Amidst all the device and electronics action coming out of CES, Google has taken a few more steps toward 3D mapping. We’re not talking about Google Live View, which lets you generate urban walking directions through line-of-sight AR directional markers… nor Google Maps’ 3D birds-eye feature.
Rather, this move adds dimension to auto navigation and is more of a B2B2C play. Specifically, Google has announced an HD version of its vehicle mapping solution that’s core to its Google Automotive Services division. It’s meant to empower L2 or L3 assisted-driving systems to better “see” the road.
High Traffic
The way this works is that it infuses additional data layers on Google Maps’ base data. This includes things like precise lane markers and road signs That additional data isn’t generally useful to humans but is certainly additive for assisted driving systems that have to constantly localize and orient themselves.
In fact, all of these new features will be invisible to end users (in this case, drivers). It would only represent noise and distractions anyway. But to assisted driving systems, this data can go a long way in improving safety. The new feature will initially be focused on high-traffic roads and expand from there.
As for Google’s go-to-market strategy, this will be an OEM-focused product rather than an after-market one (though we’re not ruling out the possibility of the latter in the future). These partnerships not only give new software like this a fast lane (sorry) to the market, but help refine the product itself.
Feedback Loop
In other words, Google can do what it does best in tightly integrated software for navigation. But it requires a feedback loop from other sources of domain expertise – in this case, auto manufacturers – to help refine that software. Those refinements include things like which roads to focus on, per the above.
And in terms of timing, Google’s new HD map is now available to car manufacturers that already use Google Automotive Services. Those announced at launch that will definitively employ it include Volvo and Polestar, with direct integrations to come in the near term in the Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3.
Panning back, 3D data such as spatial maps will become increasingly valuable as assisted driving systems continue to advance and penetrate the auto market. Others like Here Technologies and Intel Mobileye continue to innovate in this space, while it represents adjacent revenue growth for the big G.
