LIU Diyou, KONG Yunlong, CHEN Jingbo, WANG Chenhao, MENG Yu, DENG Ligao, DENG Yupeng, ZHANG Zheng, SONG Ke, WANG Zhihua, CHU Qifeng
[Significance] The extraction of Cartographic-Level Vector Elements (CLVE) is a critical prerequisite for the direct application of remote sensing image intelligent interpretation in real-world scenarios. [Analysis] In recent years, the continuous rapid advancement of remote sensing observation technology has provided a rich data foundation for fields such as natural resource surveying, monitoring, and public surveying and mapping data production. However, due to the limitations of intelligent interpretation algorithms, obtaining the necessary vector elements data for operational scenarios still heavily relies on manual visual interpretation and human-computer interactive post-processing. Although significant progress has been made in remote sensing image interpretation using deep learning techniques, producing vector data that are directly usable in operational scenarios remains a major challenge. [Progress] This paper, based on the actual data needs of operational scenarios such as public surveying and mapping data production, conducts an in-depth analysis of the rule constraints for different vector elements in remote sensing image interpretation across a wide range of operational contexts. It preliminarily defines "cartographic-level vector elements" as vector element data that complies with certain cartographic standard constraints at a specific scale. Centered on this definition, the content of the rule set for CLVE is summarized and analyzed from nine dimensions, including vector types, object shapes, boundary positioning, area, length, width, angle size, topological constraints, and adjacency constraints. Evaluation methods for CLVE are then outlined in four aspects: class attributes, positional accuracy, topological accuracy, and rationality of generalization and compromise. Subsequently, through literature collection and statistical analysis, it was observed that research on deep learning-based vector extraction, while still in its early stages, has shown a rapid upward trend year by year, indicating increasing attention in the field. The paper then systematically reviews three major methodological frameworks for deep learning-based vector extraction: semantic segmentation & post-processing, iterative methods, and parallel methods. A detailed analysis is provided on their basic principles, characteristics and accuracy of vector extraction, flexibility, and computational efficiency, highlighting their respective strengths, weaknesses, and differences. The paper also summarizes the current limitations of remote sensing intelligent interpretation methods aimed at CLVE in terms of cartographic-level interpretation capabilities, rule coupling, and remote sensing interpretability. [Prospect]Finally, future research directions for intelligent interpretation of CLVE are explored from several perspectives, including the construction of broad and open cartographic-level rule sets, the development and sharing of CLVE datasets, the advancement of multi-element CLVE extraction frameworks, and the exploration of the potential of multimodal coupled semantic rules.