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Multi-Source Geographical Knowledge Fusion and Deep Learning Framework for Fine-Scale Urban Building Function Classification

Author

Listed:
  • Xinyu Shi

    (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Jie Meng

    (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Cheng Jin

    (National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Spatial Information Processing, Beijing 100029, China)

  • Zexing Tao

    (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China)

Abstract

Fine-scale identification of urban building functions is essential for understanding urban spatial structure, socioeconomic organization, and sustainable urban development. However, large-scale building function mapping remains constrained by reliance on proprietary data, insufficient representation of geographical context, and limited cross-city generalization. To address these challenges, this study proposes a multi-source geographical knowledge fusion framework for fine-scale building function classification using exclusively open-source data. In addition to conventional morphological, POI-based, and spectral features, the framework systematically integrates open-source geographical environmental features to characterize accessibility, infrastructure relationships, ecological surroundings, and environmental conditions at the building level. Beijing is selected as the training area, while Tianjin is used for independent cross-city validation. Ten representative models, including deep learning, ensemble learning, and traditional machine learning methods, are systematically evaluated for classifying six building function types. Results show that the systematic integration of geographical environmental features improves classification performance and interpretability. Deep learning and ensemble models outperform traditional methods, with CNN achieving the highest accuracy of 87.07% in Beijing and 69.83% in Tianjin. Feature contribution analysis further indicates that geographical environmental features play a dominant role in functional discrimination, while POI features provide important socio-semantic information. Overall, this study provides a reproducible open-data framework for urban building function mapping, supporting sustainable urban planning, land-use optimization, infrastructure allocation, and smart city governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Xinyu Shi & Jie Meng & Cheng Jin & Zexing Tao, 2026. "Multi-Source Geographical Knowledge Fusion and Deep Learning Framework for Fine-Scale Urban Building Function Classification," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-31, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:18:y:2026:i:14:p:7164-:d:1990258
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