Development kit from Civil Maps enables 3D mapping for autonomous vehicles

Civil Maps, a company specializing in 3Dmapping for autonomous vehicles, has announced the release of the Atlas DevKit platform, a hardware and software offering that enables the creation and conversion of sensordata into 3D semantic map data.

The reference kit, a car-mounted hardware unit and its companion software suite, are designed for self-driving car developers and others seeking to build and utilize machine-readable maps that can be crowd sourced. The hardware is made up of third-party sensors that include LIDAR, cameras, measurement systems, and communication devices in a self-contained, plug-and-play package. Civil Maps—a company that Ford invested in for its ability to develop high-resolution 3D maps of autonomous vehicle environments.

"Advanced localization, map creation, and crowdsourcing of maps are key challenges facing those hoping to test and deploy autonomous vehicle technology," said Sravan Puttagunta, Co-founder and CEO of Civil Maps. "The Atlas DevKit platform accelerates the pace of innovation by enabling developers to quickly and economically localize vehicles, build dynamic maps, and crowdsource that critical information with other cars in real-time."

The Atlas DevKit platform will start at $20,000 as part of a research and development (R&D) contract with the company. Since Fall 2017, automotive R&D teams have used the kit in three continents.

"Installation and usage is easy," noted Civil Maps in its press release. "Developers simply mount the kit to a car’s roof rack and use it with Civil Maps’machine learning software. Rather than utilizing expensive, custom-built solutions that can take months to deploy, R&D teams are able to start mapping immediately."

The platform runs on a single board ARM processor and features advanced localization in 6 dimensions (x, y, z, roll, pitch, yaw) within 10 cm accuracy. It features a data footprint of +/- 120 kb per km, multi-sensor compatibility, and 4G for remoted provisioning.

The Atlas DevKit was recently recognized as an Innovation Honoree in the Vehicle Intelligence category of the 2017 CES Innovation Awards. Those interested in the platform are encouraged to contact [email protected].

View more information on Civil Maps.

Share your vision-related news by contacting James Carroll, Senior Web Editor, Vision Systems Design

To receive news like this in your inbox, click here.

Join our LinkedIn group | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

Learn more: search the Vision Systems Design Buyer's Guide for companies, new products, press releases, and videos