Exclusive | Tencent-backed mapmaker NavInfo building high-definition map of Singapore for autonomous cars

  • NavInfo has mapped 210,000 kilometres of highway in China, or five times the circumference of Earth

Sarah Daiin Beijing
FK1J06 Tree lined street, Singapore [09AUGUST2018 LIFE_SINGNATION] CREDIT: ALAMY

Singapore’s tree-lined streets may provide much-needed shade and respite from its unrelenting heat, but the same green cover is making it tougher for mapping companies like NavInfo to create the sort of precise maps that cars can use to drive themselves in future.

The tree cover obscures satellite imaging, while wayward tree branches and leaves may block road signs and make it harder for the roof-mounted cameras from capturing the surroundings needed to create a 3D hi-definition map, according to NavInfo.

Print option is available for subscribers only.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.