Dubai government is dedicated to providing state-of-the-art facilities to the residents including fast and secure public transport. The government regularly launches new projects to elevate the standards of this system. Recently, a street mapping project was launched in Dubai that will help driverless vehicles in the near future. The mapping will allow the AI system in modern cars to navigate on the streets of the Emirate accurately without human intervention.
Let’s discuss the street mapping for driverless vehicles in more detail.
What is Street Mapping
Street mapping is a process of digitisation of street maps of an area. This ensures that the street names, road structure, routes and places around the road are shown accurately on digital maps. The core purpose of this is to help self-driving cars in navigating accurately through different routes without human input.
Street Mapping in Dubai
Recently, the Dubai Municipality announced the street mapping for driverless cars across the Emirate. This will help create highly accurate and precise digital maps for the cars operated by AI. A surge was observed in street mapping after the success of the Tesla Autopilot system.
The government is doing street mapping to prepare for the launch of driverless taxis in Dubai by next year. The authority aims to increase the number of self-driving taxis to 4,000 by 2030. These taxis will work autonomously and exclude the need for human input in travelling in and around the Emirate. This is a practical step towards the vision of making 25% of transport driverless by the end of the decade.
Vehicles Used for Street Mapping
According to RTA, in July 2022, two Chevrolet Bolt EVs will cruise around Dubai to complete street mapping. Initially, the vehicles driven by specialist drivers will navigate through the streets of Jumeirah.
The EVs are equipped with LiDAR, cameras and other sensors that will aid in collecting physical environment data. This data will be used to create and maintain a high-resolution map of Dubai. The map will benefit society in the near future by reducing traffic congestion and increasing vehicle safety. Other than that, there are many other benefits that autonomous vehicles will deliver.
Benefits of Autonomous Driving Vehicles in Dubai
As mentioned above, the government initiated the street mapping project to facilitate autonomous driving vehicles. Now, you may wonder why the government is incurring such massive efforts in self-driving vehicles despite having an effective transport system.
Here are some benefits of autonomous driving vehicles that will help answer the question.
Practical Steps Towards RTA’s Vision
Other than the government’s vision of reducing carbon emissions and creating an eco-friendly state, RTA Dubai also has its strategic plan. This plan consists of multiple projects that will aid in the government’s vision including the introduction of driverless vehicles. It also catered to the RTA’s first and last-mile strategy.
Reduction in Traffic Congestion
The self-driving vehicles can contribute significantly to the reduction of traffic congestion. The AI system is programmed differently from the human mind and can end the chain reactions caused due to the mistake of drivers.
Along with this, autonomous public transport will be capable of transporting large amounts of passengers in a limited time. Dubai Metro is the prime example of autonomous driving public transport in the region.
Enhanced Traffic Safety
According to RTA, human error is the major reason behind 90% of accidents. The introduction of autonomous public transport will help in reducing this number, as the error ratio of machines is much reduced. Moreover, these vehicles will serve as an innovative transportation solution for the residents of Dubai.
This was all about the street mapping for driverless vehicles. This street mapping will aid in creating a precise digital map for better navigation of driverless cars in the UAE. Autonomous driving vehicles can be considered the future of the transportation industry. In fact, a number of modern vehicles are now equipped with autopilot (semi-autonomous) systems. If you are still driving your old car, it’s time to browse through these used cars for sale in Dubai and upgrade your vehicle.
Stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blog for more information on road mapping for driverless vehicles.
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