NAVTEQ, a global provider of digital map data for location-based solutions and vehicle navigation, has released its new Map and Positioning Engine (MPE) Development Platform. The MPE Development Platform is a complete evaluation toolkit, available from NAVTEQ to accelerate the development of map-enhanced fuel efficiency and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) applications that are linked through the vehicle Controller Area Network (CAN) bus or even embedded in another sensor or electronic control unit.
The MPE Development Platform demonstrates the concept of an embedded ADAS map and electronic horizon in the vehicle to serve numerous applications ranging from driver assistance, to active safety to enhanced fuel economy and reduced greenhouse emission. With MPE these applications are possible on all vehicles, even when a navigation system or navigable map is not resident, the company states.
The MPE Development Platform is an extension of NAVTEQ's MPE Reference Solution. The toolkit includes the NAVTEQ MPE(TM) map, the patented NAVTEQ Electronic Horizon technology, a prototype MPE On-Board Unit (OBU) with GPS and software, GPS antenna and cables, and demonstration software for testing and evaluation of the MPE concept.
The prototype OBU, developed in cooperation with NAVTEQ MPE Reference Solution Partner Program member STMicroelectronics, is a working prototype of a single-board implementation of the MPE. STMicroelectronics is the first company to implement the MPE OBU, meeting the specifications of the MPE Reference Solution Specification. The OBU has also been pre-loaded with the NAVTEQ MPE map and MPE software modules, including vehicle positioning, map access layer, Electronic Horizon, ADAS Interface Specification (ADASIS) and CAN bus interface. This compact package includes all hardware, software and data necessary to implement the MPE. Additional OBU samples are available with the MPE Development Platform.
The key to the MPE reference solution, according to the company, is the compact NAVTEQ MPE(TM) map, a sub-set of the NAVTEQ map containing ADAS geometry and precise ADAS attributes, most notably precise slope and curvature calculations for demanding ADAS and fuel economy applications. NAVTEQ continues to expand the coverage of these data across North America and Western Europe.
"The response to NAVTEQ's MPE strategy has been very enthusiastic," says Bob Denaro, NAVTEQ vice president of ADAS, "The MPE brings the power of digital maps and predicted road hazards ahead to automotive sensors and control systems. With the MPE Development Platform, the design engineer and researcher can implement and test these concepts immediately and begin analyzing data from this new low-cost, small-footprint concept of how to bring digital maps to every class of vehicle."
