We must pool car sensor data to solve parking problems on the road

Has there ever been a more exciting time in the automotive industry? Whether you want to call it “the start of a revolution” like Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, or the “onset of a second machine age” like Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler – automakers are going through a profound transition.

Changing consumer demands and habits, connectivity and a proliferation of sensor data are changing mobility as we know it. Aaron Dannenbring, Senior Vice President Core Map Group at HERE, the location cloud company, believe future opportunities lie in harnessing the diverse data derived from the “Internet of Things” ecosystem. This would enable the creation of services and use cases we all want to see – more accurate parking information, traffic and hazard warning systems and automated driving. But, this requires a seamless flow of data that can be collected and shared quickly in a cost-effective and secure manner.

Today, however, we are faced with a lot of data silos. Most data generated by the car stays in the car. Traffic signaling data stays inside traffic management centers. This makes it currently impossible to achieve the scale of data needed to create effective services that the parking and other industries could fully benefit from.

Dannenbring therefore calls for more collaboration around data across the industries: “There needs to be a means by which we can pool certain data into a single system for our collective benefit – for safer roads, more enjoyable driving and so on – while at the same time of course enabling businesses to drive more, and meaningful, differentiation in services.”

It’s for this reason that HERE kicked off an initiative last year to discuss a common format for vehicle sensor data and how it is delivered to the cloud. This would be a first step towards crowd-sourcing data that could tell a driver where the closest available parking space is.

We need to look beyond vehicle data and also consider road infrastructure such as traffic sensors, traffic lights, and other connected devices.

In this context Aaron described a fundamental change in the role of maps and location technology. Rather than merely being a “feature” in cars, location is becoming the common denominator across all data types and transforming into a fundamental enabler for new types of services. Only an open and independent location cloud like HERE can help businesses and governments worldwide unlock the full value of all the available data, by serving as the independent custodian of data and intelligently linking the different elements.

About Here

HERE, the location cloud company, enables rich, real-time location applications and experiences for consumers, vehicles, enterprises and cities. HERE is backed by a consortium of leading automotive companies.

To learn more about us, including our work in the areas of connected and automated driving, visit http://360.here.com.