HERE, the Open Location Platform company, introduced the next generation vehicle-sourced data services aimed at, as the company says, making driving safer and more enjoyable. The services will be commercially available to customers both within and outside the automotive industry from the first half of 2017.
Real-time services from the HERE Open Location Platform HERE - unlike traffic information services available so far that have relied on GPS probe data - crowdsource data and traffic information that is generated by sensors deeply embedded within the car, creating a complete picture of the current traffic situation.
The platform will harness the data to deliver four services, offering drivers detailed real-time traffic information enhanced with the new streams of data, near real-time information about potential hazards, near real-time traffic sign information, including permanent and temporary speed limits, and parking availability. Such an elaborate information netwrok aims at helping drivers make better choices.
The HERE Open Location Platform will process vehicle-sourced information related to speed, direction and location of a vehicle, hard braking, as denoted by sharp deceleration, road construction, lane or road closures and traffic events such as accidents, as detected by the vehicle's forward camera, hazard light usage, hazardous weather or road conditions, as determined for example by rain sensors, heavy use of windshield wipers, loss of tire traction or fog light usage, traffic sign information, including permanent and temporary speed limits, as detected by the car's forward camera.
In addition to gathering and processing data from each vehicle, it will also combine the data with HERE location data services and other third-party information derived from devices, vehicles and infrastructure for deep and real-time analysis. Then, it will distribute the enriched data back to connected vehicles and their drivers.