Overview of Research Progress and Reflections in Intelligent Map Generalization

Map generalization is one of the core technologies of cartography and multi-scale spatial data transformation. Since the 1960s, the research on the automated generalization of map data has gradually developed and made great progress. Furthermore, there are many intelligent solutions on map generalization. However, due to the limitation of the artificial intelligence technology, these intelligent solutions on map generalization are not really intelligent and practical. In the past 10 years, deep learning, as a presentative artificial intelligence technology, was applied in many fields, and the deep-learning-based researches achieved remarkable results. And thus, many new attempts have been made in the intelligent research of map generalization. Firstly, based on analyzing and abstracting models of the automated map generalization, the necessity of the intelligent research on map generalization is pointed out. Secondly, combining with the development of artificial intelligence, the intelligent map generalization is overviewed. Researches of intelligent map generalization based on traditional machine learning and deep learning are sorted and analyzed, and two common strategies of intelligent map generalization are summarized. Finally, focusing on some hot issues of intelligent map generalization, the development tendency of intelligent map generalization is discussed.