OpenDRIVE is an open format specification to describe a road network's logic. Its objective is to standardize the logical road description in order to facilitate the data exchange between different driving simulators.

The initial release of OpenDRIVE was version 0.7 in 2005, as of August 2010 the current release is version 1.3.

Overview

OpenDRIVE files are designed to describe entire road networks with respect to all data belonging to the road environment. They do not describe the entities acting on or interacting with the road. The OpenDRIVE data is made available to e.g. Vehicle Dynamics and Traffic Simulation via a layer of routines for the evaluation of the information contained in the OpenDRIVE file.

OpenDRIVE is managed by VIRES Simulationstechnologie GmbH and the OpenDRIVE community. The OpenDRIVE standard is reviewed and released by a core team of driving simulation experts. With the publication in 2006 members of BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

 Forschung und Technik GmbH, Daimler AG, DLR e.V., Fraunhofer-Institut

Fraunhofer Society

The Fraunhofer Society is a German research organization with 60 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science . It employs around 18,000, mainly scientists and engineers, with an annual research budget of about €1.65 billion...

 IVI, Krauss-Maffei

Krauss-Maffei

The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG or simply Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer and defence company based in Munich, Germany...

 Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG, Rheinmetal Defence Electronics GmbH and VIRES Simulationstechnologie GmbH joined the initiative. The associated website maintained by VIRES GmbH is intended to be the focal point for all activities involving OpenDRIVE.

Considering applications with a demand to road surface description, OpenDRIVE refers to special data structures holding these surface data. OpenCRG

OpenCRG

OpenCRG is a complete open source project including a tool-suite for the creation, modification and evaluation of road surfaces, and an open file format specification CRG...

 the microscopic brother is available taking care of the provision and evaluation of road surface descriptions. An implementation of OpenCRG into the OpenDRIVE file format specification has already been established in January 2008.

Founders

The OpenDRIVE initiative was started in 2005 by Daimler

Daimler

- Daimler with reference to motor vehicles :refers to:* Gottlieb Daimler , German automobile inventor- Business co-founded by Gottlieb Daimler :...

Driving Simulator, Stuttgart and VIRES Simulationstechnologie GmbH. With the publication of the initiative in 2006, other companies joined in so that OpenDRIVE is now being maintained by an international board.

Core Team

The OpenDRIVE® standard is reviewed and released by a core team of driving simulation experts. The team members as of January 2010 are (alphabetical order by company):
* Martin Strobl / BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH
* Hans Grezlikowski / Daimler AG, Germany
* Andreas Richter / Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., Germany
* Dr. Günther Nirschl / Fraunhofer-Institut IVI, Germany
* Ekkehard Klärner / Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
* Dr. Bernhard Bock / Rheinmetall Defence Electronics GmbH, Germany
* Ingmar Stel / TNO, Netherlands
* Marius Dupuis / VIRES Simulationstechnologie GmbH, Germany
* Mats Lidström / VTI, Sweden

Features

The OpenDRIVE® file format provides the following features:

• XML format
• hierarchical structure
• analytical definition of road geometry
• (plane elements, elevation, crossfall, lane width etc.)
• various types of lanes
• junctions incl. priorities
• logical inter-connection of lanes
• signs and signals incl. dependencies
• signal controllers (e.g. for junctions)
• road surface properties
• road and road-side objects
• user-defineable data beads
• etc.

Tools

The evaluation of the logics data can be simplified by using a library which can be linked to various applications and serves as the standard interface between the OpenDRIVE data contained in the XML files and the evaluation of the road data within the application. Tools for OpenDRIVE which are available via the website of VIRES Simulationstechnologie GmbH or linked sites of partners include:

Real-Time Road Evaluation Library

• e.g. OpenDRIVE Real-Time Library
  

  Road Designer

  • e.g. Road Designer ROD
    

    Traffic and Scenario Simulation

    • e.g. OpenDRIVE Traffic and Scenario Simulation
      

      Version History

      Project name	Format specification	Schema file	Release date
      OpenDRIVE	V 0.7	V 0.7	2005
      	V 1.1 Rev. D	V 1.1	2007-04-11
      	V 1.2 Rev. A	V 1.2	2008-01-06
      	V 1.3 Rev. C	V 1.3	2010-08-07

      
      

      External links

      • VIRES Simulationstechnologie GmbH
      • OpenCRG.org
      • OpenDRIVE.org
      • DSC 2010 Europe
      • DSC North America
      • www.modsim.org
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