Various methods are provided for facilitating map update to an environment map using gradient thresholding. One example method may include detecting an observed feature associated with a first feature decay and generating an interpolated feature that approximates the observed feature associated with a second decay. The method also includes determining a gradient difference between the interpolated feature and a stored map feature. The stored map feature represents an encoding of the observed feature associated with a third decay associated with an environment map. The method also includes determining a relationship between the gradient difference and a feature gradient update threshold, and, based upon the relationship, updating the environment map by at least replacing the map feature representation associated with the environment map with the approximated feature representation.

A method includes retrieving a map of a 3D geometry of an environment the map including a plurality of non-spatial attribute values each corresponding to one of a plurality of non-spatial attributes and indicative of a plurality of non-spatial sensor readings acquired throughout the environment, receiving a plurality of sensor readings from a device within the environment wherein each of the sensor readings corresponds to at least one of the non-spatial attributes and matching the plurality of received sensor readings to at least one location in the map to produce a determined sensor location.

Feedback for map information is based on an integrated navigation solution for a device within a moving platform using obtained motion sensor data from a sensor assembly of the device, obtained radar measurements for the platform and obtained map information for an environment encompassing the platform. An integrated navigation solution is generated based at least in part on the obtained motion sensor data using a nonlinear state estimation technique that uses a nonlinear measurement model for radar measurements. The map information is assessed based at least in part on the integrated navigation solution and radar measurements so that feedback for the map information can be provided.

A system, method, and computer-readable storage medium are disclosed that execute machine vision operations to categorize a locality. At least one embodiment accesses a map image of a locality, where the map image includes geographical artefacts corresponding to entities within the locality; analyzes the map image to detect the entities in the locality using the geographical artefacts; assigns entity classes to detected entities in the locality; assigns a locality score to the locality based on entity classes included in the locality; retrieves street view images for one or more of the detected entities in the locality; and analyzes street view images of the detected entities to assign one or more further classifications to the detected entities. Other embodiments include corresponding computer systems, apparatus, and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, each configured to perform the actions of the method.

A method of simplifying a digital map for display is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a digital map for a geographical region, the digital map being organized into a plurality of raw map tiles associated with a plurality of sub-regions of the geographical region; retrieving configuration data related to visibility to humans for simplifying the digital map; identifying one or more features from each of the plurality of raw map tiles, each feature corresponding to a cluster of pixels, at least two features corresponding to a common pixel; generating a specific modified map tile for a particular raw map tile based on the configuration data by assigning a maximum of all values of pixels of certain features associated with the particular raw map tile that correspond to one or more common pixels to at least one pixel of the one or more common pixels not already having the maximum as a value.

Among other things, we describe techniques for detecting objects in the environment surrounding a vehicle. A computer system is configured to receive a set of measurements from a sensor of a vehicle. The set of measurements includes a plurality of data points that represent a plurality of objects in a 3D space surrounding the vehicle. The system divides the 3D space into a plurality of pillars. The system then assigns each data point of the plurality of data points to a pillar in the plurality of pillars. The system generates a pseudo-image based on the plurality of pillars. The pseudo-image includes, for each pillar of the plurality of pillars, a corresponding feature representation of data points assigned to the pillar. The system detects the plurality of objects based on an analysis of the pseudo-image. The system then operates the vehicle based upon the detecting of the objects.

The disclosure relates to a method of predicting one or more road attributes. The method may include providing trajectory data of a geographical area. The method may further include providing map data, wherein the map data may include image data of the geographical area. The method may further include extracting trajectory features from the trajectory data and extracting map features from the map data. The method may further include using at least one processor to predict road attributes by inputting the trajectory features and the map features in a neural network and by classifying an output of the neural network into prediction probabilities of the road attributes. The disclosure also relates to a data processing system; to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code; and to a method of training an automated predictor.

Provided herein is topic modeling involving multiple topic models being combined to create high-dimensional knowledge reference systems, the creation of detailed, multi-scale base maps from large numbers of documents, and analytical operators that integrate reference systems and base maps to enable search, visualization, and analytics on text documents.

This document discloses system, method, and computer program product embodiments for operating an autonomous vehicle (AV). For example, the method includes performing the following operations by a muxing tool when AV is deployed within a particular geographic area in a real-world environment: receiving perception data that is representative of at least one actual object which is perceived while AV is deployed within the particular geographic area in a real-world environment; receiving simulation data that represents a simulated object that could be perceived by AV in the real-world environment and that was generated using a simulation scenario which is selected from a plurality of simulation scenarios based on at least one of the particular geographic area in which AV is currently located and a current operational state of AV; and generating augmented perception data by combining the simulation data with the perception data.

A computer system and related computer-implemented methods are disclosed. The system is programmed to simplify one or more digital maps for a geographical region by reducing their sizes while maintaining their physical appearances to the human eyes.