Intelligent and connected vehicle technology has taken a significant step forward with the announcement by Here Technologies that BMW will be the first auto maker to offer its new Safety Services Suite to drivers and passengers across North America and Western Europe in mid-2018.
The commercial launch of the Safety Services Suite has taken place at the CES 2018 event in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Here will be demonstrating the system from January 9-12. The cloud-based services suite, developed by Here Technologies, is unique because it is the first to aggregate 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 Here Safety Services Suite consists of:
• Hazard Warnings, which has been developed using algorithms and knowledge from both Here and BMW, provides drivers and passengers with information about potential road hazards, accidents and extreme weather events, such as slippery roads and reduced visibility;
• Road Signs, which provides up-to-date traffic signage information, including permanent and dynamic speed limits.
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The services are built on the Here Open Location Platform, which enables multiple auto makers to transmit live, anonymized 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 uses data emitting from an array of on-board sensors, including hazard lights, fog lights, camera, emergency brakes and electronic stability control. The Safety Services not only benefit road users, but they also support mapping technology for automated driving. The services build the foundation for Here’s HD Live Map to be entirely self-healing, where car sensor data is used to detect changes in the real world, providing an accurate and real-time representation of the road network.
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, we introduced the first stage of local hazard warning based on intelligent connectivity and car-to-car communications,” said Dieter May, SVP of digital services and business models at BMW.
“We are delighted that the next stage will follow from mid-2018. All this data on local hazards can be shared on an anonymous basis to warn drivers in good time, and so further improve safety.”
