Connected Digital Roads

This project aims to make the link between Digital Roads and Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) a reality. Working with the vehicle supply chain, we will carry out a pilot to demonstrate the effectiveness of an Open Mobility Services Platform (OMSP) to make real time information seamlessly available to CAV. The corresponding in-vehicle systems will use this information to improve safety, congestion and experience for the road user. The OMSP will provide a level of reliability to enable CAVs to adapt to changes in operational conditions. It will disseminate data such as variable speed limit information in real time from Highways England systems in a format suitable to vehicles. The vehicles will then be able to: (1) Reliably provide advance advice to the drivers / occupants of the dynamic speed limit through Connected Road Sign Information (Connected RSI), (2) Independently decide how to use this information to dynamically adapt vehicle speeds using advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), paving the way for Connected Assisted Driving (CAD). Delivery of the pilot will be in 2 stages: Stage 1: Collaboration with Volvo to demonstrate the effectiveness of Connected RSI directly in the vehicle. This will ensure that the data from the Highways England NTIS system is formatted and suitably enriched for the consumption of a commercially available standard production car on a live motorway. Stage 2: Collaboration with AVL to extend on Stage 1 with the demonstration of the benefits of having reliable and real time dynamic speed limit information. This is achieved by dynamically and safely adapting the vehicle’s adaptive cruise control in line with the live speed limit and operational conditions. Key activities of the pilot to establish a proven OMSP will include: - Definition of requirements and technical specifications to develop and evaluate the success of the system and pilot - Development and integration of information transmission and on-board (in-vehicle) units alongside development of a product safety file (for simulated, off and on road tests) - Off road testing in a controlled environment to validate the safety file - Formal on-road testing on the Strategic Road Network using live Highways England data - Knowledge transfer to support Highways England as an intelligent client