The FZI Research Center for Information Technology

FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik

the company

The FZI Research Center for Information Technology is a non-profit institution for applied research in information technology and technology transfer focused on delivering businesses and public institutions with the latest research findings in information technology.  One of the main research focuses of the FZI is mobility: the institution is supporting the development of safe and environmentally-friendly autonomous driving.

the challenge

In 2018, FZI ceremonially opened Test Area Autonomous Driving Baden-Württemberg (TAF BW) in Karlsruhe, Germany. After 5 months of trial operation, this joint project of the State Government, research institutions, and municipalities of Baden-Württemberg officially went into operation. The test field can be used by autonomous car manufacturers to test their vehicles safely on real track before taking the vehicle out to the real world as well as research institutions that contribute to the development of automated driving. The FZI Research Center got in touch with our mapping expert to create a “digital twin” of this test field.

“Working with FZI has been especially important for us as some of our colleagues were previously working for this research institution”, says Dr. Henning Lategahn, founder and CEO of atlatec Gmbh.

“It is an honor for us to make our contribution to the research work of FZI and the safe future of autonomous mobility”.

the result

atlatec team acquired the data of the test-field using the atlatec sensor pod and created high-definition maps. A digital twin of the testing ground brings along several benefits for both the FZI and potential users: it allows interested parties (research institutions or OEMs) safe and reliable testing of their vehicles virtually before bringing the vehicle to the test-field. Also, the testing ground is not limited by the amounts of vehicles that are being tested at the same time.