Location, navigation, and connected services company, Here, has announced that the BMW Group is the first automaker to make use of its open location platform for the development and launch of new digital driving services.
By using the next generation of Here’s platform, BMW has the potential to create differentiated location-enriched services from the vast quantities of data generated by its connected cars and the Here data ecosystem. For example, it will be able to combine car sensor data with other data streams available through the platform, such as from cities and the broader Internet of Things (IoT), and build services using a powerful framework for geo-data processing. In the first wave, this will help vehicles to better detect, process, and validate fleet sensor data related to hazards on the road, variable speed signage location and values, and physical road dividers.
With cars becoming increasingly connected and equipped with powerful on-board sensor technology and computing platforms, the data they generate can be used to enhance the whole driving experience. Here, which already serves many of the world’s leading automotive and technology companies with its current generation platform, is now offering new possibilities to harness sensor-based information with the advanced capabilities of its open location platform. The platform also provides secured environments, enabling participants to work with their data either in isolation from others, or with selected parties with whom they have agreed to share data and create collaborative services.
As an example, BMW is among three automakers submitting car data for use in new real-time sensor-based services created by Here and launching in 2017. Here envisages a marketplace where organizations from any industry can access a rich ecosystem of different data streams, ranging from road geometry and real-time traffic conditions, to weather, live public transit information, and other non-automotive data sources.
“The raw data crowd-sourced from car sensors becomes more valuable when you have contextual information for that data,” said Peter Kürpick, chief platform officer at Here. “Our analytical tools provide that rich location context, giving BMW and other automakers the ability to turn their data into differentiating services that elevate the driving experience.”
Stefan Butz, VP of location-based services within BMW, explained, “We are already shaping the industry ecosystem. Together with Here, and in combination with our partner Mobileye, announced recently, we are creating an essential nucleus on the Open location platform for self-healing HD maps required by autonomous driving. The platform empowers our developers with a rich feature set to easily analyze data and develop cloud-based location services with short time-to-market cycles for our customers.”
