BMW Group enhances road safety by sharing anonymised traffic data.

At the ITS Congress in Eindhoven, the BMW Group, together with partners from politics and the automotive industry, as well as service providers, launched the first pilot of a neutral server platform for the exchange of safety-relevant traffic data. The aim is to increase traffic safety: To achieve this, data collected via vehicle sensors is combined with further relevant data to provide traffic users with accurate warnings. As of 1 July, the BMW Group will also be the first car manufacturer to make its safety-relevant traffic data available to anyone under a Creative Commons licence¹.
“The Neutral Server project is the first of its kind and we are proud to blaze this trail with our partners. When it comes to road safety, there are no competitors, only partners. Sharing traffic data and vehicle networking via C-V2X² can immediately and extensively improve safety for all road users,” explains Christoph Grote, Senior Vice-President Electronics, BMW Group.

Innovative European pilot project to improve road safety. 

In collaboration with the EU Data Task Force set up by the European Commission, the BMW Group, Daimler, Ford, Volvo, HERE Technologies, TomTom and state governments have launched the first pilot of a neutral server to exchange and combine data. This innovative road safety improvement initiative collects real-time and other safety-relevant data generated by vehicle sensors, which can be provided through a standardised interface, based on the principle of reciprocity: Those who share safety-relevant data in return receive services to improve road safety.

BMW Group will also provide traffic data to anyone without licence fees.

From 1 July, the BMW Group will be the first automobile manufacturer to make safety-relevant traffic data available under the Creative Commons licensing model. In this way, the company seeks to promote an open ecosystem that will improve road safety in Europe. The data provided will include real-time information collected by the BMW Group’s vehicle fleet – for instance, on hazards such as wet or icy roads, poor visibility or stalled vehicles. BMW Group customers already benefit from their own Local Hazard Warning service, which transmits relevant warnings to the vehicle in real time via the integrated mobile network interface. Going forward, every BMW and MINI driver who provides anonymised data will be helping improve overall road safety. From 1 July safety-relevant traffic data will be made available via the HERE Open Location Platform. In this way, interested third parties, from institutions to start-ups, will be able to use this data without having to pay licence fees. The BMW Group regards road safety as an important aspect of social responsibility.

¹CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

²C-V2X: Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything

The Data Task Force includes the following organisations:

EU Member States: The Netherlands, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management; Spain, Ministry of Home Affairs La Subdirección General de Gestión de la Movilidad DGT; Finland, Transport and Communications Agency TRAFICOM; Germany, Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and Luxembourg, Ministry of the Economy.

Service Providers: HERE Europe B.V. and TomTom Traffic B.V.

Vehicle Manufacturers: BMW AG; Ford Smart Mobility Ltd; Mercedes Benz; Volvo Cars