Basemapping

Autonomous vehicles above level 3 will need detailed, real-time “basemaps”, or highly detailed and precise data that describe to the vehicle how much road it has to work with (ie. lane spacing), and where important infrastructure is (like traffic lights) and the capability to communicate with that infrastructure. Basemaps will need to be updated in real-time by the sensors of each vehicle travelling the roads, uploaded to and processed by nearby roadway infrastructure, and send back any critical updates (such as an obstruction in the road) to the vehicle. We hope the Wisconsin proving grounds will be the the site of a basemap breakthrough: a full picture of exactly how this process will work. It’s a process that’s critical to the wide scale deployment of AVs, yet there is no consensus on the best way to make it happen. We hope to change that.