mapping
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NVIDIA to buy autonomous vehicle mapping company DeepMap
NVIDIA has acquired DeepMap, a company that makes high-definition mapping technology for self-driving cars.
Apple is using Subaru Imprezas with old garbage-can Mac Pros to map the US
Apple's 3D Vision team uses a fleet of white Subaru Imprezas equipped with high-res cameras and LiDAR scanners to gather 3D images for Apple Maps.
Neato’s robotic D10 vacuum uses LIDAR-based navigation
Neato’s newest robotic vacuum, the Neato D10, uses LIDAR-based mapping technology and a HEPA filter.
Google Maps is tracking the spread of America's wildfires hour by hour
As wildfires continue to tear through parts of California and Colorado, Google has launched new tools to help people stay informed about their progress. Starting today, Google search queries for information about the fires will turn up more than just news stories and alerts -- they'll also display maps of the fires' boundaries. The Google Maps app will display the same wildfire boundaries to people attempting to enjoy the height of summer nearby, and will also provide warnings and "ambient alerts" to those who begin to approach affected areas.
Almost a fifth of Earth's ocean floor has been mapped
Scientists have mapped nearly a fifth of the Earth's ocean floor, taking a big step forward for everything from biological studies to internet access.
Ford shares a year's worth of self-driving car data
Ford is releasing a comprehensive self-driving dataset to help academics and researchers.
USGS releases first complete geologic map of the Moon
The USGS has made it easy to study the Moon's surface by releasing the first comprehensive geologic map of the lunar landscape.
Google Maps for iOS and Android is getting a makeover
Google Maps was launched 15 years ago this week (in beta, of course). Not surprisingly, Google is using this as an opportunity to launch a few new updates to its massive mapping service. For starters, Maps has a new icon, a four-color take on the location "pin" that has been part of Google Maps for years now. More meaningful to users though are some changes to the Google Maps app that make it a bit simpler and smarter.
Google Earth's new creation tools help you tell stories
Google Earth offered community tour-building features for a while, but the attention shifted to professional "Voyager" stories after the big redesign in 2017. Now, however, Google is swinging its attention back to stories from everyday users. It's introducing creation tools in Google Earth's web version to help you tell your own tales. You can draw place markers, lines and shapes, attach your own media (including full-screen slides) and choose specific 3D or Street View angles. Chain these items together and you can create tours that reflect your personal narrative, or even the 'hidden' history that doesn't always show up in textbooks.
MIT and Ford help delivery robots navigate to your doorstep
In order for delivery robots to drop your takeout, package or meal-kit at the door, they'll need to be able to find the door. In most cases, that requires mapping a location in advance so that the robot knows where to go. But to do that on a large scale is challenging and raises security and privacy concerns. Now, a team of engineers from MIT and Ford Motor Company think they might have an answer. They've created a technique that allows robots to navigate via clues, rather than maps.
Waymo cars will start mapping streets in Los Angeles
Waymo might just expand its self-driving car service to southern California... eventually. The Alphabet company's cars will start mapping some Los Angeles streets this week to explore the possibility of fitting autonomous vehicles into the city's "dynamic transportation environment." The firm told Engadget that its initial effort will be limited to three cars in the downtown area and the Miracle Mile, but that still raise the possibility of seeing a modified Pacifica cruising down the boulevard.
FCC hopes to fix its broadband maps with more precise data
More than a few people have qualms with the accuracy of the FCC's broadband coverage maps, and the regulator appears to be taking those objections somewhat seriously. It's ordering the creation of a Digital Opportunity Data Collection that would obtain "more granular" geospatial coverage data from fixed broadband providers. The knowledge would inform higher-accuracy maps and help the FCC determine where it can improve internet access through the Universal Service Fund.
Facebook used its AI smarts to build detailed disease prevention maps
Facebook has created highly detailed population maps to help health organizations, researchers and universities tackle disease outbreaks and plan public health campaigns. They focus on population density with demographic estimates, how people move and network coverage.
Google Maps lets some users create public events
You might soon have an easy way to let Google Maps users know when you're hosting a big get-together. Android Police has discovered that Google is quietly giving at least some Android users the option to create public events. If you have it, you can go to the Contribute tab and create a party, a meet-up or another public gathering, complete with optional descriptions, categories and web links.
Toyota experiment uses cameras to create city maps for self-driving cars
Self-driving cars usually benefit from having detailed road maps, but creating those maps can be agonizingly slow when it requires cars loaded with exotic hardware. Toyota researchers and Carmera might have an easier solution: use off-the-shelf cameras to get the job done. They're planning a "proof of concept" project where they'll use both Toyota Safety Sense-based cameras and run-of-the-mill dashcams to generate map data in downtown Tokyo. The months-long experiment will mix visual and existing digital map data to spot road markings, curbs and other details an autonomous vehicle would need to recognize while plotting its route.
Here is developing a car navigation system powered by Alexa
Here is building some kind of in-car navigation system powered by Amazon's Alexa assistant. The new "one-stop solution for automakers," called Here Navigation On-Demand, will be sold to manufacturers as (shudder) software-as-a-service. In layman's terms, that means it will sit on top of existing infotainment platforms and operating systems. Details are light at the moment, but Here says it will be a truly "voice-first car navigation experience that keeps users focused on the road." We also know that the software will leverage Alexa Auto, the development kit that Amazon released last August, to give drivers personalized advice. "Our work with Amazon will drive a truly differentiated and delightful user experience," Edzard Overbeek, CEO of Here Technologies said.
Apple is using backpacks to collect map data in San Francisco
Apple's quest to improve Maps' accuracy appears to include some on-foot action. Former Engadget writer Dante Cesa has posted photos of an Apple Maps worker carrying a backpack loaded with cameras, LiDAR sensors and other equipment as he walked through San Francisco. It's not certain what the exact goal was, but MacRumors speculated that he was collecting details for pedestrian directions.
Here attacks Google Maps with new freemium website plan
When visiting the website for a local restaurant or other small business, you'll likely see Google Maps embedded to show the location. Developers of such sites were recently thrown for a loop, however, when Google announced new, more expensive pricing and demanded a credit card and Google Cloud account for all API access to Maps. To profit from this discord, Here has unveiled a new "freemium" plan that offers many more free "transactions" (page loads) than Google Maps, with no need to provide a credit card.
Niantic is building AR maps with help from 'Pokémon Go' players
Niantic may have split from Google years ago, but there's a little bit of Google culture left -- namely, the Maps part. The developer told Reuters that it's planning to create 3D augmented reality maps with the help of Pokémon Go players' cameras. Gamers would help map public spaces (such as parks and plazas) so that the AR experience could extend to the entire environment, not just characters. And crucially, these wouldn't be limited to Niantic's own games -- the company hopes to offer these AR maps to third-party developers.
Uber’s battle to get your car to arrive on time
Maps were essential to the exploration of the world. Most of our history books are filled with people who decided to go out into the abyss with just an inkling of what they would find, usually based on incomplete or even nonexistent charts. Uber and other ride-hailing systems started a bit like that, creating a business that relied on regular people driving other regular people around. It wasn't completely uncharted -- we've had taxis and their illegal counterparts, "pirate taxis," forever. Today, everything an Uber car or driver does is mapped, catalogued and analyzed. Not because Uber wants to or because it's exploring strange new worlds but because it needs to.
