On the Self-Driving Car's Taste in Maps

The navigational software of successful driverless cars will make Google Maps seem like child's play. But can such a system replace or improve upon human instinct and adaptability?

1 minute read

March 19, 2015, 10:00 AM PDT

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Google Self-Driving Car

Roman Boed / Flickr

If the driverless car becomes a reality, its mapping programs will require far more subtlety than Google Maps for the human driver. Emily Badger reports on the challenges autonomous vehicles might face. 

As self-driving cars face the open road, the devil is in the details. From the article: "When cars are processing this information, each lane must be individually modeled. The car will need to know that you can't turn left from the right lane (or right from the left lane). Such maps would have to include the slope and precise curvature of each little bit of roadway, as well as the elevation (so that, for instance, a car knows where it is and what to do here). These maps would have to convey which roads travel one-way at rush hour, and exactly when, which intersections have stop signs instead of stop lights, which streets have bike lanes and on-street parking. They'll need to know the exact width of each lane, and every change in lane markings."

Companies such as HERE are developing software to encode and continually update this information, drawing on sensors mounted on driverless cars themselves. Of course, whether such a system can ever reliably replace the human driver is up for debate. 

Monday, March 9, 2015 in The Washington Post - Wonkblog

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Yellow electric school bus with preteen students exiting.

California Invests Additional $5M in Electric School Buses

The state wants to electrify all of its school bus fleets by 2035.

3 hours ago - Associated Press

City Hall building in Austin, Texas.

Austin Launches $2M Homelessness Prevention Fund

A new grant program from the city’s Homeless Strategy Office will fund rental assistance and supportive services.

4 hours ago - Spectrum Local News

Brick school building with mid-sized tree on front lawn.

Alabama School Forestry Initiative Brings Trees to Schoolyards

Trees can improve physical and mental health for students and commnity members.

5 hours ago - Governing