System and method for conflating road datasets

• US 9,626,593 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ahmed, Mustaq, Rose, James, Shuma, James Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): ANSARI, TAHMINA N
• Application Number:
  US14/617,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20150242674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/32 Structuring or formatting of map data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/752 Contour matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures

Abstract

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for conflating a base dataset with a secondary dataset may generally include defining a locker boundary around each of a plurality of base polylines of the base dataset and identifying a plurality of initial matched segments and a plurality of initial mismatched segments for a plurality of secondary polylines of the secondary dataset, wherein each portion of the secondary polylines that is included within a locker boundary is defined as an initial matched segment and each portion of the secondary polylines that is not included within a locker boundary is defined as an initial mismatched segment. The method may also include identifying an offset parameter defined between a first initial matched segment and its corresponding base polyline using a three-vertex approximation and, if the offset parameter exceeds a predetermined offset threshold, defining the first initial matched segment as a mismatched segment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for conflating geospatial asset data associated with a geographic area, the geospatial asset data including a base road dataset and a secondary road dataset, the base road dataset including a plurality of base polylines and the secondary road dataset including a plurality of secondary polylines, the method comprising:

defining, by one or more computing devices, an individual locker boundary around each of the plurality of base polylines, the plurality of base polylines corresponding to road segments contained within the geographic area;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a plurality of initial matched road segments and a plurality of initial mismatched road segments for the plurality of secondary polylines, wherein each portion of the plurality of secondary polylines that is included within one of the locker boundaries is defined as an initial matched road segment and each portion of the plurality of secondary polylines that is not included within one of the locker boundaries is defined as an initial mismatched road segment;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a segment split within the plurality of secondary polylines, the segment split corresponding to an initial matched road segment that extends from at least one initial mismatched road segment defined along the same secondary polyline;

comparing, by the one or more computing devices, a segment length of the segment split to a threshold length; and

if the segment length is less than the threshold length, re-defining, by the one or more computing devices, the segment split as a mismatched road segment.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the locker boundary defines a buffer distance, wherein the threshold length is determined as a function of the buffer distance.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the threshold length is determined as a function of both the buffer distance and a base segment length of the base polyline associated with the segment split.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

identifying an offset parameter defined between a first initial matched road segment of the plurality of initial matched road segments and a corresponding base polyline of the plurality of base polylines using a three-vertex approximation; and

if the offset parameter exceeds a predetermined offset threshold, defining, the first initial matched road segment as a mismatched road segment.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, the method thither comprising

approximating the first initial matched road segment as a first line segment and a second line segment, the first and second line segments extending from a midpoint;

and

approximating all or a portion of the corresponding base polyline as a first base line segment and a second base line segment, the first and second base line segments extending from a base midpoint.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the offset parameter comprises offset angles defined between the approximations of the first initial matched road segment and the corresponding base polyline, the method further comprising:

identifying a first offset angle defined between the first line segment and the first base line segment;

identifying a second offset angle defined between the second line segment and the second base line segment; and

if the first offset angle or the second offset angle exceeds the offset threshold, defining the first initial matched road segment as a mismatched road segment.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the offset parameter comprises an offset distance defined between the midpoint and the base midpoint, further comprising defining the first initial matched road segment as a mismatched road segment if the offset distance exceeds the offset threshold.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising grouping each identified matched road and its corresponding base polyline into a matched road dataset and grouping identified mismatched road segments into a mismatched road dataset.

8. A computer-implemented method for conflating geospatial asset data associated with a geographic area, the geospatial asset data including a base road dataset and a secondary road dataset, the base road dataset including a plurality of base polylines and the secondary road dataset including a plurality of secondary polylines, the method comprising:

defining, by one or more computing devices, an individual locker boundary around each of the plurality of base polylines, the plurality of base polylines corresponding to road segments contained within the geographic area;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a plurality of initial matched road segments and a plurality of initial mismatched road segments for the plurality of secondary polylines, wherein each portion of the plurality of secondary polylines that is included within one of the locker boundaries is defined as an initial matched road segment and each portion of the plurality of secondary polylines that is not included within one of the locker boundaries is defined as an initial mismatched road segment;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a segment gap within the plurality of secondary polylines, the segment gap corresponding to an initial mismatched road segment that extends from at least one initial matched road segment defined along the same secondary polyline;

comparing, by the one or more computing devices, a segment length of the segment gap to a threshold length; and

if the segment length is less than the threshold length, re-defining, by the one or more computing devices, the segment gap as a matched road segment.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the locker boundary defines a buffer distance, wherein the threshold length is determined as a function of the buffer distance.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the threshold length is determined as a function of both the buffer distance and a base segment length of the base polyline associated with the segment split.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the method further comprising:

identifying an offset parameter defined between a first initial matched road segment of the plurality of initial matched road segments and a corresponding base polyline of the plurality of base polylines using a three-vertex approximation; and

if the offset parameter exceeds a predetermined offset threshold, defining, the first initial matched road segment as a mismatched road segment.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, the method further comprising:

approximating, the first initial matched road segment as a first line segment and a second line segment, the first and second line segments extending from a midpoint; and

approximating all or a portion of the corresponding base polyline as a first base line segment and a second base line segment, the first and second base line segments extending from a base midpoint.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the offset parameter comprises offset angles defined between the approximations of the first initial matched road segment and the corresponding base polyline, the method further comprising:

identifying a first offset angle defined between the first line segment and the first base line segment;

identifying a second offset angle defined between the second line segment and the second base line segment; and

if the first offset angle or the second offset angle exceeds the offset threshold, defining the first initial matched road segment as a mismatched road segment.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the offset parameter comprises an offset distance defined between the midpoint and the base midpoint, further comprising defining the first initial matched road segment as a mismatched road segment if the offset distance exceeds the offset threshold.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising grouping each identified matched road and its corresponding base polyline into a matched road dataset and grouping identified mismatched road segments into a mismatched road dataset.

15. A computer-implemented method for conflating geospatial asset data associated with a geographic area, the geospatial asset data including a base road dataset and a secondary road dataset, the base road dataset including a plurality of base polylines and the secondary road dataset including a plurality of secondary polylines, the method comprising:

defining, by one or more computing devices, an individual locker boundary around each of the plurality of base polylines, the plurality of base polylines corresponding to road segments contained within the geographic area;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, a plurality of initial matched road segments and a plurality of initial mismatched road segments for the plurality of secondary polylines, wherein each portion of the plurality of secondary polylines that is included within one of the locker boundaries is defined as an initial matched road segment and each portion of the plurality of secondary polylines that is not included within one of the locker boundaries is defined as an initial mismatched road segment;

identifying, by the one or more computing devices, an offset parameter defined between a first initial matched road segment of the plurality of initial matched road segments and a corresponding base polyline of the plurality of base polylines using a three-vertex approximation; and

if the offset parameter exceeds a predetermined offset threshold, defining the first initial matched road segment as a mismatched road segment.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, the method further comprising:

approximating the first initial matched road segment as a first line segment and a second line segment, the first and second line segments extending from a midpoint;

approximating all or a portion of the corresponding base polyline as a first base line segment and a second base line segment, the first and second base line segments extending from a base midpoint.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the offset parameter comprises offset angles defined between the approximations of the first initial matched road segment and the corresponding base polyline, the method further comprising:

identifying a first offset angle defined between the first line segment and the first base line segment;

identifying a second offset angle defined between the second line segment and the second base line segment; and

if the first offset angle or the second offset angle exceeds the offset threshold, defining the first initial matched road segment as a mismatched road segment.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the offset parameter comprises an offset distance defined between the midpoint and the base midpoint, further comprising defining the first initial matched road segment as a mismatched road segment if the offset distance exceeds the offset threshold.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a segment gap within the plurality of secondary polylines, the segment gap corresponding to an initial mismatched road segment that extends from at least one initial matched road segment defined along the same secondary polyline;

comparing a segment length of the segment gap to a threshold length; and

if the segment length is less than the threshold length, re-defining the segment gap as a matched road segment.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a segment split within the plurality of secondary polylines, the segment split corresponding to an initial matched road segment that extends from at least one initial mismatched road segment defined along the same secondary polyline;

comparing a segment length of the segment split to a threshold length; and

if the segment length is less than the threshold length, re-defining the segment split as a mismatched road segment.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising grouping each identified matched road and its corresponding base polyline into a matched road dataset and grouping identified mismatched road segments into a mismatched road dataset.