Mobile mapping … cutting-edge technology for the development of digital maps



Advantages of mobile mapping
The speed of capturing the imagery is the average driving speed on the roads and is not a function of the complexity to be mapped or verified. It is only a function of the traffic and the speed-limits. These driving speeds are therefore not limited to the interpretation-speed of a cartographer (since this is done in a post process). The frequency of verification of the real world can be up to 7 times higher versus traditional field verification methods, substantially increasing up-to-dateness and shortening the time-to-market.

A second major advantage of the mobile mapping process is that the system records the real world situation before the interpretation is done (from several angles). The approach overcomes the naturally limited performance of a human surveyor by shifting specific data collection and inspection activities to the office environment where human and computer resources can be optimally applied. Since we store reality in our imagery archive instead of recorded change detection of that reality, the real-world situation can be traced back and verified before an interpretation is done. This is a major advantage for the verification of the quality of the captured information, but it is also very useful to verify defect reports provided by customers.

One of the key benefits is that the data interpretation and the data processing are combined in one location, and executed with resources independent from the data collection activities. While the combination of data interpretation and data processing allows better quality, further improvements are realised by doing this interpretation of reality in-office and not under the strain of real traffic and the limited circumstances of the vehicle. Owing to the high speed capturing, benefits on product level can only be reaped when sufficient processing resources are at hand. Our large-scale production facilities offer us this advantage.

Because the position and orientation log of the MMS can be combined with the visual interpretation of lanes on the images, the system allows an accurate positioning and verification of road centrelines better than 1m positional accuracy (1s) and 2m (2s) (95% of all positional measurements have maximum deviation of 2m). The positional accuracy is also illustrated in the figure below comparing MMS logs with high-resolution georeferenced imagery.


Figure 5: MMS positional accuracy versus high resolution imagery

A major advantage of the mobile mapping process is that the captured high resolution ground images provide a geo-referenced source of new content which can be extracted in the production units at the required moment. The source is accurate, independent of interpretations and quality

Further information about Tele Atlas
Founded in 1984, Tele Atlas is a worldwide leading provider of digital maps and dynamic location content for a variety of navigation, location-based services and geospatial products and database solutions. Tele Atlas' database is a highly accurate reproduction of today's street network, enabling turn-by-turn route guidance on a high percentage of European, U.S. and Canadian roads as well as specific countries in Asia-Pacific.

Tele Atlas' compatibility with major navigation systems and its open system design have placed the company's technology at the heart of both consumer and business-to-business applications worldwide. From logistics to marketing to traffic and fleet management, in almost every sector of today's business and consumer world, Tele Atlas has built a reputation as an acknowledged pioneer and leader in the digital map industry. For more information, please visit www.teleatlas.com.

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