EUROPEAN TRANSPORT CONFERENCE, Milan, Italy, 4 - 06 September 2023, pp.1-14
The development of autonomous vehicles and smart transportation systems rapidly
up the digital transformation processes in the transportation sector. The initial trials of
such transformations could be easily facilitated on campus sites due to a noncomplex
and safe environment compared to city centres. Integrating digital technologies into
campus infrastructure will improve transportation efficiency and the overall user
experience, especially for students, faculty, and visitors. It will also provide a test
environment for developing and utilizing the latest technologies related to autonomous
vehicles and intelligent transportation systems. One of the crucial components of this
transformation is the generation of a High-Definition Map (HD Map) that is essential
for autonomous vehicles to interact with their surroundings, as they allow them to
navigate safely and accurately. Hence, this study aims to facilitate the safe and
efficient operation of autonomous vehicles on campus roads by facilitating HD maps.
Data acquisition is a critical step for this production, where the necessary data is
obtained through mobile mapping systems. These are generally vehicles equipped
with a Global Navigation Satellite Systems receiver, panoramic camera, Inertial
Measurement Unit, Light Detection and Ranging device, and odometer sensors. For
this study, the Ayazağa Campus of Istanbul Technical University served as the pilot
area for data acquisition using such a novel system. The data obtained from this
process include point cloud data, panoramic photos, 3D coordinates, and timestamps
for each point. 4267 panoramic photos and 55 point cloud data (60 million points per
file) were collected along a road network of about 19 kilometres. However, some
challenges remain, such as the vast amount of data, different types of data, and data
fusion. These challenges, possible solutions, and lessons learned will be discussed in
this paper. Overall, aiding the operation of driverless vehicles represents an important
step towards a smart campus. The digital infrastructure generated through this study
will serve as a model and a test field for other campuses and cities that will follow a
similar approach to improve the overall transport experience for their users.