Modeling Structure and Patterns in Road Network Generalization

Roads are essential elements on topographical maps and in spatial data bases. In an effort to derive multiple representations of road information, quite a lot of research has been devoted to road network generalization in the past decades. A lot of methods to select, displace, and simplify road features have been proposed. However, they may distort road networks in generalized maps, for instance, losing the characteristic structures of road networks. This paper emphasizes the special value of density differences and regular patterns in road network generalization. Main patterns in road networks are identified and their properties are analyzed. Based on those properties, methods to model, identify and generalize network patterns are proposed. A case study on density differences shows that the explicit description of network structures favors for the maintenance of the overall characteristics of road network.