When they come to market, highly automated and autonomous (Level 3-5) Mercedes-Benz vehicles will incorporate Here’s HD Live Map. Daimler’s choice of Here follows on from its use of Here maps in its current E- and S-class cars.
Highly precise digital maps are a key component for 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.
Here has created HD Live Map to be self-healing. This means it can reflect dynamic changes in the road environment and update itself accordingly in near real time. This enables vehicles to proactively adjust to changing road conditions for example, switching lanes and adjusting speed ahead of time in the case of an upcoming lane closure.
Vehicle sensor data is the most crucial element for an HD map to self-heal because of its quality, and the sheer volume of vehicles on the road that can detect and validate change. Here is already receiving rich vehicle sensor data from multiple auto makers, including Daimler, to produce near real-time map updates.
Here HD Live Map constantly publishes changes to the map through a content validation process, where multiple vehicle sensors act as a closed loop to detect any deviations from the published data.
“The map of the future is one that’s self-healing constantly updating to mirror what is happening across the road network,” said Ralf Herrtwich, senior vice president, automotive, at Here Technologies. “Together with Daimler, we are mastering this powerful mapping technology and are truly excited to make it available for the next generations of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.”
“A map with centimetre precision, updating itself in near real time, is one key element for autonomous driving,” says Ola Källenius, member of the board of management for group research and Mercedes-Benz Cars development. “With the new HD Live Map and the rich, continuously growing information it provides, we are taking a big step on the way toward autonomous driving.”