An interpretation system for land register maps

A system for the automatic acquisition of land register maps is described. The system converts paper-based documents into digital form for integration into an existing database. Processing a map begins with its digitization by a scanning device. A key step in the system is the conversion from raster format to graph representation, a special binary image format suitable for processing line structures. Subsequent steps include vectorization of the line structures and recognition of the symbols interspersed in the drawing. The system requires operator interaction only to resolve ambiguities and correct errors in the automatic processes. The final result is a set of descriptors for all detected map entities, which is then stored in a database. It is shown that the image representation, vectorization techniques, and optical character recognition subsystem are quite general and that the methodology implemented in the system can be generalized to the acquisition of other classes of line drawings.<>