Israeli tech from Intel’s Mobileye to help map Britain’s roads

Israeli technology is to be used to map Britain’s roads in preparation for smart cities and driverless cars, the Ordnance Survey mapping agency has announced.

Intel’s Mobileye, an Israeli company bought by the tech giant for £12 billion in 2017, is partnering Britain’s national mapping agency to record vast amounts of data about the country’s road network in preparation for tomorrow’s technology.

Ordnance Survey vehicles fitted with Mobileye cameras are set to criss-cross the nation’s arteries capturing high-precision information such as the location of overhead cables, traffic lights, drain covers, lamp posts and road markings. It will even record plants and trees growing near the road network.

The data will be important as the country moves to 5G broadband and as autonomous vehicles hit the roads, many fitted with Mobileye technology.

“This new rich data will be key to how vehicles, infrastructure and people communicate in the digital age,” said Ordnance Survey chief executive Neil Ackroyd. “Our partnership with Mobileye further enhances our commitment to supporting Britain as a world-leading centre for digital and tech excellence.”

Mobileye boss Professor Amnon Shashua said: “Using maps to improve operations between businesses and cities will help bring us closer to the realisation of smart cities and safer roads.”

The data will be cross-referenced with existing Ordnance Survey maps and follows a year of pilot projects between the two organisations. Once gathered, the data will be used by utility companies to help them maintain their infrastructure, such as roadside network boxes and underground assets.