Bending the Curve of HD Maps Production for Autonomous Vehicle Applications in Taiwan

• Published in: IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing Vol. 15; pp. 8346 - 8359
• Main Authors: Chiang, Kai-Wei, Zeng, Jhih-Cing, Tsai, Meng-Lun, Darweesh, Hatem, Chen, Pin-Xu, Wang, Chi-Kuei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Piscataway IEEE 2022; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Autonomous navigation; Autonomous vehicles; Competitiveness; Conversion; Costs; Deformation; Driving; Format; Geophysics. Cosmic physics; HD map format conversion; HD map semiautomated production; HD map standardization; High definition; high-definition maps (HD maps); Ocean engineering; Point cloud compression; Production; QC801-809; Roads; Sensors; Standardization; TC1501-1800; Traffic signals; Traffic signs; Taiwan
• ISSN: 1939-1404; 2151-1535
• DOI: 10.1109/JSTARS.2022.3204306

Mapping technologies have improved over time, and autonomous driving techniques have advanced substantially over recent decades. High-definition (HD) maps are key for autonomous driving because of their accurate and rich interpretations of road scenes. HD maps provide information about road features, such as lane lines, centerlines, traffic signs, and traffic lights, to help autonomous vehicles navigate safely. HD maps have three major challenges: the standardization of the format of HD maps, conversion between map formats, and lack of techniques for automated HD map generation. These issues influence the costs of HD maps. Therefore, this article proposes strategies to overcome these challenges as well as control the cost with the support of the Ministry of the Interior in Taiwan. We established relevant HD map standards and guidelines to standardize the HD map production procedure. Additionally, we contribute to developing semiautomated HD map production tool to enhance the efficiency of HD map production. Another contribution is to develop HD map format conversion tool to satisfy the map requirement for different end-user. This project not only promotes the development of the Taiwanese autonomous driving industry but also increases its international competitiveness.