NAVER LABS is taking part in public-private partnerships with 17 public agencies and private enterprises, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, National Geographic Information Institute, Korea Expressway Corporation and other pertinent enterprises, to build and update its HD map for autonomous driving vehicles.
HD maps, while being themselves “sensors” for autonomous driving vehicles, are an essential infrastructure that can act as the “brain” for autonomous driving vehicles. NAVER LABS has recognized the importance of HD maps for autonomous driving vehicles and has been focusing its research on HD maps. Since 2017, NAVER LABS has been testing autonomous driving vehicles on actual roads after being granted a permit for provisional autonomous driving operations by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. NAVER LABS is advancing new autonomous driving solutions, such as the technology to stably ascertain locations in cities with high-rise buildings based on HD maps. In particular, at CES 2019, NAVER LABS introduced its ingenious HD mapping solution called “Hybrid HD Map,” which combines aerial photographs and MMS data.
Through an MOU, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will support research and pilot projects to arrange for a joint establishment system, while the Road Management Authority will cooperate in establishing and updating major roads and sections of the pilot project. NAVER LABS has partnered up with many private enterprises as well, and plans to take part in partnerships with many public agencies and private enterprises to build self-driving infrastructures based on research accumulated so far.