NDS welcomes Steffen Kuhn as new OADF Speaker

Sustainable and future orientated mobility requires close cooperation with like-minded people to utilize synergies. Additionally, creative minds are needed to drive visions forward. We at NDS Association are excited to welcome Steffen Kuhn as the new speaker of the Open AutoDrive Forum (OADF). Steffen is Head of Consulting at esteemed NDS member Elektrobit Automotive GmbH.  

Instead of individual independent functions and systems, modern cars are all about the big picture. Different data formats and data standards must therefore increasingly work together. In addition to the Navigation Data Standard, there are several other standards that ensure the seamless flow of information required for vehicle assistance systems, automated driving, and other in-vehicle systems. For this reason, in 2015 the NDS Association and two other consortia from the automotive industry decided to coordinate on important issues relating to automated driving. The Open AutoDrive Forum (OADF) was founded as an open discussion platform to facilitate collaboration in the industry. Steffen Kuhn has been confirmed as the new Speaker by the OADF Steering Committee, representing ADASIS, NDS, SENSORiS, SIP-adus, TISA and TN-ITS. He succeeds András Csepinszky (Director of Advanced Automotive Technology AG NNG), who was previously OADF Speaker.

Steffen has been advising players in the automotive sector for over 20 years on topics such as functional safety, driving automation and development strategy. Within the OADF, Steffen Kuhn deals with the challenge of how maps can be used for safety-relevant functions of driving automation and how the OADF standards can contribute to this.

The OADF currently counts six members:

• ADASIS, specifying the data exchange interface to support Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) applications.
• NDS Association, the worldwide standard for map data in automotive eco-systems.
• SENSORIS, the interface specification for vehicle sensor data.
• SIP-adus, the Japanese cross-ministerial strategic innovation program focusing on mobility, reducing traffic congestion and accidents.
• TISA, specifing standards for traffic and travel information services and products based on RDS-TMC, TPEGTM, and others.
• TN-ITS, focusing on the exchange of government information on changes in static road attributes, e.g. based on road traffic regulations.

The OADF gives all stakeholders the opportunity to present their latest progress and challenges. OADF members jointly work on solutions across different standardization organizations and companies. The forum organizes meetings every three months on different continents. In between, task forces address challenges that have been identified previously. The forum meetings are open to all companies, consortia, academia, and individuals that are active in the field of automated driving. Participation is free.

NDS is looking forward to working with Steffen and wishes him all the best for the tasks ahead.The 20^th Open Auto Drive Forum Event will be held online on June 24, 2024, starting at 9 am CET