An organization like the NDS Association relies on the close cooperation of many clever minds from a wide variety of organizations. Our annual NDS Conference offers the opportunity to get into conversation, learn about new application examples, and, most importantly, look ahead to what the future holds.
As the automotive industry evolves rapidly, the NDS Association is fully committed to keeping our standards in step with these changes. A big part of this effort is driven by our Product Definition Group (PDG).
The PDG is the heart of our product management efforts within NDS. They’re responsible for shaping and updating our roadmap, making sure our specifications and tools are relevant not just for today, but for the challenges of tomorrow as well. By keeping a close eye on market trends, the PDG helps NDS stay at the forefront of automotive map data handling.
The PDG develops the NDS roadmap with a comprehensive approach, considering long-term strategic goals, key focus areas, market trends, and the needs of our members. They also take into account business cases, feedback from surveys, insights from conferences, and the results of collaborative efforts. This thoughtful process ensures our roadmap is always aligned with the changing needs of the automotive ecosystem.
Our NDS Roadmap is more than just a plan – it’s a high-level view of where we’re heading, laying out the strategic goals and key areas we aim to focus on over the next three years. By sharing these goals, we hope to inspire both automotive industry players and our members to actively contribute to the ongoing development of NDS, driving innovation and standardization.
The NDS High-Level Roadmap for 2024-2026 is full of exciting initiatives that reflect our vision for how map data will shape the future of the automotive industry. For instance, we’re working on a framework for NDS.Live Evaluation Services and planning to bring an AI chatbot to the NDS.Live Developer Portal to offer real-time, interactive support. We’re also looking at advancements in autonomous driving and simulation – especially in how to integrate simulation with real-world maps – and supporting the transition from Level 3 to Level 4 automation. We are also exploring how NDS.Live can enhance real-time information services and bring AI-powered location-intelligent assistants to in-vehicle infotainment systems. Additionally, the roadmap covers crucial areas like in-vehicle communication of map data, safety-related traffic information services, and implementing data security best practices in NDS.Live. Explore the table below for more details on these exciting developments.
| NDS High-Level Roadmap 2024 – 2026 | |||
| Focus | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
| NDS Developer Experience | • Framework for Evaluation Services • AI Chatbot for Developer Portal | ||
| Autonomous Mobility | • NDS.Live – OpenDRIVE converter • Driving Automation Restriction Layer | • Autonomous Trucking • ODD Transition from L3 to L4 | • NDS.Live for Robotaxi use cases • Enhancing Intelligent Perception & AI with NDS.Live |
| In-Vehicle Infotainment | • Real-time Information Services • AI-Powered Location-Intelligent Assistant | • Digital Marketplace Act – Impacts on Navigation | • Map-Based IVI Entertainment |
| Software- Defined Vehicle | • NDS.Live Interoperability • NDS.Live Extensibility | • In-vehicle Map Data Communication • Enhancing SDVs with NDS.Live | • Exploring Integration in COVESA |
| E-Mobility | Interoperability for EV Ecosystem | • Seamless EV Charging Roaming | |
| Safe Mobility | • Safety-Related Traffic Info Services • Data Security Best Practices | • Euro NCAP Assisted Driving • Cybersecurity Compliance | • Aligning with Euro NCAP Speed Assist 2026 |
| Smart Mobility | • Open Lane Referencing for C-ITS | • NDS.Live for Automotive IoT | |
In the NDS.Live Developer Portal you can find out more about today and future tools and features of NDS.Live.
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