TomTom, Elektrobit Automotive and the Traveller Information Services Association (TISA), have founded the Open-LR e.V. Association in order to secure the future of the royalty-free, OpenLR Standard for dynamic location referencing.
OpenLR is an open source software project launched by TomTom in September 2009, which provides a royalty-free dynamic location referencing method that enables reliable data exchange and cross-referencing using digital maps of different vendors and versions. OpenLR was developed to help enhance existing applications and generate opportunities for new location-based services. The founding of the Open-LR Association is an important signal to the automobile industry, as it reassures service providers, automotive OEMs and suppliers that the OpenLR referencing method will continue to be maintained, and remain accessible, free of charge, to the market in the long term.
OpenLR is an open standard for procedures and formats for the encoding, transmission and decoding of local data irrespective of the map. The format allows locations that are localized on one map, to be found on another map to which the data have been transferred. Dynamic location referencing is particularly important for providing high-quality traffic information in densely populated conurbations, and in rural areas. It will also play an important role in the exchange of local information between different partners, and for future connected and automated driving applications.
OpenLR is widely used in the intelligent transport systems (ITS) industry, where it is used for traffic information services, map content exchange and cooperative systems where precise and compact dynamic location information is needed. The map-agnostic feature of OpenLR enables reliable data exchange and cross-referencing using digital maps from different vendors, and supports key actions of the European Commission’s ITS Action Plan.
The three founder members of the Open-LR e.V. Association are:
• TomTom – A leading global provider of maps, navigation and traffic data that are widely-used across the ITS and automotive industries, with its technologies currently used in multiple connected and automated driving applications worldwide;
• Elektrobit – A leading supplier of automobile software based in Germany, with more than 20 subsidiaries worldwide. The company’s core competences include the development of automated driving systems, working with known standards such as TPEG, NDS and ADASIS;
• TISA – A market-driven membership association with worldwide scope that was established in 2007 as a non-profit company focusing on the implementation of Traffic and Travel Information (TTI) services and products based on established standards, including RDS-TMC and TPEGTM technologies.
