UniMap: revolutionizing how maps are created, updated and used

HERE has launched a system to create maps automatically that enables changes detected in the physical reality to become visible on the map within 24 hours.

It stores all data in a single, semantically-aligned environment and enables customers to combine and connect data sets.

UniMap, available to selected customers from this year and generally released in 2024, is designed to deliver high levels of freshness, quality and coverage.

It has been developed over the past three years by HERE along with customers including BMW Group.

UniMap is running on the HERE platform. It contains the entire HERE map and can be used by customers to rapidly create their own private maps and customized location services.

Giovanni Lanfranchi, Senior Vice President and Chief Product & Technology Officer, HERE, said: “Ever since we started out mapping California in the mid-1980s, we've been seeking to shrink the time it takes to detect a real-world change, reflect it in the map and get it into the hands of our customers. The turnaround time in our industry has typically been measured in months.

“With UniMap, we provide anytime access to a unified map that's refreshed in hours, minutes or seconds. This is a big leap forward for anyone building applications that use location data."

A new era

UniMap uses AI models to automate the processing of 500 million kilometers of vehicle probe and sensor data every hour, to extract map features such as 2D and 3D positioning of road signs, to validate speed limits and to build missing road geometry.

Thanks to automation, changes in the physical environment have the ability to be detected and shown on the map within 24 hours.

UniMap is made up of multiple types of data — including vehicle cameras and lidar to overhead imagery and IoT sensor data.

“With UniMap, the world is moving into a new era of mapmaking," said HERE CEO Edzard Overbeek. “We look forward to extending the benefits of UniMap to all our customers in automated transportation, smart logistics, urban mobility and beyond."