Remote sensing image semantic segmentation algorithm based on improved DeepLabv3+

The convolutional neural network (CNN) method based on DeepLabv3+ has some problems in the semantic segmentation task of high-resolution remote sensing images, such as fixed receiving field size of feature extraction, lack of semantic information, high decoder magnification, and insufficient detail retention ability. A hierarchical feature fusion network (HFFNet) was proposed. Firstly, a combination of transformer and CNN architectures was employed for feature extraction from images of varying resolutions. The extracted features were processed independently. Subsequently, the features from the transformer and CNN were fused under the guidance of features from different sources. This fusion process assisted in restoring information more comprehensively during the decoding stage. Furthermore, a spatial channel attention module was designed in the final stage of decoding to refine features and reduce the semantic gap between shallow CNN features and deep decoder features. The experimental results showed that HFFNet had superior performance on UAVid, LoveDA, Potsdam, and Vaihingen datasets, and its cross-linking index was better than DeepLabv3+ and other competing methods, showing strong generalization ability.