Civil Maps, creator of the world’s first edge-based HD mapping and localization platform for self-driving cars (earlier post), has teamed up with Renovo, the software technology company behind AWare (earlier post), to provide highly automated vehicle makers and technology providers with seamless access to Civil Maps’ vehicular cognition stack.

Through this technical collaboration, self-driving systems and other automotive modules that integrate with Renovo’s AWare, the first OS built specifically for automated mobility, will be immediately compatible with several key aspects of Civil Maps’ platform, a lightweight, highly scalable solution to HD map creation, usage, and continental-scale crowdsourcing.

Moving forward, the two companies will work together to standardize abstraction layers that sit between Civil Maps’ mapping and localization systems and OEM sensor configurations, decision engines, human machine interfaces (HMIs), and control systems. This collaboration will result in a universal interface, architected by Renovo, that will provide plug-and-play compatibility with Civil Maps’ vehicular cognition stack for all other modules in the fast-growing AWare ecosystem, thereby providing significant time and cost savings for developers.

Interoperability is the right direction for the industry and we are excited to take this step forward with Renovo. By eliminating the painful exercise of each company doing the custom, one-off work of continually translating their software and hardware for other systems, we are removing a tremendous hurdle to production-scale AV deployment.

—Sravan Puttagunta, CEO and Co-founder of Civil Maps

Civil Maps joins a growing roster of leading companies compatible with and leveraging Renovo’s AWare OS including Samsung, Verizon, Velodyne LiDAR, Parsons, INRIX, Argus Cyber Security, Affectiva, Phantom Auto, Metamoto and others with a shared mission to develop and deploy fleets of highly automated vehicles by fostering innovation, collaboration and interoperability.

Renovo is expanding its own AWare-powered fleet of highly automated vehicles that operate in the San Jose, CA area to double digit numbers by the end of 2018. Civil Maps and Renovo will work closely on abstraction and integration standards using the Renovo fleet, sharing their work with customers in the fourth quarter of 2018.