Ecopia AI has announced that it will create a high-definition map of the City of Toronto that will be used to accelerate the deployment of autonomous vehicles.
With support from Ontario’s Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN), the project will set out to produce a digital twin of the city of Toronto for use as a testbed for a range of AV applications.
“Ecopia is excited to support the growth and development of autonomous vehicle and smart city applications through our HD Map platform,” commented Jon Lipinski, co-founder, and president of Ecopia. “We’re thankful to the Ontario Government, AVIN and the City of Toronto for their partnership in this endeavor, which has far-reaching implications not only for the city and province but across all of Canada as we look toward the future of transportation.”
Ecopia believes there is a growing need for the creation of an underlying digital infrastructure. To address this, it is commercializing a centralized hub for the high-definition map data used in AV and smart city applications.
The embedded HD maps will be generated by the company’s AI-powered systems, which generate highly detailed copies of the physical world by mining geospatial data including aerial and street-view imagery. The maps will include road networks, pedestrian networks and 3D buildings. Ecopia states that all the map data will be available for license through the platform and a series of application programming interfaces.
“The development of a high-definition map of Toronto is a key milestone in our Autonomous Vehicle Tactical Plan, and Ecopia’s efforts will help drive us toward that future. This initiative is a great example of Toronto’s robust innovation ecosystem and our ability to foster public and private partnerships that help us achieve common goals and a vision for a healthy, equitable, livable and sustainable city,” explained John Tory, mayor of the City of Toronto.