Method of verifying or deriving attribute information of a digital transport network database using interpolation and probe traces

Abstract

A method of verifying or filling in attribution associated with segments of transportation networks that are digitally mapped from a digital transportation network database includes analyzing the database to identify at least one attribute of interest that is missing or whose accuracy is unreliable and associated with a segment of the network in; identifying first and second segments before and after segment in question which have associated attribution determined to be accurate; gathering a plurality of probe traces from users of probe-transmitting navigation devices that have traversed the segment(s) in question as well as traversed the first and second; and determining whether the probe-derived attribution information is reliable, and if so, comparing the trend of the probe-derived attribute information of the first and second segments with the trend of the database attributes of the first and second segments, and if there is a positive correlation, applying the probe-derived attribute information to the database for the segment(s) in question to fill in the missing or verify the unreliable database attribution for the segment(s) in question.