New tech will provide detailed maps for UK business

The innovative mapping technique could be used in the development of smart city infrastructure.
9 January 2019

CEO of Mobileye Amnon Shashua (L) and Intel CEO Brian Krzanich (R) at CES 2019. Source: AFP.

Intel-owned automotive camera-based mapping company Mobileye and the UK’s national mapping agency Ordnance Survey (OS) have teamed up to bring high-precision location data to UK agencies and businesses.

Announced at CES 2019, OS will pair its leading geospatial and mapping technology with Mobileye’s specialist equipment, creating what’s aimed to be a new, accurate and customizable location information service to business customers across energy, infrastructure, and other sectors.

The deal demonstrates the utility of Mobileye’s mapping innovation beyond its bread and butter, autonomous vehicles. The project could prove the value of location data in new market segments, such as smart cities, as components become more feasible with the forthcoming rollout of 5G.

“Using maps to improve operations between businesses and cities will help bring us closer to the realization of smart cities and safer roads,” said the President and CEO of Mobileye, Amnon Shashua.

With data anonymized for privacy, businesses and governments can tap into this data for their own benefits as well.

Using the Mobileye technology, vehicles will gather sizable volumes of location data on road networks and roadside infrastructure.

The collected data is then cross-referenced with existing geospatial data sets, such as OS MasterMap, to help develop accurate maps of Britain’s roads and surrounding areas with “amazing detail and precision”, says Mobileye.

As a result, the pair can offer customized solutions derived from the location intelligence, empowering companies in both existing and developing industries to run a smarter, better-connected business.

Utility companies, for example, could use the service to maintain the precise location of their assets on the ground, such as manhole covers, lamp posts, telephone poles and more.

CEO of OS, Neil Ackroyd, said that the company will continue to invest in Computer Aided Verification (CAV) services, 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

“One key, and common, learning is that detailed and accurate geospatial data is a must for the success of these projects. We envisage this new rich data to be key to how vehicles, infrastructure, people and more will communicate in the digital age,” he added.