Free provision of precision road maps by the National Geographic Information Institute, support for autonomous vehicle research and development

A high-precision road map created to open the era of autonomous vehicles will be provided free of charge starting on the 29th.

The high-precision road map includes an electronic map (including 3D coordinates) produced with an accuracy of 25 cm that includes lanes (regulation lines, road boundaries, stop lines, and center lines), road facilities (median strips, tunnels, bridges, and underpasses), and sign facilities (traffic safety signs, road markings, and traffic signals) necessary for autonomous driving.

This is part of the follow-up measures to support the commercialization of autonomous vehicles announced at the 3rd Regulatory Reform Ministerial Meeting in May 2015.

The goal is to actively support not only automobile manufacturers but also academia and research institutes to conduct active research and development by distributing high-precision road maps free of charge, thereby contributing to the realization of the goal of commercializing autonomous vehicles by 2020.

▲Precision road map sample image (intersection)

As seen in the case of Google leading the research and development of self-driving cars based on maps and the recent acquisition of Nokia's map service 'Here' by three German automakers including BMW, high-precision maps are essential elements for self-driving cars along with various sensors such as global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and cameras.
Until now, automobile manufacturers, research institutes, and venture companies had to create high-precision maps themselves to research and develop autonomous vehicles, but there were many difficulties due to limitations in budget and technological capabilities.

Accordingly, the National Geographic Information Institute of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conducted a “Research on the Construction of a Precision Road Map to Support Autonomous Vehicles” project last year to establish efficient construction methods, technical criteria, and standards for precision road maps, and produced an accurate and standardized precision road map for the test operation section.

In addition, in order to collect opinions on the application of precision road maps, a cooperation meeting was held with related organizations including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, automobile manufacturers, the Korea Automobile Industry Association, and the Korea Automobile Safety Research Institute on the 28th of last month, and there are plans to make this a regular event in the future.
<br /> ▲Precision road map sample image (straight line section)

The scope of this disclosure is one section of the highway (42km) among the test operation sections, three sections of general national roads (186km), and the advanced driving test track (13km) of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority Automobile Safety Research Institute. The two sections of general roads that have not yet been built are planned to be manufactured and provided in the first half of this year.

The test operation section is one section of the expressway (Gyeongbu Expressway Seoul Tollgate-Singal Junction, Yeongdong Expressway Singal Junction-Hobop Junction, 42 km) and five sections of national highways (Suwon, Hwaseong, Yongin, Goyang, etc., 320 km).

The high-precision road map can be obtained by visiting the National Geographic Information Institute directly from February 29. The National Geographic Information Institute announced that it plans to produce a high-precision road map optimized for autonomous vehicles by collecting user opinions, such as applicability evaluations, along with providing the high-precision road map.