5 Game-Changing Tech Trends Shaping Automotive Navigation and Mapping

In this article, we look at five technology trends driving the move to hands-free, eyes-off and autonomous driving.

We may have a while to wait until fully-autonomous vehicles are on our roads, but the automotive industry is still making good progress towards a smoother and more automated experience for drivers.

Automakers including Mercedes-Benz have reached Level 3 autonomy, in which the driver can take their eyes off the road while the vehicle drives, but must still take over when requested.

Today, “eyes-off” driving is only approved on designated highways with a full view of the sky, allowing unimpeded reception of signals from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) like GPS. But with many OEMs now looking for ways to extend hands-free, eyes-off driving into more environments, a number of tech trends are converging to make this next level a reality.

Tech trends likely to drive the next evolution in vehicle automation

In a recent Automotive World webinar, Focal Point’s Manuel del Castillo joined Boubeker Belabbas from Bosch and James Tidd from Swift Navigation to discuss recent breakthroughs, longer-term tech trends and technological barriers still to be overcome on the road to automated driving and full vehicle autonomy.

The panellists discussed these five tech trends and more:

1. Sensor fusion for accurate, continuous navigation

Automated driving relies on a battery of sensors—from GNSS receivers for absolute positioning, to cameras and LiDAR that enable the vehicle to see its environment and make intelligent decisions about braking and lane position.

A range of sensors is necessary to avoid over-dependence on any single sensor, and to ensure that accurate positioning and navigation can continue if one or more sensors fail. Even ‘signals of opportunity,’ like radio waves from nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cellular towers, can be pressed into service to aid positioning and navigation, feeds from all of these sensors must be synthesised into a single source of data for automated decision-making, requiring sophisticated sensor fusion algorithms.

2. Enhancements to GNSS accuracy and availability

GNSS has a unique role to play in multi-sensor navigation systems, as it’s the only sensor capable of absolute positioning—establishing the vehicle’s location on the Earth’s surface—and as such, it has a plethora of useful roles to play in vehicle automation systems .

However, while GNSS signals have the advantage of being freely available, they can be compromised in areas without a clear view of the sky, such as under foliage, urban canyons, or when system set up isn't optimised. These challenges are rapidly being addressed with technologies like Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) and our own S-GNSS® Auto software.

The panellists will give the inside track on how greater precision can be achieved with GNSS in support of driving automation with FocalPoint’s Manuel del Castillo discussing how our software enhancement to GNSS chipsets can significantly boost GNSS accuracy and reliability in urban canyons and other challenging areas, even as antennas get smaller, cheaper or more concealed.

3. Personalised, real-time mapping for an enhanced driving experience

As well as making driving more automated, OEMs are looking to enhance the driver experience with personalised navigation and mapping services. Today, apps like Waze can inform drivers of upcoming traffic jams, roadworks and accidents reported manually by other users with information crowdsourced automatically in real-time, using sensor data from vehicles exchanged with roadside infrastructure.

The panel will discuss the role that AI is likely to play in processing real-time data and dynamically updating digital maps. This will enable in-vehicle navigation systems to provide personalised advice to the driver—for example, predicting road conditions, advising on alternative routes and precautionary measures, and making recommendations based on what it learns about the driver’s preferences. The panel will discuss the future of mapping within the wider sphere of automotive navigation.

4. Cyber-risks to vehicle and location data

While safety is a critical consideration as we move into the higher levels of automation, most of the focus to date has been on the physical safety of the occupants of the vehicle and other road users.

However, as we move into a world where vehicles share their location data with smart infrastructure for traffic optimization and real-time mapping, the security of that data will also become increasingly important. The panel will discuss the emerging cyber-risks associated with connected and autonomous vehicles, and explore the need for the automotive industry ecosystem to collaborate on security standards for mapping and navigation systems, aligned to wider cyber frameworks.

5. The rise of the software-defined vehicle

The cars of the future will essentially be connected computing platforms, with a high proportion of their functionality abstracted into software. Boston Consulting Group predicts that software-defined vehicles (SDVs) will be a $650bn global market by 2030, representing 15–20% of the total automotive market.

Navigation and mapping will be a core element of the SDV, delivered as-a-service and capable of being updated and optimised over the air. That creates new revenue opportunities for OEMs, potentially by offering personalised navigation and mapping as an ongoing subscription service. The panellists will discuss the shift to SDVs, what it means for the automotive ecosystem, and the opportunities and threats around navigation and mapping services.

Watch the webinar for the latest on automotive mapping and navigation

As the industry moves closer to Level 3 autonomy, mapping and navigation technologies will be essential to creating exceptional—and safe—driver experiences. Watch the webinar on demand for a fascinating discussion about what’s ahead in these two critical areas.

About the panellists

Boubeker Belabbas is a senior expert in navigation for automated driving, currently working at Bosch in Germany. With over 22 years of experience, including leadership roles at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), he has been at the forefront of developing advanced navigation solutions for safety-critical applications. His expertise includes advanced navigation systems, distributed sensors, and deep neural networks for automotive use. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Six Sigma Black Belt, he is committed to shaping the future of safe mobility through innovative technology.

James Tidd, Vice President of Systems Engineering at Swift Navigation, holds over two decades of experience in technology development and leadership roles. With a commitment to advancing localisation technologies, James has become an expert in high precision, safe positioning technologies for autonomous platforms. During his career he has been a technical lead and architect at BAE Systems, leading semiconductor companies and Deep tech start ups. At Swift Navigation he leads the Systems engineering team responsible for algorithm design and architecture. James is passionate not only about the products that he makes, and how they can contribute to safer and more efficient mobility.

Manuel del Castillo is VP at FocalPoint, leading Business Development in the Automotive, Wearables and Smartphone sectors. He has an MBA in Business Administration, an MSc in Telecommunications Engineering and over 20 years’ experience in the GNSS industry, having previously worked for semiconductor manufacturer Broadcom.