Why is the ODD important?
The safety of automated vehicles heavily depends on the ODD. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SEA), the ODD generally defines when, where, and under what conditions an automated vehicle is designed to operate, or, specifically, those conditions in which it can't operate. Different vehicle types will have varying rules of automation and management. For example, it may be riskier for a fully loaded truck to be automated when transporting materials during rush hours. On the other hand, personal vehicles that operate in lighter traffic won’t have to face the same issue and may therefore have a higher degree of automation.
Automakers also need to account for the local road regulations and weather conditions, which vary per region and country. As the industry moves further towards automation, we prioritize safety more than ever, and ODD goes hand in hand with AD.
Filling the gap in AD technology
Highly accurate and efficient maps are another integral part of automation. Always working to make roads safer, at TomTom we apply our TomTom HD Map data to manage the ODD for safer automated driving. The result is an original, industry-first product called RoadCheck. RoadCheck enables automakers to prohibit vehicles from activating driving automation functions in potentially dangerous areas and allow it in safer areas.
