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 Within the framework of a comprehensive pan-European research project called Safespot, research is now being conducted into how cars and trucks can communicate with one another and how infrastructure can be developed in what is known as a cooperative system for increased traffic safety. Co-funded by the European Commission Information Society and media and supported by EUCAR, Safespot aims to use the infrastructure and the vehicles as sources and destinations of safety-related information and develop an open, flexible and modular architecture and communication platform; develop the key enabling technologies including ad-hoc dynamic network, accurate relative localization and dynamic local traffic maps. Develop and test scenario-based applications to evaluate the impacts on road safety and define a sustainable deployment strategy for co-operative systems for road safety, evaluating also related liability, regulations and standardisation aspects.
Many trucks, for instance, are already equipped with GPS-based systems for navigation, or camera-based systems for lane changing. With the help of telematics, vehicles will now be able to communicate with each other in a system known as Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V). Moreover, it will also be possible for vehicles to communicate with the surrounding infrastructure (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure; V2I) to create a driving support system that enhances active safety. The Safespot project, starting in 2006, currently encompasses 51 participants from twelve European countries. Many of the major European vehicle manufacturers are involved, as well as suppliers, universities and road administration authorities, among others. Research is underway at six test centres in various parts of Europe, including in Dortmund (Germany) where Safespot's technical solutions undergo practical testing in urban conditions.
The basis of Safespot's co-operative system is three innovative technologies—Accurate Co-operative Localisation, Local Dynamic Maps and Ad-Hoc Communication Networking. In order to achieve the required degree of precision, GPS data is used, along with information from the vehicle's sensors and knowledge about the exact location of various fixed points in the landscape such as lamp-posts and roads, obtained from the system's Local Dynamic Map (LDM). LDM is a centralised database and the very heart of the system. It integrates information from a regular digital map with layers of information gathered from other vehicles or from the infrastructure, which is an entirely new way of working.
The Safespot project's technical solutions are still at the research stage. Before the project concludes in 2010, a lot of analysis must be carried out. A point that makes it impossible to predict when the co-operative systems will find their way as standard fitting in production vehicles. Safespot core group members include Daimler, Volvo Technologies, Renault, Magneti Marelli, Bosch, Cofiroute, ANAS, MIZAR and TNO. The core group members also include all the Safespot sub-project leaders and all major stakeholders involved in the SAFESPOT activities, represented by OEMs, suppliers, road operators and research centres.
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