Toyota has announced that it is developing a high-precision map generation system to generate road maps that cover a wide area.
The system will use data from on-board cameras and GPS devices installed in production vehicles that will collect road images and vehicle positional information.
The gathered information will be sent to data centers, where it will be pieced together, corrected and updated to generate high precision road maps.
According to Toyota, understanding road layouts and traffic rules is essential for the successful implementation of automated driving technologies.
The new system will use automated cloud-based spatial information generation technology to generate high precision road image data from the databanks and GPS devices.
Toyota said: "Toyota plans to include this system as a core element in automated driving vehicles that will be made available in production vehicles by around 2020."
Initially the company is planning to use the system in expressways, and it plans to develop its functionality to cover ordinary roads and assist in hazard avoidance.
The automaker is also planning to collaborate with mapmakers to encouraging the use of high precision map data in services offered by both the public and private sectors.
Image: Toyota to display new map generation system. Photo: courtesy of Toyota Motor.
