Turks and Caicos Islands Road Surface Classification from OSM and Deep Learning

A geospatial dataset detailing road surfaces in the Turks and Caicos Islands, distinguishing paved and unpaved roads. The data originates from OpenStreetMap and is augmented with surface classifications derived from a hybrid deep learning model using Mapillary imagery. It was published by the Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT) and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Transportation planning based on the classification of paved versus unpaved road networks.
• Infrastructure analysis leveraging the combined surface classifications from OSM tags and AI predictions.
• Climate emissions assessment using road surface type as a factor in vehicle emission models.
• GIS applications for routing and accessibility studies based on road surface quality and urban/rural classification.

Strengths

• Includes AI-derived surface classifications for roads where OSM data is missing.
• Provides multiple classification fields (OSM, DL-prioritized, OSM-prioritized) for comparison.
• Integrates urban/rural context from the GHSU and AFRICAPOLIS urban layers.
• Quantifies the data gap, stating approximately 61.5% of road surface information is missing in the base OSM data.

Limitations

• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset covers a very small geographic area with a total road network of approximately 1.3 km mapped in OSM.

Provenance

Source

OpenStreetMap (OSM), augmented with deep learning predictions from Mapillary imagery and urban layers from GHSU and AFRICAPOLIS.

Collection Method

Surface classification derived using a hybrid deep learning approach, as detailed in a referenced arXiv paper.

Time Range

Mean timestamp of predictions is provided in the 'DL_mean_timestamp' field, but overall temporal coverage is not specified.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-02 17:09:31.514897; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Turks and Caicos Islands.