Automatic high-fidelity 3D road network modeling based on 2D GIS data

• Procedural generation of high-fidelity 3D road models from 2D road GIS data.
• A set of carefully selected civil engineering rules for road design.
• A novel approach that generates road geometry from centerline information.
• Parameterization of network data into elements which compose sophisticated geometry.
• The algorithm produces seamless road geometry quickly and efficiently.

Many computer applications such as racing games and driving simulations demand high-fidelity 3D road network models. However, few methods exist for the automatic generation of 3D realistic road networks, especially for those in the real world. On the other hand, vast 2D road network data in various geographical information systems (GIS) have been collected in the past and are used by a wide range of applications. A method that can automatically produce 3D high-fidelity road network models from 2D real road GIS data will significantly reduce both the labor and time cost, and greatly benefit applications involving road networks. Based on a set of carefully selected civil engineering rules for road design, this paper proposes a novel approach that transforms existing road GIS data that contain only 2D road centerline information into high-fidelity 3D road network models. The proposed method consists of several major components, including road GIS data preprocessing, 3D centerline modeling, and 3D geometric modeling. With this approach, basic road elements such as road segments, road intersections and traffic interchanges are generated automatically to compose sophisticated road networks in a seamless manner. Results show that this approach provides a rapid and efficient 3D road modeling method for applications that have stringent requirements on high-fidelity road models.