Germany Road Surface and Passability: 176,600 km of Arterial Roads

A source of AI-derived road surface, width, and passability metrics for 176,600 km of arterial roads in Germany, produced by HeiGIT using 2020 and 2024 PlanetScope satellite imagery. It covers motorways, trunks, primary, and secondary roads, filling gaps where OpenStreetMap (OSM) surface tags are missing. The data includes deep-learning predictions for surface types and a logistical accessibility index.

Use Cases

• Logistics planning using the Humanitarian Passability Index (HPI) to identify high-risk blockage zones
• Infrastructure monitoring by detecting transitions from unpaved to paved roads via the Road Surface Change field
• Network analysis using Road Width Class to determine heavy truck accessibility and flow capacity

Strengths

• 89.2% surface prediction accuracy
• Covers 176,600 km of arterial roads
• Provides surface data for 13.4% of segments missing OSM tags
• Multi-temporal analysis comparing 2020 and 2024 states

Limitations

• AI-derived predictions may contain errors compared to ground-level truth
• Width is restricted to three discrete categories rather than continuous measurements
• Geographic scope is limited to Germany's arterial network

Provenance

Source

HeiGIT (Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology)

Collection Method

AI-derived predictions from PlanetScope satellite imagery integrated with OpenStreetMap vector data

Time Range

2020 - 2024

Freshness

Based on satellite imagery from 2020 and 2024; last updated March 2026.

Geography

Germany