BMW Group enhances road safety by sharing anonymised traffic data.

Eindhoven / Munich. At the ITS Congress in Eindhoven,
the BMW Group, together with partners from politics and the automotive
industry, as well as service providers, launched the first pilot of a
neutral server platform for the exchange of safety-relevant traffic
data. The aim is to increase traffic safety: To achieve this, data
collected via vehicle sensors is combined with further relevant data
to provide traffic users with accurate warnings. As of 1 July, the BMW
Group will also be the first car manufacturer to make its
safety-relevant traffic data available to anyone under a Creative
Commons licence1.
“The Neutral Server project is
the first of its kind and we are proud to blaze this trail with our
partners. When it comes to road safety, there are no competitors, only
partners. Sharing traffic data and vehicle networking via
C-V2X2 can immediately and extensively improve safety for
all road users,” explains Christoph Grote, Senior Vice-President
Electronics, BMW Group.

 

Innovative European pilot project to improve road safety

In collaboration with the EU Data Task Force set up by the European
Commission, the BMW Group, Daimler, Ford, Volvo, HERE Technologies,
TomTom and state governments have launched the first pilot of a
neutral server to exchange and combine data. This innovative road
safety improvement initiative collects real-time and other
safety-relevant data generated by vehicle sensors, which can be
provided through a standardised interface, based on the principle of
reciprocity: Those who share safety-relevant data in return receive
services to improve road safety.

 

BMW Group will also provide traffic data to anyone without
licence fees.

From 1 July, the BMW Group will be the first automobile manufacturer
to make safety-relevant traffic data available under the Creative
Commons licensing model. In this way, the company seeks to promote an
open ecosystem that will improve road safety in Europe. The data
provided will include real-time information collected by the BMW
Group’s vehicle fleet – for instance, on hazards such as wet or icy
roads, poor visibility or stalled vehicles. BMW Group customers
already benefit from their own Local Hazard Warning service, which
transmits relevant warnings to the vehicle in real time via the
integrated mobile network interface. Going forward, every BMW and MINI
driver who provides anonymised data will be helping improve overall
road safety. From 1 July safety-relevant traffic data will be made
available via the HERE Open Location Platform. In this way, interested
third parties, from institutions to start-ups, will be able to use
this data without having to pay licence fees. The BMW Group regards
road safety as an important aspect of social responsibility.

 


1CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

2C-V2X: Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything


 

The Data Task Force includes the following organisations:

EU Member States: The Netherlands, Ministry of Infrastructure and
Water Management; Spain, Ministry of Home Affairs La Subdirección
General de Gestión de la Movilidad DGT; Finland, Transport and
Communications Agency TRAFICOM; Germany, Federal Ministry of Transport
and Digital Infrastructure and Luxembourg, Ministry of the Economy.

Service Providers: HERE Europe B.V. and TomTom Traffic B.V.

Vehicle Manufacturers: BMW AG; Ford Smart Mobility Ltd; Mercedes
Benz; Volvo Cars