UK proposes mapping standards for self-driving cars, and calls for comments

A UK report has proposed global standards for the high-definition mapping necessary for “the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles”, according to Ordnance Survey, which worked with Zenzic, the UK Government-initiated hub organisation for self-driving vehicle development, to prepare the report – and call for comments (see below).

According to the report, self-driving vehicles will require maps with resolution better than 50mm to ensure operation in complex environments. “Maps will also need to include information on curbs, street-level features like lamp-posts, pedestrian crossings and road markings,” said OS. “Real-time updates to maps will also be crucial to let self-driving cars ‘see’ around corners for temporary objects in the road like skips or roadworks.”

These constantly-updated maps allow the vehicle to reference the position of other road users against known objects, and also, according to OS, provide back-up in situations where its sensors are less effective – for example when heavy-rain or sun reflecting off a wet-road make relying on sensor data difficult, it said.