The future is HERE for Daimler and BMW
Daimler and BMW Group have each teamed up with HERE Technologies, to make HERE HD Live Map an integral part of their autonomous driving technology.
Highly precise digital maps are a key component for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. The machine-readable, cloud-based HD Live Map allows an automated vehicle to effectively ‘see around corners’ and consists of multiple layers of information essential for it to know where exactly it is, what lies ahead and what it should do in various scenarios.
‘The BMW Group has around ten million connected vehicles on the road. BMW Group vehicles fitted with the relevant sensors have been collecting real-time mobility information since 2015. For example, BMW vehicles can detect hazards and speed restrictions, and add this highly relevant information to on-board mapping ‘over the air’,” said Christoph Grote, senior vice president electronics BMW Group.’
‘Together with HD Live Map, we have essential building blocks for highly and fully automated driving in place for the long term. As we progress towards this point, we will be able to offer our customers further location-based services and driver assistance information later this year.’
By the end of this year, HD Live Map will have grown to 1 million km of roads across North America and Europe charted to sub-meter accuracy. This includes lane configurations with lane markings, lane centerlines, speed limits and shoulders, as well as a complete layer of roadside objects and 3D obstacles for vehicle localization.
Ola Källenius, member of the board of management for group research and Mercedes-Benz Cars development said, ‘Maps with centimetre precision updating itself in near real-time, is one key element for autonomous driving. With the new HD Live Map and the rich, continuously growing information it provides we are taking a big step on the way towards autonomous driving.’
