# Exploring Radar Data Representations in Autonomous Driving: A Comprehensive Review

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.04861 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.04861/

## Key facts

- Cited by 22 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 102 of its 261 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 8 Dec 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 102)

- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [U-Net: Convolutional Networks for Biomedical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1505.04597/) (2015)
- [Faster R-CNN: Towards Real-Time Object Detection with Region Proposal Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1506.01497/) (2015)
- [PointNet: Deep Learning on Point Sets for 3D Classification and Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.00593/) (2016)
- [nuScenes: A multimodal dataset for autonomous driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.11027/) (2019)
- [PointNet++: Deep Hierarchical Feature Learning on Point Sets in a Metric Space](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.02413/) (2017)
- [PointPillars: Fast Encoders for Object Detection from Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.05784/) (2018)
- [VoxelNet: End-to-End Learning for Point Cloud Based 3D Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.06396/) (2017)
- [PointRCNN: 3D Object Proposal Generation and Detection from Point Cloud](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.04244/) (2018)
- [PV-RCNN: Point-Voxel Feature Set Abstraction for 3D Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.13192/) (2019)
- [Frustum PointNets for 3D Object Detection from RGB-D Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.08488/) (2017)
- [Voxel R-CNN: Towards High Performance Voxel-based 3D Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.15712/) (2020)
- [Tri-Perspective View for Vision-Based 3D Semantic Occupancy Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.07817/) (2023)
- [Occ3D: A Large-Scale 3D Occupancy Prediction Benchmark for Autonomous Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.14365/) (2023)
- [SurroundOcc: Multi-Camera 3D Occupancy Prediction for Autonomous Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.09551/) (2023)
- [Deep Multi-modal Object Detection and Semantic Segmentation for Autonomous Driving: Datasets, Methods, and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.07830/) (2019)
- [Scene as Occupancy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.02851/) (2023)
- [SGPN: Similarity Group Proposal Network for 3D Point Cloud Instance Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.08588/) (2017)
- [CenterFusion: Center-based Radar and Camera Fusion for 3D Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.04841/) (2020)
- [The Oxford Radar RobotCar Dataset: A Radar Extension to the Oxford RobotCar Dataset](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.01300/) (2019)
- [Simple-BEV: What Really Matters for Multi-Sensor BEV Perception?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.07959/) (2022)
- [K-Radar: 4D Radar Object Detection for Autonomous Driving in Various Weather Conditions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.08171/) (2022)
- [RADIATE: A Radar Dataset for Automotive Perception in Bad Weather](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.09076/) (2020)
- [CRN: Camera Radar Net for Accurate, Robust, Efficient 3D Perception](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.00670/) (2023)
- [Boreas: A Multi-Season Autonomous Driving Dataset](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.10168/) (2022)
- [TJ4DRadSet: A 4D Radar Dataset for Autonomous Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.13483/) (2022)
- [A Deep Learning-based Radar and Camera Sensor Fusion Architecture for Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.07431/) (2020)
- [Raw High-Definition Radar for Multi-Task Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.10646/) (2021)
- [CRAFT: Camera-Radar 3D Object Detection with Spatio-Contextual Fusion Transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.06535/) (2022)
- [RadarScenes: A Real-World Radar Point Cloud Data Set for Automotive Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.02493/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 22 of 22)

- [A Survey of LLM-Driven AI Agent Communication: Protocols, Security Risks, and Defense Countermeasures](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.19676/) (2025)
- [WaterVG: Waterway Visual Grounding based on Text-Guided Vision and mmWave Radar](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.12686/) (2024)
- [PriorDrive: Enhancing Online HD Mapping with Unified Vector Priors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.05352/) (2024)
- [USVTrack: USV-Based 4D Radar-Camera Tracking Dataset for Autonomous Driving in Inland Waterways](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.18737/) (2025)
- [Wavelet-based Multi-View Fusion of 4D Radar Tensor and Camera for Robust 3D Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.22972/) (2025)
- [Forging Spatial Intelligence: A Roadmap of Multi-Modal Data Pre-Training for Autonomous Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.24385/) (2025)
- [RASMD: RGB And SWIR Multispectral Driving Dataset for Robust Perception in Adverse Conditions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.07603/) (2025)
- [InfoCom: Kilobyte-Scale Communication-Efficient Collaborative Perception with Information Bottleneck](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.10305/) (2025)
- [SFGFusion: Surface Fitting Guided 3D Object Detection with 4D Radar and Camera Fusion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.19215/) (2025)
- [All You Need for Object Detection: From Pixels, Points, and Prompts to Next-Gen Fusion and Multimodal LLMs/VLMs in Autonomous Vehicles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.26641/) (2025)
- [RAPTR: Radar-based 3D Pose Estimation using Transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.08387/) (2025)
- [RADE-Net: Robust Attention Network for Radar-Only Object Detection in Adverse Weather](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.19994/) (2026)
- [4DR P2T: 4D Radar Tensor Synthesis with Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.05550/) (2025)
- [Depth-aware Fusion Method based on Image and 4D Radar Spectrum for 3D Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.15516/) (2025)
- [REXO: Indoor Multi-View Radar Object Detection via 3D Bounding Box Diffusion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.17806/) (2025)
- [Radar-Informed 3D Multi-Object Tracking under Adverse Conditions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.13571/) (2026)
- [4D-CAAL: 4D Radar-Camera Calibration and Auto-Labeling for Autonomous Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.21454/) (2026)
- [On Learning Spatial Structure from Pre-Beamforming Per-Antenna Range-Doppler Radar Measurements](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.01921/) (2026)
- [DinoRADE: Full Spectral Radar-Camera Fusion with Vision Foundation Model Features for Multi-class Object Detection in Adverse Weather](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.08074/) (2026)
- [REFNet++: Multi-Task Efficient Fusion of Camera and Radar Sensor Data in Bird's-Eye Polar View](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.11824/) (2026)
- [4D Radar Perception Algorithms for Autonomous Driving: A Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.19216/) (2026)
- [STAR: Scene- and Task-Aware 4D Radar Preprocessing Towards End-to-End Cognitive Radar](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.24151/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

With the rapid advancements of sensor technology and deep learning, autonomous driving systems are providing safe and efficient access to intelligent vehicles as well as intelligent transportation. Among these equipped sensors, the radar sensor plays a crucial role in providing robust perception information in diverse environmental conditions. This review focuses on exploring different radar data representations utilized in autonomous driving systems. Firstly, we introduce the capabilities and limitations of the radar sensor by examining the working principles of radar perception and signal processing of radar measurements. Then, we delve into the generation process of five radar representations, including the ADC signal, radar tensor, point cloud, grid map, and micro-Doppler signature. For each radar representation, we examine the related datasets, methods, advantages and limitations. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges faced in these data representations and propose potential research directions. Above all, this comprehensive review offers an in-depth insight into how these representations enhance autonomous system capabilities, providing guidance for radar perception researchers. To facilitate retrieval and comparison of different data representations, datasets and methods, we provide an interactive website at https://radar-camera-fusion.github.io/radar.