Acta Geodaetica et Cartographica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (7): 1306-1320.doi: 10.11947/j.AGCS.2026.20250371

• Cartography and Geographic Information • Previous Articles    

Multi-source low-altitude risk quantification and route generation in urban environments

Qinghua Tan1(), Heng Qi1, Hongyu Shi1, Luliang Tang1,2(), Zihan Kan3,4, Hong Yang1, Lele Sun1, Yafei Liu5,6, Zhengxiong Gu5,6   

  1. 1.State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079
    2.National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Geo-Spatial Information Technology, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411100
    3.Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077
    4.Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077
    5.Yunnan Institute of Geology and Mineral Surveying and Mapping Co., Ltd., Kunming 650051
    6.Yunnan Key Laboratory of Intelligent Monitoring and Spatiotemporal Big Data Governance of Natural Resources, Kunming 650051
  • Received:2025-09-25 Revised:2026-07-10 Published:2026-08-18
  • Contact: Luliang Tang E-mail:tanqinghua@whu.edu.cn;tll@whu.edu.cn
  • About author:Tan Qinghua (2004—), male, postgraduate, majors in low-altitude risk quantification and route generation. E-mail: tanqinghua@whu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    The National Key Research and Development Program of China(2024YFB3908603);The National Natural Science Foundation of China(42301475);The Open Fund Program of Yunnan Key Laboratory of Intelligent Monitoring and Spatiotemporal Big Data Governance of Natural Resources(202449CE340023);The Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund of Guangdong Province(2024A1515012270);The Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province(2022RC4039)

Abstract:

The development and utilization of low-altitude airspace are gradually becoming a strategic pillar for advancing the low-altitude economy. However, the massive influx of low-altitude aircraft poses unprecedented safety challenges over urban areas. How to scientifically, comprehensively, and accurately quantify the risk distribution in complex urban low-altitude environments, and subsequently generate safe and efficient air routes, has become a critical scientific problem. Existing research often overlooks the multi-dimensional coupled risks between urban low-altitude and ground space, and air route generation algorithms are typically confined to local search, making it difficult to achieve accurate risk quantification and globally optimal route generation. To this end, this paper proposes a low-altitude risk quantification method and an intelligent route generation model constrained primarily by ground risk. Firstly, by fusing three types of data—population density, building density, and land use type—we propose a low-altitude risk factor quantification and combined weighting method to construct a high-medium-low multi-level low-altitude risk distribution map. Secondly, an intelligent air route generation model based on adaptive particle swarm optimization (APSO-AR) is proposed. By incorporating an adaptive air route node construction, a risk perception sampling mechanism, and an interval penalty mechanism, the model achieves global risk perception and optimal route generation for low-altitude aircraft within complex urban scenes. Finally, air route generation experiments were conducted using Wuhan city as the research area. The results demonstrate that, compared to ant colony optimization (ACO), genetic algorithm (GA), risk A* algorithm, and the traditional particle swarm optimization (PSO), the air routes generated by APSO-AR show an average reduction of 12.0% in route length and an average reduction of 30.7% in risk level, while the average code runtime is reduced by 77.4%. The model simultaneously ensures route optimality, risk minimization, and global rationality. This paper provides a new technical path for “risk quantification—route generation”, providing methodological support for urban low-altitude risk map construction and route planning.

Key words: risk quantification, route generation, particle swarm optimization algorithm, low-altitude economy

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