WHU-RuR+: A benchmark dataset for global high-resolution rural road extraction

Efficient and accurate extraction of road networks from high-resolution satellite images is essential for urban planning, construction, and traffic management. Recently, various road datasets and advances in deep learning models have greatly enhanced road extraction techniques. However, challenges r...

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Main Authors: Ningjing Wang, Xinyu Wang, Yang Pan, Wanqiang Yao, Yanfei Zhong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1569843225001657
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author Ningjing Wang
Xinyu Wang
Yang Pan
Wanqiang Yao
Yanfei Zhong
author_facet Ningjing Wang
Xinyu Wang
Yang Pan
Wanqiang Yao
Yanfei Zhong
author_sort Ningjing Wang
collection DOAJ
description Efficient and accurate extraction of road networks from high-resolution satellite images is essential for urban planning, construction, and traffic management. Recently, various road datasets and advances in deep learning models have greatly enhanced road extraction techniques. However, challenges remain when trying to apply existing research to rural areas. Specifically, most public road datasets focus on urban areas and only contain a small number of rural scenes with complex backgrounds. The application of current public datasets for rural road extraction is challenging due to significant stylistic differences between urban and rural roads. In this article, a large-scale high-resolution remote sensing road dataset, termed WHU-RuR+, is proposed for rural road extraction, which contains 36,098 pairs of 1024 × 1024 high-resolution satellite images with the corresponding road annotation, covering a 6866.35 km2 of rural areas in eight countries around the world. In addition, the article comprehensively summarizes the characteristics of this dataset and comprehensively evaluates advanced deep learning methods for road extraction on the WHU-RuR + dataset. Experimental results show that this dataset not only meets the application needs of rural road mapping but also has great practical application potential. At the same time, this article analyzes the challenges faced by rural road extraction and explores future research directions. The proposed WHU-RuR + rural road dataset will be available at the following URL: http://rsidea.whu.edu.cn/WHU_RuR+_dataset.htm.
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issn 1569-8432
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publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Elsevier
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series International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation
spelling doaj-art-cef2bc20fcc640ef9f55e43b1f5598a32025-08-20T03:49:42ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation1569-84322025-05-0113910451810.1016/j.jag.2025.104518WHU-RuR+: A benchmark dataset for global high-resolution rural road extractionNingjing Wang0Xinyu Wang1Yang Pan2Wanqiang Yao3Yanfei Zhong4College of Geomatics, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China; School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, 430079, ChinaSchool of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, 430079, China; Corresponding author.State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS), Wuhan University, 430079, ChinaCollege of Geomatics, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS), Wuhan University, 430079, ChinaEfficient and accurate extraction of road networks from high-resolution satellite images is essential for urban planning, construction, and traffic management. Recently, various road datasets and advances in deep learning models have greatly enhanced road extraction techniques. However, challenges remain when trying to apply existing research to rural areas. Specifically, most public road datasets focus on urban areas and only contain a small number of rural scenes with complex backgrounds. The application of current public datasets for rural road extraction is challenging due to significant stylistic differences between urban and rural roads. In this article, a large-scale high-resolution remote sensing road dataset, termed WHU-RuR+, is proposed for rural road extraction, which contains 36,098 pairs of 1024 × 1024 high-resolution satellite images with the corresponding road annotation, covering a 6866.35 km2 of rural areas in eight countries around the world. In addition, the article comprehensively summarizes the characteristics of this dataset and comprehensively evaluates advanced deep learning methods for road extraction on the WHU-RuR + dataset. Experimental results show that this dataset not only meets the application needs of rural road mapping but also has great practical application potential. At the same time, this article analyzes the challenges faced by rural road extraction and explores future research directions. The proposed WHU-RuR + rural road dataset will be available at the following URL: http://rsidea.whu.edu.cn/WHU_RuR+_dataset.htm.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1569843225001657Road extractionDeep learningRural roadRoad dataset
spellingShingle Ningjing Wang
Xinyu Wang
Yang Pan
Wanqiang Yao
Yanfei Zhong
WHU-RuR+: A benchmark dataset for global high-resolution rural road extraction
International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation
Road extraction
Deep learning
Rural road
Road dataset
title WHU-RuR+: A benchmark dataset for global high-resolution rural road extraction
title_full WHU-RuR+: A benchmark dataset for global high-resolution rural road extraction
title_fullStr WHU-RuR+: A benchmark dataset for global high-resolution rural road extraction
title_full_unstemmed WHU-RuR+: A benchmark dataset for global high-resolution rural road extraction
title_short WHU-RuR+: A benchmark dataset for global high-resolution rural road extraction
title_sort whu rur a benchmark dataset for global high resolution rural road extraction
topic Road extraction
Deep learning
Rural road
Road dataset
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1569843225001657
work_keys_str_mv AT ningjingwang whururabenchmarkdatasetforglobalhighresolutionruralroadextraction
AT xinyuwang whururabenchmarkdatasetforglobalhighresolutionruralroadextraction
AT yangpan whururabenchmarkdatasetforglobalhighresolutionruralroadextraction
AT wanqiangyao whururabenchmarkdatasetforglobalhighresolutionruralroadextraction
AT yanfeizhong whururabenchmarkdatasetforglobalhighresolutionruralroadextraction