Mobileye Adds BMW to Data Mapping Effort

Mobileye NV has inked a deal with BMW AG to install the Israeli telematics specialist’s data generation technology in 2018 Bimmers to generate and update high-definition (HD) maps.

The supplier inked a similar deal with Volkswagen AG last week. Such maps are considered a key enabler for fully autonomous vehicles.

The BMW and VW agreements both involve equipping vehicles with Mobileye’s Road Experience Management system. The camera-based map and localization technology uses “swarm” data collected from a large number of users to automatically create precise HD maps that can pinpoint a vehicle’s whereabouts within a lane and its relationship with the surrounding environment.

Data is sent to the cloud in a highly compressed form (10 kb/km), according to the partners. Anonymized information will be transferred to HERE, which is co-owned by Audi, BMW and Daimler, to provide real-time updates to its HERE HD Live digital mapping service.

BMW plans to begin testing 40 prototype self-driving vehicles on the road in the second half of the year. The carmaker aims to launch the iNext “highly automated” electric vehicle by 2021.