Horizon 2020-funded inLane project combines the precision of Galileo with computer vision technology to create the next generation of in-vehicle navigation systems.
Although today’s in-vehicle navigation systems are great at 
getting us from Point A to Point B, they tend to lack the details. For example, all navigation systems currently on the market provide the user with reliable guidance, usually in the form of a simple line depicting the road and direction of travel. However, none provide lane-level positioning or map matching. Even when traveling on a multi-lane expressway, the navigation map only shows a single line.
The reason: these navigation devices use low-cost global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, meaning that they cannot provide the accurate positioning needed to depict multiple lanes. In order to provide more complex applications, such as lane-level information, lane-level navigation and scenario-based prioritised alerts, more accurate and reliable positioning is required.
To get this necessary level of accuracy, the Horizon 2020-funded inLane project is working to fuse the precision of Galileo with computer vision technology. By combining these two technologies, they plan to create the first low-cost, next-generation navigation system capable of providing lane-level and precise turn-by-turn navigation.
The inLane solution will also be able to detect new objects not currently displayed on the navigation map, such as a new traffic signal. When such an object is detected, the system sends this information to the back-end server. As the back-end server receives similar information from other vehicles, it will update the maps accordingly.
inLane, at a glance
By combining the precision of Galileo with computer vision technology, the inLane system will:
- deliver lane-level information to an in-vehicle navigation system
- give drivers the opportunity to select the optimal road lane, even in dense urban and extra-urban traffic
- reduce the risks associated with last-second lane changes
- enable a new generation of enhanced mapping information based on crowd sourcing.
“By delivering lane-level information to an in-vehicle navigation system, and combining this with the opportunity for vehicles to exchange information between themselves, drivers will be able to select the optimal lane for travel, even in dense traffic,” says the project’s Technical Coordinator Gorka Velez of VicomTech, one of the inLane consortium members. “With the inLane system, every driver will be able to choose the appropriate lane for exiting, thus reducing the risks associated with the last-second lane changes that are all too common on our busy expressways.”
In order to ensure the inLane system provides information that is useful to actual drivers, the project wants to hear from you. Via a short survey, the project wants to know how you currently use your in-vehicle navigation device. For example, do you get your guidance via the audio or visual cues, or both? It also asks what type of additional features you would find helpful, such as enhanced driver awareness, intelligent speed alerts, simple lane allocation, traffic sign notification, etc.
“The intention of this survey is to get people thinking about advanced driver assistance systems [ADAS] and how these will impact their driving experience,” says Velez. “By better understanding their expectations and concerns, we will be better positioned to design an end-user-focused ADAS.”
The survey, which can be found here, only takes a few minutes. As an added incentive, all participants can have their name entered in a draw for a chance to win a new TomTom G0520 navigation system! The deadline to participate is 30 March 2017.
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