Utilization of reflectivity to determine changes to traffic infrastructure elements

A system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• at least one computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
• analyze sensor data returned from a traffic infrastructure element, wherein the sensor data includes LiDAR intensity information corresponding to visual characteristics of the traffic infrastructure element;
• determine reflectivity information of the traffic infrastructure element based on the analysis of the sensor data;
• compare the reflectivity information of the traffic infrastructure element with semantic map information of the traffic infrastructure element, wherein:
• the semantic map information is part of a semantic map that is generated based on sensor data captured by a plurality of vehicles and is provided to the plurality of vehicles in response to the sensor data matching across the plurality of vehicles;
• and
• the semantic map information includes blacklisted road segment information indicating degraded infrastructure that is identified from reflectivity information of the degraded infrastructure in the sensor data captured by the plurality of vehicles;
• determine that the reflectivity information of the traffic infrastructure element does not match the semantic map information of the traffic infrastructure element based on a detection that the traffic infrastructure element has been tampered with based on the reflectivity information indicating a change in material of the traffic infrastructure element;
• provide instructions to an autonomous vehicle based on the reflectivity information of the traffic infrastructure element not matching-the semantic map information of the traffic infrastructure element, wherein the instructions are effective to cause the autonomous vehicle to operate based on the semantic map information instead of the reflectivity information;
• and
• control the autonomous vehicle to operate based on the semantic map information according to the instructions and a road utilization quality index that is identified based on the blacklisted road segment information included in the semantic map information.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

• instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the instructions, when executed by one more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• analyze sensor data returned from a traffic infrastructure element, wherein the sensor data includes LiDAR intensity information corresponding to visual characteristics of the traffic infrastructure element;
• determine reflectivity information of the traffic infrastructure element based on the analysis of the sensor information;
• compare the reflectivity information of the traffic infrastructure element with semantic map information of the traffic infrastructure element, wherein:
• the semantic map information is part of a semantic map that is generated based on sensor data captured by a plurality of vehicles and is provided to the plurality of vehicles in response to the sensor data matching across the plurality of vehicles;
• and
• the semantic map information includes blacklisted road segment information indicating degraded infrastructure that is identified from reflectivity information of the degraded infrastructure in the sensor data captured by the plurality of vehicles;
• determine that the reflectivity information of the traffic infrastructure element does not match the semantic map information of the traffic infrastructure element based on a detection that the traffic infrastructure element has been tampered with based on the reflectivity information indicating a change in material of the traffic infrastructure element;
• provide instructions to an autonomous vehicle based on the reflectivity information of the traffic infrastructure element not matching the semantic map information of the traffic infrastructure element, wherein the instructions are effective to cause the autonomous vehicle to operate based on the semantic map information instead of the reflectivity information;
• and
• control the autonomous vehicle to operate based on the semantic map information according to the instructions and a road utilization quality index that is identified based on the blacklisted road segment information included in the semantic map information.