DEVELOPMENT OF CHECKING SYSTEM OF GUIDING ROAD SIGNS USING DIGITAL ROAD MAP DATA BASE

In recent Japan, according to the popularization of automobile transportation, road signs are expected to get more correct and more easy-to-understand. Check systems of road signs are needed where road signs can be checked rapidly and easily. The checks should be on the basis of the behaviour of drivers. This paper describes a system which was developed to do the check using a digital road map data base and directional road sign data stored in computer files. The system checks whether drivers can reach their destinations by simulating actual behaviour of drivers who drive following their destination names on directional road signs. If there is a case where the road sign fails to guide the driver, the state of the failure is indicated. The system was applied to the 1580 directional road signs (4945 destinations) on the roads which were tested. The result is that drivers are correctly guided to their destinations in 62% of all the cases. This rather low percentage of successful cases can be attributed to the fact that the system of directional road signs in the area is not complete. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 866319.