Nokia’s maps service, HERE, is using data collected from its service to develop autonomous vehicle technology with car manufacturers, the company has revealed.
A £1.9 billion deal has been agreed for Audi, BMW and Daimler to take control of the company, currently owned by Nokia, early next year and it is already gathering information to develop autonomous technology.
HERE, which generates 70% of its revenue from its automotive sector, provides maps services to four out of five cars with built-in sat-nav in the United States and Europe, as well as 91% of the cars that were on display at the Frankfurt motor show this year.
Floris van de Klashorst, vice president of connected driving experiences at HERE, said no manufacturer has enough cars on the roads to develop its own bespoke navigation system, and this is ne reason why there has been such a take-up of its maps service.
The data being collected by HERE to develop autonomous technology is also why, according to van de Klashorst, the new deal with Audi, BMW and Daimler will not result in the maps technology becoming exclusive to those manufacturers. It will be “business as usual”, he said.
“No manufacturer has the density of models on our roads to gather enough data needed to plot developments for autonomous vehicles, so they need more data from more brands of cars,” said van de Klashorst, who also revealed that local government regulations and “customer trust” were important considerations to take into account of any autonomous future.
“They are not obstacles, because we are working towards a common goal: to reduce deaths on the road,” he said. “But there is too much discussion about technology and regulations. We want to make machines that take decent decisions for the safety of drivers and pedestrians, and customers have to trust us to do that.”
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