Offset curves: An application in road simulation

Abstract

Routable Digital Maps represent a recent advancement driven by the growth of Intelligent Transportation System applications. Efforts have been made to develop and utilize maps within computer systems that can autonomously identify optimal routes. Typically, online map visualizations lack essential information such as traffic patterns, construction zones, or lane counts, which are crucial for designing accurate and realistic routes. This research introduces a route planning method that aggregates and reuses various data points to establish a robust framework for developing new routing plans. The primary goal is to analyze the collected data and create a framework for estimating a geometrically smooth centerline of a road map route. This method involves generating a series of parallel curves, known as offset curves, to facilitate the creation of new routes and alternative lanes. The following examples illustrate some empirical results obtained from this approach.