HERE: LiDAR–based London images media information supplement

HERE HD Live Map overview – the most intelligent vehicle sensor:

For connected and automated cars to work in the real world, they need to rely on more than sensors alone. So that these cars have a full understanding of the world around them, they must use highly detailed, continuously updated maps.

HERE HD Live Map is the world’s most advanced cloud-based map asset commercially available for vehicles today, designed to power both connected Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and automated driving.

HD Live Map creates a highly detailed, dynamic representation of the road environment, enabling a vehicle to effectively “see around corners” beyond the reach of its on-board sensors, and is continuously updated in near-real-time. HD Live Map consists of three separate layers:

HD Map layer: highly precise and accurate map with precise lane geometry with lane boundaries and rich attribution such as lane traversal information, lane types, lane marking types and lane level speed limit information. This map helps localise the vehicle properly and precisely on the road – a must-have when a car is driving itself, or an ADAS system needs to cut in to avoid a patch of black ice, for example.

Live Roads layer: tells the vehicle about upcoming congestion, temporary road layouts and adverse weather. It does this by processing real time sensor data and integrating real time traffic information, weather and even road conditions. The live roads layer helps the vehicle avoid congestion, change lanes in case of an accident ahead and adjust speed when approaching bad weather.

Humanised Driving layer: analyses existing driver data so that the vehicle knows the appropriate speed to travel in certain driving conditions based on personal preferences. This helps provide a more human, and hence relaxed, driving experience under automated driving – just because the speed limit is 60mph, it doesn’t mean the car should take a corner on a country road at 60 mph.

HERE HD Live Map is currently ready to be deployed in connected vehicles in North America and Western Europe.

“HERE True” Collection Vehicle overview:

“HERE True” collection vehicles are driving around the world using sophisticated, proprietary technology to collect 3D point information about the world around us, together with street level, panoramic or 360° imagery. HERE deploys these vehicles globally to create an exact digital representation of the real world and to develop the next generation of maps needed for automated driving.

Each of the collection vehicles are mounted with a five-foot rig containing mapping hardware. Below is an explanation of the rig’s technology set-up:

The base of the rig: an inertial measurement unit (IMU) collects data to understand the motion of the car, to factor in hills or turns into the data collection.

Further up the rig: is a four-wide 24-megapixel camera for a panoramic (360 degree) view.

Up top of the rig: a small cylinder that looks like a fizzy drink can spins furiously. This is called a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor and collects 700,000 3D data sections a second. It can pinpoint the edge of a curb, the height of a tree, for instance, to provide safe and accurate data.

The very top of the rig: has a high-accuracy GPS system, which tracks the co-ordinates of where the data is captured to pinpoint exactly where each image was recorded.

About HERE:

HERE, the location cloud company, enables rich, real-time location applications and experiences for consumers, vehicles, enterprises and cities. HERE is backed by a consortium of leading automotive companies. To learn more about us, including our work in the areas of connected and automated driving, visit www.360.here.com.

HERE has been operating in the UK since 1994, employing more than 60 people in Edinburgh, Exeter, London, Manchester, Newry, Warwick and Watford. HERE vehicles cover around 65,000 miles in the UK each year, gathering data and images to keep its maps fresh. It also collects indoor maps for more than 2,200 UK venues, including 1,700 railway stations.

Media contacts

Torque Agency Group

Matt Sanger                                                              Alex Michaelides

msanger@torqueagencygroup.com                         amichaelides@torqueagencygroup.com

020 7952 1079                                                          020 7952 1078

Hannah Burgess

hburgess@torqueagencygroup.com

020 7952 1092