Sprint Curiosity IoT and Mapbox Precision Mapping for Autonomous Vehicles

Mapbox Vision utilizes Sprint Curiosity IoT's dedicated network to enable real-time updating of precision maps through a distributed network of sensors across the Sprint Curiosity IoT network.

"Smart machines need instant access to precision mapping technology with low latency, and Sprint's dedicated Curiosity IoT core - soon to be powered by Sprint's mobile 5G connectivity, can deliver that level of service," said Ivo Rook, senior vice president, IoT & Product Development at Sprint. "To make this possible, smart machines will need to be as fast as traditional human response times to make decisions the way a human driver might react."

Research firm Statista estimates there will be over 75 billion IoT devices worldwide by 2025. Sprint and Mapbox estimate this partnership relationship could enable many of these devices to leverage the power of real-time visual context in their services.

At the heart of this collaboration are the ubiquitous sensors and cameras that are part of camera-enabled autos, trucks, buses, and smart machines. Mapbox's Vision technology will capture changes along the roadway and use Curiosity IoT's edge computing to identify and characterize those changes. Together, these technologies will be able to both capture changes on roads and pathways and translate those into continuously updating maps using computer vision technology both on the mobile device and in the Curiosity IoT network cores.

Sprint 5G connectivity will allow high definition maps of the road network to be distributed, consumed, and updated seamlessly, providing automated vehicles and other mobility services with the live location data required to operate safely and efficiently. Maps will immediately adapt to their environment providing the most accurate and responsive location, routing, logistics, and other critical business, traffic, and public safety decisions.

"Sensors and cameras are everywhere, and this collaboration harnesses their ubiquity and power to provide live mapping capabilities at 5G scale," said Eric Gundersen, chief executive officer of Mapbox. "Mapbox Vision makes the Live Map possible, and this collaboration will lead to safer and more efficient traffic management for human, delivery, and machine transportation."

Those changes can then be integrated back into the digital map and distributed out to all users to provide a "live map" that reflects the real-time world. Mapbox's Vision SDK allows this computer vision technology to be integrated into a wide variety of navigation and driver safety application. These add visual input and real-time environmental information to Mapbox's precision mapping technology, allowing all intelligent machines to move at a level of precision never seen before.

Sprint and Mapbox: Real-time Updating, High Accuracy, & Precise Detail
Mapbox has pioneered the "Live Map"; a map built not from outdated surveys, but rather from data collected from hundreds of millions of location-enabled sensors that feedback information about the world in real time. The future demands fresh, precise maps—for humans and machines alike. The Mapbox Vision SDK, which is in private beta, unlocks a sophisticated suite of future-ready features, including augmented reality navigation experiences, context-aware safety alerts, and live mapping—turning cameras into powerful connected sensors. Mapbox uses AI to turn these massive data streams into a picture of real-time transit paths that can be used for precise, up-to-date routing.

Curiosity™ IoT with 5G: Driving the Connected Device Revolution
Curiosity IoT is creating the new standard in IoT which features device data intelligence, over-the-air device management and chip-to-cloud security. When coupled with Sprint mobile 5G technology, Curiosity IoT's dedicated, distributed and virtualized IoT core network will be capable of supporting artificial intelligence, robotics, edge computing, autonomous vehicles and other IoT systems requiring low-latency and high-bandwidth.