Data in Use
Radar images from TerraSAR-X or Sentinel-1, as well as precise weather data to compute the tropospheric delay that appeared during the SAR image data extraction; sensor data from the vehicle.

Service summary
The idea is for a new vehicle navigation system that works independently of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). It will navigate by landmarks that are easily visible from the road, whose positions will be derived precisely from radar remote-sensing satellites and stored in a database in the vehicle. Modern cars have a variety of sensors on board that could be used to detect these landmarks and determine their own position.

Customer Benefit
The combination of this technique with GNSS will lead to higher system integrity and reliability, which is important in applications requiring a high level of safety (e.g. autonomous cars). It can be used in ships, road and off-road vehicles, and planes.

The Expertise
«The winner has successfully merged the two worlds of Earth observation and automotive technology. He proposed a novel solution that utilises innovative remote-sensing mechanisms and crowdsourcing to provide a promising component of high-precision positioning for highly automated driving.»

Benjamin Krebs
Innovation Strategy and Management, Connected Drive
BMW AG

 

Contact
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Hartmut Runge
hartmut.runge@dlr.de
www.dlr.de