Melbourne: A fleet of cars saddled with 3D mapping equipment and mounted with spatial technology are driving thousands of kilometres of Australian roads, as part of a trial of a Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS), which will deliver map accuracy to 10 centimetres and support the operations of autonomous vehicles. The trial, undertaken by HERE Technologies in partnership with the Australia and New Zealand Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI), is enabling the company to challenge conventional mapping processes and ensure the delivery of a high-definition (HD) map to support Highly Automated Driving (HAD), advance road vehicle safety and warnings, and improve traffic flow management in Australia and New Zealand. CRCSI CEO, Dr Graeme Kernich said SBAS technology has potential uses in a range of sectors, not least in ensuring Australia has the necessary infrastructure required for autonomous vehicles. "This trial is one important piece of the puzzle to enable a safe, efficient and sustainable future for Australia in an autonomous world," said Dr Kernich. "By pooling resources business, and government can create the infrastructure needed to support the transportation systems and cities of the future."

Uber just showed how committed it is to mapping the planet. The ridesharing outfit has started rolling out map cars in Singapore, putting the vehicles on five major continents (sorry, Antarctica, you'll have to wait). As in other cases, the cartographic cars are really driver rides with mapping tech on top to collect data based on real trips. Privacy shouldn't be an issue, Uber says -- they won't keep imagery from the end points of your trip, and what data they do collect won't be made public. The company is still a long way off from having comprehensive mapping data of its own.