Vectorization Utility

Overview

Geographic Information Systems is one of the many areas of application of Raster-to-Vector Conversion Engine, which has been developed by RL Software Technologies Inc. after 5-year research in this area. In order to provide a user with a tool for efficient input of scanned or captured by camera images of vector nature into such systems, we have developed vectorization support for GeoMedia Professional (Intergraph Corp.). Being a custom command of GeoMedia Professional, it allows for both automatic and interactive (user-controlled) vectorization of raster images.

Features

The automatic vectorization has the following features:

• Setup of storage and visualization parameters for the resulting vector data;
• Setup of post-processing parameters for the resulting vector data.

 

Currently available post-processing routines include simplification with guaranteed quality preservation, filtering of offshoots and vertices of rank 2. However, the framework of Raster-to-Vector Conversion Engine allows for applying any type of post-processing operations, including feature recognition, before the resulting data are uploaded to the host system.

 

The interactive vectorization has the following features:

• Setup of storage and visualization parameters for the resulting vector data;
• Setup of post-processing parameters for the resulting data;
• Selecting and storing linear features by interactive procedure that includes
• Tracing features by moving mouse over the corresponding shapes on a raster image;
• Selecting the preferred direction of expansion in the detected vertices of rank higher than 2.

 

The interactive procedure for user-controlled selection of features during vectorization of raster images is highly amenable to customization, as the underlying vector representation for the regions of interest is actually constructed prior to any user actions. Therefore, any desired procedure of feature selection would actually require traversal of already built data and extraction of the desired components. For example, tracing of linear features can include

• Evaluation of the shortest path between two points;
• Extension over the gaps that may occur if thin raster lines were broken up by some noise pixels introduced by capturing machinery;
• On-the-fly validation of right angles, arrows, etc.

Work Flow Diagram

Technologies Involved

• Raster-to-Vector Conversion Engine
• GeoMedia Automation

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