Just yesterday, we reported Ford has developed a V2V system for hazard reporting which alerts other drivers and vehicles to upcoming problems. Today it's the turn of Nokia-owned location intelligence and mapping specialists, HERE, who are testing a simpler but more readily-available solution for drivers to report problems on the road. 

Whereas Ford uses a complicated system which automatically detects problems and sends the information to other vehicles using the best possible connectivity option, HERE lets drivers report problems using a mobile phone app over regular 4G/LTE networks. The use of a standard network is an impressive feat itself, as it represents the first C-ITS (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems) deployment without any additional roadside infrastructure. 

HERE are conducting the initial tests in Helsinki, Finland with the aim of improving how road problems which can affect a drivers' journey or safety – including slippery roads / black ice, unexpected obstacles on the road, road works, and traffic accidents – are subsequently reported and distributed to others. 

The video below demonstrates how the research team at HERE achieve this: 

Reporting traffic conditions needs to be fast to ensure all drivers receive the relevant information ahead of time. HERE's researchers have achieved an impressive turnaround – from a driver reporting an incident to other drivers receiving it – of less than five seconds. 

Kimmo Kauvo, senior scientist at VTT, reports success: “The goals were met in this proof of concept test, because all messages were sent and received at the correct time and to the correct place.” 

The project will begin an initial rollout in Finland over the next two years, but HERE is already in talks to conduct trials in other countries. Because the solution is based on C-ITS it's quite inexpensive compared to other solutions and can be scaled to requirement with relative ease. 

Kimmo continues: “This was a small but vital part of the whole project chain. This technical assessment verified that technically the whole data chain works with a limited set of mobile devices in a real environment using an operational cellular network." 

“The HERE team is gradually scaling up the tests from the beginning of the next year towards proper large-scale user tests with up to 2,000 users in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark,” he added. 

For more information about the project, visit their website here. 

What do you think about HERE's trials into hazard reporting? Let us know in the comments.