HERE Touts Open Platform for Connected Cars

The HERE digital mapping joint venture owned by Audi, BMW and Daimler says it has developed new services that will allow connected vehicles to share information with each other.

The partners plan to launch the services in the first half of 2017 as part of HERE’s new Open Location Platform. Any carmaker, municipality, road authority, smartphone company or app developer will be able to license technology.

The services will use data collected from a variety of sensors on connected vehicles as they are being driven to create a real-time depiction of the surrounding road environment. The information initially will be derived from specially equipped Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz models, but the partners plan to eventually include data from participating vehicles from other carmakers too.

The new services focus on four areas: traffic alerts, hazard warnings, road signs and parking. The traffic system uses information related to traffic flow, rapid deceleration, brake light patterns and other inputs to give following drivers real-time updates about potential upcoming delays.

The hazard warnings system provides information about accidents and extreme weather conditions, such as slippery roads and reduced visibility. The road sign service details permanent and temporary postings related to speed limits, turns, right of way, construction and stop signs.

An on-street parking service updates drivers about street parking availability and pricing. This includes predictive algorithms of when spots will open up based on historical data.  

In addition to speed, direction and vehicle location inputs, the services will use information from forward-looking cameras, braking and traction control systems and usage of windshield wipers and hazard lights. Information from vehicle sensors is combined with data from third-party sources, such as city traffic centers. Location and other data will be anonymized with no personal identifiers to ensure privacy, according to the partners.

HERE and other companies expect connected vehicle systems to be a key enabler for autonomous vehicles and smart cities.