Companies race to dominate the world of maps for driverless cars

Self-driving cars are on the horizon, but the technology requires sophisticated maps to ensure that vehicles can navigate the roads safely. Right now, industry leaders are at work to ensure that Google -- currently ahead of the pack with its Google Maps service -- doesn't snatch the biggest slice of the pie. The maps that autonomous vehicles will use to navigate the roads need to be much more sophisticated than Google's current offering. A self-driving car needs more information than a human driver or a pedestrian, so various sensors and high-definition cameras are being used to chart the country's highways and byways. According to Bloomberg, Google is working on a 3D mapping project that would capture the landscape of hazards that a vehicle may face in much greater detail. The project goes way beyond what's currently available via Google Maps, but it's also distinct from the high-definition maps being created by Alphabet subsidiary Waymo.