Estimating building height using scene classification and spatial geometry

Building height significantly influences urban development and evolution. Previous studies on building height estimation using digital surface models (DSMs) have predominantly addressed simple, single-environmental scenarios, often yielding unsatisfactory results across diverse environments. This st...

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Main Authors: Yonghua Jiang, Jingxin Chang, Yunming Wang, Shaodong Wei, Deren Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S156984322500322X
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author Yonghua Jiang
Jingxin Chang
Yunming Wang
Shaodong Wei
Deren Li
author_facet Yonghua Jiang
Jingxin Chang
Yunming Wang
Shaodong Wei
Deren Li
author_sort Yonghua Jiang
collection DOAJ
description Building height significantly influences urban development and evolution. Previous studies on building height estimation using digital surface models (DSMs) have predominantly addressed simple, single-environmental scenarios, often yielding unsatisfactory results across diverse environments. This study introduces a novel method for estimating building height by integrating scene classification with spatial geometric relationships. Initially, raw data are processed to derive the various data types required for this approach. Environmental scene classification, based on vegetation and shadows analysis, is then performed. Subsequently, the building height is estimated either directly from the DSM or through road height prediction. The proposed method is validated using a scene image from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The results demonstrate that the estimated building height maintains high accuracy in complex environments with significant vegetation and shadow coverage, achieving a mean absolute error of 1.84 m. Furthermore, the proposed method outperforms existing DSM-based techniques. This approach is adaptable for high-precision building height estimation across various environments and holds substantial application potential, facilitating further research in urban-related scenarios.
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institution OA Journals
issn 1569-8432
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publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation
spelling doaj-art-336c0b4faa374212b3e5d77c5cf3dafa2025-08-20T02:36:23ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation1569-84322025-07-0114110467510.1016/j.jag.2025.104675Estimating building height using scene classification and spatial geometryYonghua Jiang0Jingxin Chang1Yunming Wang2Shaodong Wei3Deren Li4School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, ChinaSchool of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, China; Corresponding author at: School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China.School of Remote Sensing and Information Engineering, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, 129 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430079, ChinaBuilding height significantly influences urban development and evolution. Previous studies on building height estimation using digital surface models (DSMs) have predominantly addressed simple, single-environmental scenarios, often yielding unsatisfactory results across diverse environments. This study introduces a novel method for estimating building height by integrating scene classification with spatial geometric relationships. Initially, raw data are processed to derive the various data types required for this approach. Environmental scene classification, based on vegetation and shadows analysis, is then performed. Subsequently, the building height is estimated either directly from the DSM or through road height prediction. The proposed method is validated using a scene image from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The results demonstrate that the estimated building height maintains high accuracy in complex environments with significant vegetation and shadow coverage, achieving a mean absolute error of 1.84 m. Furthermore, the proposed method outperforms existing DSM-based techniques. This approach is adaptable for high-precision building height estimation across various environments and holds substantial application potential, facilitating further research in urban-related scenarios.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S156984322500322XBuilding heightDigital surface modelScene classificationSpatial geometric relationshipsElevation prediction
spellingShingle Yonghua Jiang
Jingxin Chang
Yunming Wang
Shaodong Wei
Deren Li
Estimating building height using scene classification and spatial geometry
International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation
Building height
Digital surface model
Scene classification
Spatial geometric relationships
Elevation prediction
title Estimating building height using scene classification and spatial geometry
title_full Estimating building height using scene classification and spatial geometry
title_fullStr Estimating building height using scene classification and spatial geometry
title_full_unstemmed Estimating building height using scene classification and spatial geometry
title_short Estimating building height using scene classification and spatial geometry
title_sort estimating building height using scene classification and spatial geometry
topic Building height
Digital surface model
Scene classification
Spatial geometric relationships
Elevation prediction
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S156984322500322X
work_keys_str_mv AT yonghuajiang estimatingbuildingheightusingsceneclassificationandspatialgeometry
AT jingxinchang estimatingbuildingheightusingsceneclassificationandspatialgeometry
AT yunmingwang estimatingbuildingheightusingsceneclassificationandspatialgeometry
AT shaodongwei estimatingbuildingheightusingsceneclassificationandspatialgeometry
AT derenli estimatingbuildingheightusingsceneclassificationandspatialgeometry