LBS

Ordnance Survey underpins UK driverless car testing

Ordnance Survey (OS) is one of 11 partners in OmniCAV, a £3.9m project to develop a world-first Artificial Intelligencebased simulation model for testing autonomous car safety. The simulation environment will feature a 32km circuit of Oxfordshire roads, covering rural, urban, main roads and intersections. The simulation will be used to create and run different scenarios for the safe testing of CAVs, and will support certification bodies, insurers and manufacturers.

OS will lead the capture, processing and serving of geospatial highresolution mapping data. This will include 3D geometry and information about the roadside assets and their characteristics, so that data standards and requirements can be developed for the real-world deployment and operation of CAVs. www.os.uk

Mapping startup for autonomous vehicles, raises $20 million

Carmera, a New York-based mapping and data analytics startup, has now raised $20 million in a Series B funding round led by GV, formerly known as Google Ventures. Carmera previously raised $6.5 million.

Carmera has an interesting business model, and one that’s likely attractive to investors looking for startups with a present-day revenue stream. The company describes itself as a street intelligence platform for autonomy. Its main product is the Carmera autonomous map, a highdefinition map for autonomous vehicle customers like automakers, suppliers and robotaxis. https://techcrunch.com

Telenav and Sionic Mobile strategic alliance

Telenav®, Inc. and Sionic Mobile, have entered into a strategic alliance agreement to bring localized in-car digital commerce and offers to drivers. Telenav’s LBS and mobile-advertising capabilities coupled with Sionic Mobile’s in-vehicle payment and order-ahead technologies, allow automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to bring a relevant, personalized commerce experience into the car to help drivers save time, money and effort on the road. www.telenav.com.

WaveSense launches the GPR Sensor for self-driving vehicles

WaveSense, Inc. has announced the commercialization of its patented militaryproven ground-penetrating radar (GPR) that significantly improves navigation safety and precision on any road by keeping self-driving vehicles precisely in-lane. The company has several pilots underway with leading global players in the automotive and technology sectors and is currently closing a $3M seed round led by Rhapsody Venture Partners.

WaveSense’s patented technology complements existing self-driving vehicle sensors – GPS/INS, radar, lidar, cameras – to keep vehicles precisely in-lane, especially in poor weather conditions including snow, rain and fog and where lane markings do not exist or are unclear and confusing. www.wavesense.io

HERE topples Google to become the world’s leading location platform

HERE Technologies has surpassed Google to become the world’s leading location platform, according to the latest ranking from Ovum.

Recently Ovum assessed 14 major location platform vendors, ranking them according to the mapping and technology they offer as well as the size of their reach across developer communities and industries. For the first time, HERE scored higher than Google in the overall ranking, boosted by advancements it has made in several areas.

Toyota and Uber Extend collaboration to automated vehicle technologies

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber) thave announced that they have agreed to expand their collaboration with the aim of advancing and bringing to market autonomous ride-sharing as a mobility service at scale. To accomplish this, technology from each company will be integrated into purpose-built Toyota vehicles to be deployed on Uber’s ridesharing network. www.toyota-global.com.

TomTom Go Essential

TomTom has announced the launch of the TomTom GO Essential – a featurepacked, connected sat nav with handsfree calling, voice control, compatibility with Siri voice recognition software and Google Now™ service, fully interactive screen and a magnetic mount. Also included are Lifetime Europe Maps and Traffic updates, with a six-month trial of TomTom Speed Cameras, making it easy to stay up to date on new roads and helping the driver to avoid traffic and fines.

Robert Bosch Venture Capital invests in DeepMap

Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC), the corporate venture capital company of the Bosch Group, has completed an investment in DeepMap Inc, a US start-up based in Palo Alto, California. DeepMap is a software company focused on solving the mapping and localization challenge for autonomous vehicles.

DeepMap is taking a novel approach within the mapping industry and allows different companies to create custom HD maps, which contain different characteristics and data structures. www.bosch-presse.de

Trooper™ II – Slender LTE/Wi- Fi/Multi-GNSS Antenna

PCTEL, Inc. has announced at APCO 2018 the next generation of its Trooper™ antenna, the company’s flagship multiband platform for public safety fleets. It provides optimal wireless communications performance through the antenna’s 4-port 4G LTE connections and 4×4 802.11ac Wi-Fi MIMO capability. It also incorporates PCTEL’s newest high rejection multi-GNSS technology for high precision tracking and asset management. www.pctel.com/