INTRODUCING HERE AUTOMATED DRIVING ZONES FOR SAFER AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SYSTEMS
>> HERE Automated Driving Zones enable automakers to define and manage under which operating conditions automated driving functionalities can be safely activated
>> HERE Automated Driving Zones works in combination with HERE’s industry leading HD and SD map content and can integrate other dynamic location services from HERE
>> HERE Automated Driving Zones is already in use for the development, validation, and production of automated driving capabilities for two global automakers
HERE Technologies, the leading location data and technology platform, today introduced HERE Automated Driving Zones. With this new cloud-hosted software, automakers can transparently decide where, when and under which operating conditions it is safe to activate the automated driving functionalities of their cars.
With autonomous driving, safety comes first. An automated driving system must therefore only be activated when the outside conditions allow for it. This requires the definition of so-called Operational Design Domains (ODD). An ODD characterizes the operating conditions in which automated driving systems can operate properly, circumscribing the areas where it is safe for drivers to take their hands off the wheel or where driverless vehicles are allowed to drive.
With HERE Automated Driving Zones automakers can define such individual ODDs for their cars’ automated driving functionalities. HERE Automated Driving Zones works in combination with HERE’s industry leading HD and SD map content. In addition, it can integrate dynamic location services from HERE for real-time traffic information and road hazards. Automakers can use the software to not only set the geographic environment where automated driving functionality can be activated, but also the conditions that must be present on the roadway.
An ODD can be unique to individual automakers, vehicle brands and types, as well as to each automated driving functionality across different levels of automation (from SAE Levels L2-L4). With HERE Automated Driving Zones automakers can create, edit, and review an ODD either manually or automatically. The software supports these capabilities both via a web app and an API.
HERE Automated Driving Zones is already being utilized in the current development, validation and production of automated driving capabilities for two global automakers.
"HERE Automated Driving Zones is another example for the critical importance of accurate and dynamic location technology to enable safe autonomous driving", said Giovanni Lanfranchi, Senior Vice President and Chief Product & Technology Officer at HERE Technologies. "Location technology is both needed for defining the areas where automated driving is possible as well as for operating an automated vehicle safely within those boundaries."
HERE Automated Driving Zones complements the comprehensive automated driving offering from HERE. Leading global automotive companies trust upon it for their automation efforts across all levels. Amongst others, it includes the HERE HD Live Map which, for example, is deployed by Mercedes-Benz for its industry leading level 3 DRIVE PILOT automated driving system, the HERE ADAS Map, powering the advanced driver assistance systems of more than 22 million vehicles on the road today, and the HERE ISA Map, currently chosen by 38 brands from 16 major automakers to comply with the Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) mandate of the European Union.
MAKING DRIVING SAFER WITH HERE ROAD ALERTS
>> New cloud-based service from HERE fuses vehicle sensor data with traffic incident data to provide real-time hazard warnings to drivers
>> HERE Road Alerts enhances advanced driver assistance systems and helps automakers to receive better New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) scores
Driving is about to get safer with the launch of HERE Road Alerts. This new cloud-based service from HERE Technologies, the leading location data and technology platform, fuses rich vehicle sensor data from millions of cars on the road with traffic incident data to provide real-time hazard warnings to drivers for optimal safety assistance.
With HERE Road Alerts, drivers will have accurate and timely information about hazards on the road ahead to make better and safer driving decisions. Enhancing the functionality of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) for greater safety, the service helps drivers build trust in the gradually increasing automation of driving.
HERE Road Alerts includes warnings for a broad variety of hazards such as:
> Roadworks
> Accidents
> Broken down vehicles
> Reduced visibility
> Slippery roads
> Obstacles on the road
> End of queue jam alerts
> Wrong way drivers
Covering these hazards, the service helps automakers to reach higher New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) scores. NCAPs are voluntary vehicle safety performance programs rating the safety of new passenger vehicles.
This year, amongst other things, NCAP ratings in Europe and Australia will include an assessment whether speed assistance systems inform drivers of a range of specific hazardous situations like traffic jams, accidents and objects on road with sufficient lead time to adapt their speed accordingly.
To detect and report as many hazards as possible, HERE Road Alerts utilizes a large pool of different sources. These include:
> Vehicle sensor data from millions of cars on the road across multiple automakers, including head, fog and hazard lights, emergency brakes, anti-lock braking systems, wipers, electronic stability control and image sensors
> Billions of GPS data points from vehicles and devices on the road that HERE gathers every day, leveraging over 150 different probe data providers
Governmental road authorities
> Local in-country "journalistic" sources such as government websites, news outlets and social media reporting in traffic incidents
The service is delivered with low latency to ensure drivers are kept up-to-date on the latest hazards ahead of them.
"HERE Road Alerts is a fully comprehensive hazard warning service," said Giovanni Lanfranchi, Senior Vice President and Chief Product and Technology Officer at HERE Technologies. "Where others may rely only on a limited number of data sources, we process data from a broad variety. More sources ultimately lead to an enriched service with greater coverage and more accuracy. This is the next step on our long-standing mission to increase the safety of millions of road users."
