Lane Information Extraction for High Definition Maps Using Crowdsourced Data

Lane information plays an important role in high-definition (HD) maps because it provides invaluable road information for autonomous vehicles. The most widely used lane extraction method for HD maps is based on mobile mapping systems, and it is prohibitively costly and time-consuming. In this study, we propose a novel approach for lane information extraction based on crowdsourcing vehicles equipped with monocular cameras and global navigation satellite system devices for recording road images and position data. First, we propose a lane mask propagation network to detect the lane markings in images, which are then projected from a perspective space into a three-dimensional space in accordance with the position data. Second, we propose a data management method to store lane information in the cloud data center. An improved density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise clustering algorithm and a gradual fitting algorithm are used to remove the outliers and improve the lane data accuracy. The proposed method is quantitatively evaluated against a real-world HD map produced by a mobile mapping vehicle. The experimental results show that more than 80% of the extracted lane markings meet the accuracy requirements of HD maps. In conclusion, our method can be used as a low-cost and efficient approach for updating the lane information in HD maps for autonomous vehicles.