Imagine you are driving down a steep mountain road at night.  The road doesn’t have a guard rail, and the drop-off appears to plummet 500 feet to the ground.  You are approaching a tight curve. . . How fast are you driving? Can you see what’s around the bend? Is there another car or an animal? And do you even know just how tight the curve actually is? Driving in these situations can be extremely stressful and scary, especially when you are unaware of the characteristics of the road in front of you.

According to the Institute for Highway Safety, approximately 143,000 accidents related to poor visibility on curved roads occur each year in the United States, but new improvements in adaptive headlights for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) increase the driver’s field of view on these curves and could significantly reduce the number of related fatal crashes each year.  

Currently, adaptive headlights turn in response to the driver’s steering; however, Intermap’s^® 3D road geometries enable a predictive front lighting system that understands the road ahead.  With this system, the headlights automatically rotate – when approaching curves or grades – according to the vehicle’s position on the map, thus illuminating a larger portion of the roadway. 

Once fully developed, the uniformly accurate 3D road geometries database will cover every type of road, including highways and rural mountain roads, in Western Europe as well as the contiguous United States and Hawaii.

Recently, Intermap partnered with Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., a leading provider of innovative driver assistance programs, to integrate Intermap’s high-resolution 3D road geometries with Hella’s front lighting demonstration system. 

Click here to view the press release: http://www.intermap.com/interior.php/pid/1/sid/306/tid/245/nid/2291

Directional views on common maps are naturally two-dimensional, but 3D road vectors (also known as 3D road geometry) allow direction to be viewed in three dimensions. This functionality allows the vehicle to anticipate the road ahead. As the vehicle is proceeding down the road, 3D road vectors will provide information about upcoming grades and slopes, allowing the vehicle to predict, interpret, and determine an appropriate plan of action for managing the road.

3D road vectors can be built into the vehicle’s power train control system to evaluate road information. Once the information is internalized by the 3D road vector, the vehicle can then shift gears and use its transmission to accommodate for slopes and grades, maximizing the vehicle’s performance efficiency.

Increase Fuel Efficiency and Reduce Fuel Emissions
Because the dataset enables the vehicle to select the most efficient gear ratio, the vehicle is able to maintain its speed without wasting fuel. Studies of the 3D road vector’s dataset has shown that heavy trucks have improved fuel efficiency by up to 4 percent while travel time has remained the same or has even been reduced. If every commercial truck used 3D road vectors, significantly less fuel would be consumed, creating a monetary savings for the trucking industry and an increase in our worldwide fuel reserves. In addition to economic savings, the use of 3D road vectors would benefit our environment because of the reduced amount of fuel emissions released into the atmosphere.

3D Road Vectors in Use Today
Intermap Technologies^® has announced that 3D road vectors datasets are now available for Germany. The dataset includes information for all classes of roads with more than 1 million line kilometers of centerline position and elevation data for the entire country. Intermap is producing 3D road vectors for other European countries and has been conducting studies on hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in the United States.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, or ADAS, are innovative information technology systems that help drivers safely navigate the roads. The market for these systems is growing rapidly, particularly due to governmental concerns over vehicle safety and the high rate of collision injuries. These ground-breaking systems rely on digital maps and sensors that enable vehicles to understand the environment around them, assist the driver in various ways, and significantly contribute to safer driving. In short, these systems mean greater vehicle safety and safety on the roadways.

Intermap Technologies’ Important Role in ADAS
Intermap Technologies is a leading technology enabler of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. We utilize state-of-the-art 3D geometries and advanced datasets to optimize road safety and provide superior accuracy in support of ADAS.

There are several different Advanced Driver Assistance Systems available on the market. Some examples of such systems are:

• In-vehicle navigation systems and portable navigation systems (typically a GPS)
• Adaptive cruise control (ACC)
• Lane change assistance, including lane departure warnings
• Collision warning systems
• Adaptive cruise control or speed alert
• Intelligent speed adaptation or intelligent speed advice (ISA)
• Nnight vision
• Pedestrian protection systems
• Automatic parking
• Traffic sign recognition
• Blind spot detection
• Driver drowsiness detection
• Car-to-car communication
• Adaptive headlights

Not sure what any of these mean? Below are a few in-depth descriptions of a few of the listed Advanced Driver Assistance Systems to help you gain a better understanding of what these systems are, how they can contribute to vehicle safety, and how they can enhance your driving experience.

ADAS Descriptions
Adaptive headlights are electromechanical-controlled headlights that ensure optimum illumination of roadways. This helps drivers at night and in other situations with poor visibility. Adaptive headlights enable drivers to better see roads, curves, hills, pedestrians, lanes, stopped vehicles, animals, and more.

Speed Alert Systems alert the driver with audio, visual, and/or haptic feedback when the driver’s speed exceeds a limit set by the driver. These systems can also alert the driver when they exceed the legal speed limit. Maintaining appropriate speed can decrease the risk and consequences of road accidents.

Lane Change Assistance alerts a driver of a lane departure. It is automatically triggered when the driver mistakenly allows the vehicle to stray out of his or her lane. These systems promote vehicle safety and can reduce the likelihood and severity of head-on or side collisions.

Blind Spot Detection are great tools for road safety. Using the rear-view mirror and side mirrors leave drivers with blind spots on both sides of the vehicle. While wide angle side mirrors can help reduce these areas, blind spot detection systems can provide more superior detection. These systems use camera techniques with image processing and/or radar sensors to provide better information about blind spots and possible obstacles. Blind spot detection systems make drivers more aware of their surroundings and vehicles in close proximity; thus, ultimately preventing side collisions.

The future of road safety technology lies in the development of new Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The automotive industry has already developed a wide variety of safety devices aimed at protecting passengers in the event of a collision. From airbags to reinforced car structures and controlled crush zones, many technologies have been developed that increase a person’s chances of surviving a crash. In fact, the number of deaths relative to the total U.S. population has declined 35.5 percent between 1979 and 2005. However, an average of 103 individuals still died in car crashes each day in 2008. That’s one crash-related death every 14 minutes.

But in the field of conventional vehicle safety measures, there’s not much new ground to cover. The next step in vehicle safety technology is not about crash readiness, but crash prevention and ADAS technologies are leading the way.

ADAS refers to a category of vehicle safety systems characterized by their focus on predictive safety technology. Many tech companies and auto manufacturers are currently working on developing a variety of ADAS systems. Some of these include various in-vehicle navigation systems that use GPS technology to provide up-to-date traffic information, lane change assistance systems, and adaptive cruise control technologies.

All of these require accurate mapping technology in order to function. Companies like Intermap Technologies are working to provide car manufacturers with ways of allowing vehicles to obtain accurate data regarding the conditions of the road ahead. Accurate road geometries are essential to the successful implementation of predictive safety systems. Intermap’s program has managed to produce accurate 3D road vectors that will enable the implementation of better ADAS technologies by providing accurate road and elevation data of upcoming terrain.

Headlight steering is one example of ADAS technology enabled by 3D road vectors. Currently, the headlights on some vehicles respond to the steering itself, turning with the steering wheel. NEXTMap-based road vectors can allow a car’s headlights to automatically rotate when approaching curves (left or right) and grades (up or down) to provide the driver with better visibility.

Accurate mapping can also help in the creation of better lane-keeping systems that can anticipate threatening situations and warn drivers of possible hazards, and, in extreme situations, even brake and maneuver the car out of danger.