Major auto manufacturers and HERE take on Google Maps

Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are teaming up for the first time to share data generated by their cars, thanks to a project led by map tech company, HERE, which is jointly owned by the car manufacturers. The scheme sees the trio's cars fitted with an array of sensors, with data fed to the cloud and disseminated to other connected Audi, BMW and Mercedes' vehicles. While the technical hurdles are considerable, as the data extracted from each car is very different, creating a connected platform for all vehicles could lead to an Internet of Things for the automative universe.

Audi, BMW and Mercedes reached an agreement with the company "Here" to send real - time data from their cars and thus promote connectivity on the road. This formed alliance is for the further development of the brands' autonomous cars where maximum safety can now be achieved. It can also be the beginning of the development of flying cars.

Here: the intelligent mapping of the future

Earlier this year, we talked about "Here" intelligent mapping of the future Acquired jointly by Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz to Nokia for 2800 million euros. These maps are considered a key technology for the development of autonomous driving as it will provide cartographic data in real time and share it through the network too.

To advance towards the data-sharing network is one of the most important events to have occurred in the auto industry in recent months. This alliance is it succeed will hugely change the autonomous car industry and thousands of lives will be save. However, the road to developing this will be tough. The data from a BMW 3 Series are very different from those of a BMW 5 Series, and much more different are those of an Audi or Mercedes.

A Revolution Coming

The movement means a step up from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz to maintain control of the technology used on their cars at a time when technological giants such as Tesla, Apple and Google have introduced one foot in the automotive industry, possessing one of the most important assets in these times, the data and information.

The idea HERE is to establish a channel of communication between cars of different brands that will make a revolution. The idea of the connected car is to offer a huge range of services, the most important focused on security. Thus, if an Audi car found on its route a thick fog, or a tree that fell in the road, a broken car or an accident, it could warn nearby BMW and Mercedes-Benz equipped with this technology and prevent further collision or other accidents. Further processing of those information to create services, such as planning an alternative route to avoid traffic jam after an accident, will also be added.

As to when this technology will arrive, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz is positive that it will start testing soon, probably at the first half of 2017. And in 2018, HERE servers will be programmed on the three manufacturer cars and collect information.

It is also worth noting that Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are open for other car manufacturers to join them. If more brands will join this agreement, it will be easier to create a global data network that would enable the arrival of a safe and very efficient autonomous car. Time will tell if this is the way to go.