Qld government must have detailed maps to keep driverless cars on track

If self-driving cars are to become common on our roads, governments need to actively partner with private companies to develop the digital infrastructure to support them.

That is the finding of a major Queensland government-commissioned report into the feasibility of driverless cars on our roads, the latest step in a long-term investigation into the viability of the technology.

The Renault ZOE electric car used for the joint QUT-Queensland Government autonomous car trial.

The report was put together by researchers from the Queensland University of Technology, led by Professor Michael Milford, and reviewed the existing research on the topic in different countries around the world.

Professor Milford said it confirmed their belief that extremely detailed high-definition maps are needed to make self-driving cars safe and functional in the short to medium term.

“We found that, unlike core autonomous vehicle technology driven primarily by tech companies, governments could and have been more involved in the discussion of how HD maps are created, used and maintained, especially in continents like Europe,” he said.

“This is exciting from a technology standpoint because there’s still the possibility of further home-grown HD mapping developments in a collaboration between government, private industry and the research sector.”

The newly released report recommends governments work with companies which already work in the space, specifically various GPS navigation companies, to generate high quality maps covering relevant areas.

They highlight that an issue with this plan is that Australia as a market may not be large enough to encourage those companies to invest in generating the maps on their own, and government incentives including grants may be needed.

The Queensland Transport and Main Roads Department has been working with QUT, technology company iMove and the RACQ on the project.

TMR director-general Neil Scales said the research was an important stepping stone to eventually having genuine driverless cars on the roads in the future.

“The Queensland government is committed to the future of automated vehicles and this review has given us a better understanding of the role we play in managing the technologies associated with it,” he said.

“We want to eliminate serious trauma on Queensland roads, automated vehicles will play a significant role in achieving this vision.”

There are no fully autonomous cars on Queensland roads, with most cars billed as “self-driving” still requiring a human driver to be ready to take over control of the vehicle if needed.

It was hoped fully autonomous cars could result in fewer accidents due to a lack of human error.

QUT and iMove have previously done research showing extremely detailed maps would be required for self-driving cars to safely function, in combination with sensors to avoid unexpected obstacles.

The report can be publicly accessed at the iMove website.