Skip to main content

Japan to develop 3-D maps for self-driving cars in time for Tokyo Olympics

A joint venture in Japan will begin creating high-definition 3-D maps for self-driving cars in September as part of a government effort to have such vehicles on the road by 2020, when the Tokyo Summer Olympics will be held, reports Nikkei. Mitsubishi Electric company Dynamic Map Planning, mapmaker Zenrin and nine Japanese auto makers will begin creating high definition 3D maps for self-driving cars, digitally charting the country's key expressways by driving a vehicle loaded with special surveying equipm
September 13, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A joint venture in Japan will begin creating high-definition 3-D maps for self-driving cars in September as part of a government effort to have such vehicles on the road by 2020, when the Tokyo Summer Olympics will be held, reports Nikkei.

7874 Mitsubishi Electric company Dynamic Map Planning, mapmaker Zenrin and nine Japanese auto makers will begin creating high definition 3D maps for self-driving cars, digitally charting the country's key expressways by driving a vehicle loaded with special surveying equipment. The data will be processed using computers designed for the creation of maps, which will be provided to automakers that invest in the start-up.

As a first step, Tokyo-based Dynamic Map Planning, appointed by Japan’s Cabinet Office's Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program, will make maps covering 300km of the country's main expressways.

Mitsubishi Electric has developed the high-precision surveying equipment that will be installed on the survey vehicle. GPS will track the location of the car on the map and sensors designed to detect the inclination of the car will measure the road grades, while lasers will co0llect data on the locations of road signs and traffic lights, as well as right- and left-turns and pedestrian crossings. Lines on the road, such as lanes, noise barriers and road signage, will be plotted on that image to faithfully re-create road conditions for 3-D maps.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Siemens is developing wide-ranging new AI applications
    October 8, 2020
    Many people associate artificial intelligence (AI) only with autonomous driving but now agencies can put AI to good use even before technologies like autonomous driving become commonplace. In fact, Siemens Mobility’s Digital ITS Lab in Austin, Texas is already developing everything from crash-avoidance measures, “green wave” traffic optimisation and licence plate recognition to planning e-bicycle stations and pop-up event traffic management.
  • Mott MacDonald Grontmij JV wins Highways Agency’s framework contract
    November 20, 2014
    The Mott MacDonald Grontmij joint venture (MMG JV) is to provide professional engineering design services to support strategic investment in England’s road network. The JV has been appointed on Lot 1 of the Highways Agency’s new US$7.8 billion Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF), the country’s largest ever framework for the improvement of motorways and major A roads. The Highways Agency’s CDF is Collaborative working practices and knowledge sharing between designers, the Highways Agency, delivery part
  • Redflex: ‘Consistency of enforcement will drive compliance’
    August 7, 2020
    Mark Talbot, CEO of Redflex Holdings, puts himself in the ITS International hotseat to answer questions about leveraging technology, MaaS changes and new areas of business
  • Google’s self-driving cars can ‘exceed the speed limit to aid safety’
    August 20, 2014
    According to Google's lead software engineer, Dmitri Dolgov, the company’s self-driving cars are programmed to stay within the speed limit, mostly. Research shows that sticking to the speed limit when other cars are going much faster actually can be dangerous, Dolgov says, so its autonomous car can go up to 10 mph (16 kph) above the speed limit when traffic conditions warrant. Dolgov told Reuters during a test drive that when surrounding vehicles were breaking the speed limit, going more slowly could act