Map features

Map features represent objects that Mapillary has detected in images and placed in a 3D space. Using computer vision, we recognize objects captured in images (available as object detections). Next, by reconstructing the 3D scene structure, we can position these objects on the map as map features.

Mapillary extracts 42 types of objects as point features (i.e. map features that are represented by points on the map, like fire hydrants or street lights), in addition to 1,500 different traffic sign classes (also extracted as point features).

You can explore map features on the Mapillary web app under the "Map data" button.

Characteristics of map features

When retrieving map features as a dataset, you will get the type of the map feature and its GPS position (latitude and longitude) in a standard geospatial format (shapefile or GeoJSON).

There are two important notes on map features.

1. To estimate the location of the object on the map, the object needs to be detected in at least two (for traffic signs) or three (for other objects) images. The positions of the images are then used to calculate the position of the map feature. Keep this in mind when choosing the interval of the images you capture—more images means more data points to triangulate the position of the object more closely.
2. The accuracy of the location of the map feature will be influenced by the accuracy of the location of the images. This is contingent on the GPS accuracy of your phone, camera, or GPS device. If high-accuracy positioning is a requirement, you might consider professional devices with enterprise-grade GPS capabilities.

Point features

Point features are map features that can be marked on the map as points, such as trash cans, traffic lights, and manholes.

Mapillary extracts 42 types of objects as points. That means, we provide the estimated coordinates of the objects, based on the positions of the images that we've detected the objects in.

The following objects can be extracted from Mapillary imagery as point features:

Take a look at the articles about exploring point features on the Mapillary web app.

Traffic signs

Traffic signs are also point features but presented separately from other objects on Mapillary because they are further categorized into more than 1,500 traffic sign classes from 100 countries. That means, we provide the estimated coordinates of the different traffic signs (such as stop signs or speed limits) based on the positions of the images that we've detected the signs in.

For more information, see the list of detected traffic signs, and the instructions for exploring traffic signs on the Mapillary web app.