We present some results on systems for automatically detecting bridges in high-resolution
satellite images. We had made some preliminary explorations on the use of geometric
models to detect bridges and round-abouts in panchromatic, high-resolution ((50 cm)/sup
2/per pixel) satellite images. We had not yet systematically evaluated the system, but false
alarms seemed to be its most important problem. In parallel, we had also built a system,
which used local radiometric and textural features to classify terrain pixels into a number of …

We present some results on systems for automat-ically detecting bridges in high-resolution
(2.5 m) panchromatic IKONOS satellite images using texture information, geometric models,
and combinations of both. A system using simple geometric models gives good results for
bridges over roads and railroads, and very bad results for bridges over larger regions such
as rivers. In contrast, a system using a texture-based classification and hand-made rules
applied to that classification gives good results for bridges over rivers and railroads, and bad …