Automatic building extraction from DEMs using an object approach and application to the 3D-city modeling

In this paper, we present an automatic building extraction method from Digital Elevation Models based on an object approach. First, a rough approximation of the building footprints is realized by a method based on marked point processes: the building footprints are modeled by rectangle layouts. Then, these rectangular footprints are regularized by improving the connection between the neighboring rectangles and detecting the roof height discontinuities. The obtained building footprints are structured footprints: each element represents a specific part of an urban structure. Results are finally applied to a 3D-city modeling process.