Geospatial modeling system providing building roof type identification features and related methods

Abstract

A geospatial modeling system may include a geospatial model database and a processor. The processor may cooperate with the geospatial database for identifying a building roof type defined by building roof data points as being from among a plurality of possible building roof types. This may be done based upon applying multi-directional gradient calculations to the building roof data points.

1 - 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . A geospatial modeling system comprising:
 a geospatial model database; and   a processor cooperating with said geospatial model database for three-dimensional shape processing, said processor configured to
 isolate a plurality of building roof data points of a building, 
 apply a centered Robert's cross grid to each of the plurality of building data points and sum distances of points on opposite sides for each side of the respective centered Robert's cross grid, 
 identify localized peak building roof data points from among the plurality of building roof data points based upon a comparison of the summed distances with a threshold value, 
 select a building roof area of the building, and 
 determine a standard deviation for the localized peak building roof data points over the selected building roof area. 
   
     
     
         29 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 28  wherein said processor is configured to identify a building roof type as being from among a flat roof type, a sloped roof type, a complex sloped roof type, and a domed roof type. 
     
     
         30 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 28  wherein said processor is configured to remove ground and vegetation data points from geospatial model data to select the building roof data points. 
     
     
         31 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 28  wherein said processor is configured to identify a building roof type as a flat roof type if the selected building roof area is greater than a threshold portion of a total building roof area, and if the standard deviation is below a threshold standard deviation. 
     
     
         32 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 28  wherein said processor is configured to remove groups of contiguous localized peak data points being less than a threshold in number. 
     
     
         33 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 32  wherein said processor is configured to identify a building roof type as a sloped roof type if a length of contiguous localized peak data points remains. 
     
     
         34 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 33  wherein said processor is configured to identify the building roof type as a complex sloped roof type based upon determining a plurality of intersecting lengths of contiguous localized peak data points. 
     
     
         35 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 28  wherein said processor is configured to determine whether the building roof data points define a circular shape, and calculate at least one elevation histogram for the roof building data points based thereon. 
     
     
         36 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 28  wherein said geospatial model database stores at least one respective building roof shape for each of a plurality of possible building roof types; and wherein said processor cooperates with said geospatial model database to substitute in place of the building roof data points at least one respective building roof shape for an identified building roof type. 
     
     
         37 . A geospatial modeling system comprising:
 a geospatial model database; and   a processor cooperating with said geospatial model database for three-dimensional shape processing to identify a building roof type as being from among a flat roof type, a sloped roof type, a complex sloped roof type, and a domed roof type;   said processor configured to
 isolate a plurality of building roof data points of a building by removing ground and vegetation data points from geospatial model data, 
 apply a centered Robert's cross grid to each of the plurality of building data points and sum distances of points on opposite sides for each side of the respective centered Robert's cross grid, 
 identify localized peak building roof data points from among the plurality of building roof data points based upon a comparison of the summed distances with a threshold value, 
 select a building roof area of the building, and 
 determine a standard deviation for the localized peak building roof data points over the selected building roof area. 
   
     
     
         38 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 37  wherein said processor is configured to identify a building roof type as a flat roof type if the selected building roof area is greater than a threshold portion of a total building roof area, and if the standard deviation is below a threshold standard deviation. 
     
     
         39 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 37  wherein said processor is configured to remove groups of contiguous localized peak data points being less than a threshold in number. 
     
     
         40 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 39  wherein said processor is configured to identify a building roof type as a sloped roof type if a length of contiguous localized peak data points remains. 
     
     
         41 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 40  wherein said processor is configured to identify the building roof type as a complex sloped roof type based upon determining a plurality of intersecting lengths of contiguous localized peak data points. 
     
     
         42 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 37  wherein said processor is configured to determine whether the building roof data points define a circular shape, and calculate at least one elevation histogram for the roof building data points based thereon. 
     
     
         43 . The geospatial modeling system of  claim 37  wherein said geospatial model database stores at least one respective building roof shape for each of a plurality of possible building roof types; and wherein said processor cooperates with said geospatial model database to substitute in place of the building roof data points at least one respective building roof shape for an identified building roof type. 
     
     
         44 . A geospatial modeling method comprising:
 storing building roof data points in a geospatial model database; and   using a processor cooperating with the geospatial model database for three-dimensional shape processing to
 isolate a plurality of building roof data points of a building, 
 apply a centered Robert's cross grid to each of the plurality of building data points and sum distances of points on opposite sides for each side of the respective centered Robert's cross grid, 
 identify localized peak building roof data points from among the plurality of building roof data points based upon a comparison of the summed distances with a threshold value, 
 select a building roof area of the building, and 
 determine a standard deviation for the localized peak building roof data points over the selected building roof area. 
   
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44  further comprising identifying a building roof type as being from among a flat roof type, a sloped roof type, a complex sloped roof type, and a domed roof type. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 44  further comprising removing ground and vegetation data points from geospatial model data to select the building roof data points. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 44  further comprising to identifying a building roof type as a flat roof type if the selected building roof area is greater than a threshold portion of a total building roof area, and if the standard deviation is below a threshold standard deviation. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 44  further comprising to removing groups of contiguous localized peak data points being less than a threshold in number. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 48  further comprising identifying a building roof type as a sloped roof type if a length of contiguous localized peak data points remains. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49  further comprising identifying the building roof type as a complex sloped roof type based upon determining a plurality of intersecting lengths of contiguous localized peak data points. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 44  further comprising determining whether the building roof data points define a circular shape, and calculating at least one elevation histogram for the roof building data points based thereon.