LAVER LABS

NAVER LABS is introducing ALIKE, a city-level digital twin data development solution.

A digital twin is a replica of the real world in a digital environment. In particular, digital twin data of cities is an important element for smart cities, autonomous driving, service robots, XR, and metaverses. In addition, active public-private investment is taking place to give intelligence to cities. However, the fundamental obstacle is that cities are wide and complex. Therefore, developing a digital twin for a city is both time-consuming and costly. That is why a more innovative method is needed.

The most distinctive characteristic of ALIKE is that it can create core data such as 3D models, road layouts, and HD maps of a city using aerial photos and AI. While significantly reducing production time and process, the solution can secure high precision rate and diverse application range.

Production process and application areas for each data type are as follows: First, ALIKE 3D is used to create 3D models of cities. The key is using aerial photos. Thousands of photographs obtained by scanning the entire city are restored into a 3D city through photogrammetry, like magic. This 3D model can be used as a simulator to address various urban issues, and is important for smart city development.

At the same time, ALIKE RD is used to perform precise extraction of an entire city’s road layout. With AI technologies such as deep learning and computer vision, we can automatically extract road marker information and lane information. As the completed road layouts are highly precise, enough to provide lane-level guidance, this solution can be used for diverse mobility services or research on city-wide transportation systems.

Finally, ALIKE HD is used to create HD maps for autonomous vehicles. This method significantly reduces production time compared to commonly used MMS (mobile mapping system)-based HD mapping. Of course, NAVER LABS also uses its own MMS vehicle R1, but with greatly reduced data collection and processing procedures by utilizing road layout and localization data extracted by ALIKE RD. This method maximizes HD map production efficiency of intricately intertwined urban roads rather than simple, long stretches of highways.

So far, NAVER LABS’ original digital twin technology and devices have been receiving worldwide attention. At CES 2019, we presented a digital twin of a large-scale indoor area using our mapping robot M1, and of an entire city created with hybrid HD mapping technology. Moreover, NAVER LABS and the Seoul Metropolitan Government jointly developed and released the 3D model of the entire Seoul area. NAVER LABS is continuously distributing our latest digital twin datasets to research groups, free of cost, to seek joint growth. With the increase in collaboration requests regarding NAVER LABS’ city-level digital twin technology, we’ve upgraded and integrated our internalized technologies into ALIKE, to meet demands. This solution is used for HD map development collaboration and our smart city project with NAVER CLOUD.

As mentioned at the beginning, digital twin is fundamentally a replica of reality. This replicated world contains infinite possibility for a new future. We will be able to address urban issues with a new perspective through simulations, provide convenience with various innovative mobility services, and create a safe and comfortable future-oriented city with autonomous driving technology and automated transportation systems. ALIKE is a solution that replicates reality, connecting it to the future.