ROADVIEW is a four-year Horizon Europe innovation project funded by the European Union. Its goal is to develop reliable and cost-effective perception and decision-making systems for automated vehicles operating in severe weather conditions. The project brings together 15 partners, ranging from academic institutions to pioneering industrial companies.
The ROADVIEW project is currently being implemented in seven different countries. In Finland, several organizations are participating, including Lapland University of Applied Sciences, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and the National Land Survey of Finland.
Advian, a company specializing in geospatial data and advanced analytics, is collaborating with Lapland University of Applied Sciences in the project.
The cooperation between Advian and Lapland UAS is a significant example of how Finnish expertise contributes to the development of European intelligent transportation.
Autonomous driving in extreme conditions
ROADVIEW focuses on enabling autonomous driving to work just as reliably in fog, rain, and snow as in sunny weather.
This requires new approaches to AI-based sensor data classification and decision-making — and these are precisely the areas where Advian adds value to the project.
Advian’s role in the project – advanced analytics from massive data
Advian is involved in key parts of the project by bringing its strong expertise in sensor data analysis and data processing.
The ROADVIEW project collects vast amounts of point cloud data and other data such as images. This includes 3D point clouds generated from three LiDAR devices, along with motion data (IMU) and positioning data (GNSS).
The LiDAR devices produce about 80,000 points per frame. That means tens of thousands of images are available for automatic annotation (data classification)!
Advian's data experts classify the collected data according to the Semantic KITTI categories. Each point in the 3D point cloud is labeled with high precision.
In addition, classified point cloud data is used to identify pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.
Finally, all methods, tools, and procedures used are carefully documented so that the knowledge can be reused in future projects.
"The ROADVIEW project combines research and cutting-edge practical technology – it’s exactly the kind of environment where Advian’s data expertise shines," says Advian’s CEO Janne Honkonen.
“We’re working to ensure that systems can correctly interpret their surroundings even when visibility is zero."
Lapland UAS provides a testing platform for arctic conditions
Lapland University of Applied Sciences is responsible for implementing the project's virtual testing environments, which include the extreme conditions of Northern Finland.
"Lapland offers ROADVIEW a unique opportunity to validate system functionality in real-world conditions. Collaboration with Advian enhances Lapland UAS’s ability to leverage data efficiently and in a research-driven way," says Tuomas Herranen, a specialist at Lapland UAS.
Toward safe, intelligent, and weather-resilient automation
The aim of the ROADVIEW project is to reach a technological readiness level where automated driving works smoothly and safely, even under non-ideal conditions.
The project produces solutions that enable more accurate vehicle perception, more reliable positioning, and safer interaction with other road users – regardless of the weather.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. Project grant no. 101069576.
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