Fraunhofer IPM awarded for development of AI tool that creates smart planning maps

Fraunhofer IPM has developed a tool which automatically interprets 3D environmental data using artificial intelligence methods to generate smart planning maps. Baden-Württemberg Minister of Economic Affairs, Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, has crowned the team of researchers “AI Champions Baden-Württemberg” for their innovative development.

Most new traffic routes and cable trays are nowadays planned using digital maps, but creating these maps is a complex process: Necessary planning information must be added to a conventional building area map. For example, where are there trees, streetlights or garbage cans? What has been used to pave the road? Could there be any railway lines to look out for? All these snippets of information are collected during on-site visits using 3D measurement technology. Experts then manually sift through, interpret and add them to the maps. It’s a long, drawn out process. An AI based solution, developed by Fraunhofer IPM, now allows for both automated data interpretation and integration into smart maps for the first time. These maps lay the foundations for a fully automated planning process.