Svalbard and Jan Mayen Road Surface and Passability Metrics (2020-2024)

AI-derived road surface, width, and passability metrics for arterial roads in Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands produced by HeiGIT using 2020 and 2024 PlanetScope imagery. The data covers segments classified in OpenStreetMap as motorway, trunk, primary, and secondary routes.

Use Cases

• Assessing logistical accessibility for heavy vehicles using the Humanitarian Passability Index (HPI) and Road Width Class
• Monitoring infrastructure development by analyzing the Road Surface Change indicator between 2020 and 2024
• Filling data gaps in OpenStreetMap by identifying segments where the 'surface tag' is missing but 'DL Surface Prediction 2024' provides a classification

Strengths

• 89.2% accuracy for AI-derived surface predictions
• Multi-temporal coverage (2020 and 2024) for infrastructure change detection
• Standardized Humanitarian Passability Index (HPI) for logistical planning

Limitations

• Geographic scope limited to Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
• Excludes lower-tier road classifications like residential or service roads
• AI models may face challenges with arctic terrain features

Provenance

Source

HeiGIT (Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology)

Collection Method

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

Time Range

2020-2024

Freshness

Last updated March 2026; contains imagery-based predictions from 2020 and 2024.

Geography

Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands