German engineering and electronics firm Bosch has joined hands with Dutch map and traffic information provider TomTom (TOM2) to develop high-precision maps with a view to assisting automated driving.
As part of the agreement, TomTom is preparing the maps and Bosch is working on the engineering aspect.
TomTom automotive vice-president Jan Maarten de Vries said: "By the end of 2015, we want to have new high-precision maps for automated driving for all freeways and freeway-like roads in Germany."
Road coverage will subsequently be extended to the rest of Europe and North America.
Currently, Bosch is conducting tests on automated driving on arteries in Germany and the US, with the help of such maps.
Bosch board of management member Dr. Dirk Hoheisel says: "Only with high precision maps will automated driving on freeways be possible from 2020."
What set maps for automated driving apart from those utilized in navigation systems are accuracy and multi-layered structure.
While such system demands accuracy to a precision defined by decimals, the localization layer is used to determine the position within a lane.
In order to execute such positioning, the system balances sensed environment with the information stored in the localization layer. In addition to this, the planning layer has information about lane divider types, traffic signs, speed limits, 3D inputs about road geometry, such as curves and slopes. It will be also capable of taking into account the start of a traffic jam and adjust its speed accordingly.
Meanwhile, the TomTom mapping fleet will map new roads and routes and take a note of recent changes on the roads for upholding safety and comfort while driving. The inputs will be then fed to the digital map database and the updated version will be offered to customers.
