HERE supports intelligent vehicles with safety suite, telematics

HERE Technologies, a provider of digital mapping and location services, has announced the launch of its HERE Safety Services Suite for intelligent vehicles.

The cloud-based services suite aggregates real-time, rich sensor data generated by cars of different brands on the road. HERE then transforms this data into useful live road safety information that is delivered to drivers and passengers through the car’s head unit display, or to the car’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to support automated safety functions.

The suite utilises data emitting from an array of onboard sensors, including hazard lights, fog lights, camera, emergency brakes and electronic stability control. HERE Hazard Warnings provides drivers and passengers with information about potential road hazards, accidents and extreme weather events, such as slippery roads and reduced visibility. HERE Road Signs provides up-to-date traffic signage information, including permanent and dynamic speed limits.

The services are built on the HERE Open Location Platform, which enables multiple automakers to transmit live, anonymised sensor data that is then aggregated, enriched with high-precision location data and transmitted back to cars in the form of near real-time, geo-targeted, contextually relevant information about changing road conditions.

“The HERE Safety Services Suite demonstrates how HERE transforms singular pieces of sensor data into valuable new services that make driving safer and more comfortable,” said Ralf Herrtwich, head of automotive at HERE. “As cars become increasingly connected and intelligent, the HERE Open Location Platform is the place where the entire industry can contribute to and access differentiating products and services that not long ago seemed out of reach.”

BMW will be the first automaker to offer HERE Safety Services in production vehicles beginning in mid-2018, with the service first becoming available to drivers across North America and Western Europe. The fleet providing live sensor data to HERE is expected to grow quickly after launch, surpassing more than 10 million vehicles in 2019.

“In summer 2017, the BMW Group introduced the first stage of local hazard warning based on intelligent connectivity and car-to-car communications,” said Dieter May, senior vice president digital services and business models at BMW Group. “We are delighted that the next stage will follow from mid-2018 and that BMW drivers will be the first to benefit from this enhanced service. All this data on local hazards, such as the scene of an accident or dangerous weather conditions, can be shared on an anonymous basis to warn drivers in good time and so further improve safety.”

The news was announced just one week after HERE revealed it was partnering with LG Electronics to offer a next-generation telematics solution for autonomous vehicles. The solution combines LG’s telematics technology with high-precision map data and location services powered by the Open Location Platform. Through their collaboration, the companies aim to support automakers with a robust and secure data communications hub for highly automated and fully autonomous cars.

LG is committed to introducing next-generation solutions that offer high-precision map information to meet the needs of the quickly expanding autonomous vehicle industry. HERE, meanwhile, sees itself as a leading provider of map data and location services to the automotive industry, powering more than 100 million cars on the road today. The company is also working with automakers on the development of HD Live Map, its cloud-based map service which supports connected ADAS and automated driving solutions. The service, which LG intends to deploy in the joint solution it offers automakers, identifies all roads and surrounding features such as lane markings, stop signs, crosswalks, speed signs and traffic lights.

When fully developed, telematics will play a key role as the communication hub for autonomous vehicles. First, sensors in the vehicle’s ADAS — comprising cameras, radar and lidar — read the surrounding environment and send the data to the cloud along with information on nearby vehicles collected via V2X (vehicle-to-everything). All the information gathered is repeatedly analysed and transmitted to the telematics systems of vehicles for customised driving information.

LG’s telematics solutions support various communication technologies from GPS to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and mobile communication. LG engineers are also working to develop 5G products, which will be four to five times faster than LTE with 90% reduction in latency, suitable for next-generation autonomous vehicle operation.

“We’re excited to present a new standard for autonomous mobile communication solutions in cooperation with HERE, which has unsurpassed cutting-edge automotive guidance technology,” said Lee Woo-jong, president of the Vehicle Components Company of LG Electronics. “With partners like HERE, LG can continue to advance the next generation of connected car technologies to help prepare automakers for the self-driving era.”

“To operate safely and efficiently, autonomous vehicles will need many kinds of robust data sources and powerful communication technologies,” said Moon Lee, vice president of HERE Technologies APAC. “We believe our Open Location Platform-powered services can play a critical role in next-generation telematics technology for autonomous vehicles, and we’re excited to be working with LG to make this a reality.”