and methods for identifying locations of infrastructure assets using aerial imagery

• US 9,098,747 B1
• Filed: 04/16/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Stewart, Benjamin Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Akhavannik, Hadi
• Application Number:
  US13/863,533
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/182 Network patterns, e.g. roads or rivers

Abstract

Embodiments include a computer-implemented method for identifying locations of infrastructure assets. The method including identifying a location of a first infrastructure asset and a location of a second infrastructure asset, identifying a region of interest extending at least partially between the locations of the first and second infrastructure assets, obtaining an aerial image of the region of interest, determining that the aerial image of the region of interest comprises a third infrastructure asset, determining a location of the third infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image, and storing the location of the secondary infrastructure asset in an infrastructure asset datastore.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying locations of infrastructure assets, the method comprising:

identifying a location of a first infrastructure asset and a location of a second infrastructure asset;

identifying a region of interest extending at least partially between the locations of the first and second infrastructure assets;

obtaining an aerial image of the region of interest;

determining that the aerial image of the region of interest comprises a third infrastructure asset;

determining a location of the third infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image; and

storing the location of the third infrastructure asset in an infrastructure asset datastore,

wherein the first and second infrastructure assets include primary infrastructure assets, and wherein the third infrastructure asset includes a secondary infrastructure asset.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

obtaining an aerial image of a first region including the first infrastructure asset;

determining a location of the first infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image of the first region;

obtaining an aerial image of a second region including the second infrastructure asset;

determining a location of the second infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image of the second region; and

storing the locations of the first and second infrastructure assets in the infrastructure asset datastore.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the region of interest comprises a first width at a first location proximate to the first or second infrastructure assets, and a second width that is greater than the first width at a second location distal to the first or second infrastructure assets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the region of interest comprises an area extending a given distance from a line extending between the first and second infrastructure assets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a primary infrastructure asset comprises a terminal infrastructure asset, and wherein a secondary infrastructure asset comprises connecting elements that extend between terminal infrastructure assets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the third infrastructure asset is determined using an edge detection method.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the edge detection method is based on Fourier Transforms of the aerial image of the region of interest.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third infrastructure assets are primary infrastructure assets.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure is selected from the group consisting of an electrical grid system, a railway system, a pipeline system, and a road system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the third infrastructure asset is selected from the group consisting of a rail line, a power transmission line, a pipeline, and a road.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing program instructions that are configured to be executed by the one or more processors to cause the following steps operable to identify locations of infrastructure assets;

identifying a location of a first infrastructure asset and a location of a second infrastructure asset;

determining a region of interest extending at least partially between the locations of the first and second infrastructure assets;

obtaining an aerial image of the region of interest;

determining that the aerial image of the region of interest comprises a third infrastructure asset;

determining a location of the third infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image; and

storing the location of the third infrastructure asset in an infrastructure asset datastore,

wherein the third infrastructure asset is selected from the group consisting of a rail line, a power transmission line, a pipeline, and a road.

12. The system of claim 11, the steps further comprising:

obtaining an aerial image of a first region including the first infrastructure asset;

determining a location of the first infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image of the first region;

obtaining an aerial image of a second region including the second infrastructure asset;

determining a location of the second infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image of the second region; and

storing the locations of the first and second infrastructure assets in the infrastructure asset datastore.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the region of interest comprises a first width at a first location proximate to the first or second infrastructure assets, and a second width that is greater than the first width at a second location distal to the first or second infrastructure assets.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the region of interest comprises an area extending a given distance from a line extending between the first and second infrastructure assets.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second infrastructure assets include primary infrastructure assets, and wherein the third infrastructure asset includes a secondary infrastructure asset.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein a primary infrastructure asset comprises a terminal infrastructure asset, and wherein a secondary infrastructure asset comprise connecting elements that extend between terminal infrastructure assets.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the third infrastructure asset is determined using an edge detection method.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the edge detection method is based on Fourier Transforms of the aerial image of the region of interest.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the first, second and third infrastructure assets are primary infrastructure assets.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the infrastructure is selected from the group consisting of an electrical grid system, a railway system, a pipeline system, and a road system.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to cause the following steps operable to identify locations of infrastructure assets:

identifying a location of a first infrastructure asset and a location of a second infrastructure asset;

determining a region of interest extending at least partially between the locations of the first and second infrastructure assets;

obtaining an aerial image of the region of interest;

determining that the aerial image of the region of interest comprises a third infrastructure asset;

determining a location of the third infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image; and

storing the location of the third infrastructure asset in an infrastructure asset datastore, wherein either;

the first and second infrastructure assets include primary infrastructure assets, and wherein the third infrastructure asset includes a secondary infrastructure asset;

or

the first, second and third infrastructure assets are primary infrastructure assets.

22. The medium of claim 21, the steps further comprising:

obtaining an aerial image of a first region including the first infrastructure asset;

determining a location of the first infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image of the first region;

obtaining an aerial image of a second region including the second infrastructure asset;

determining a location of the second infrastructure asset based at least in part on the aerial image of the second region; and

storing the locations of the first and second infrastructure assets in the infrastructure asset datastore.

23. The medium of claim 21, wherein the region of interest comprises an area extending a given distance from a line extending between the first and second infrastructure assets.