AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
MANUFACTURERS
What concerns for safety and privacy might cities
have that manufacturers should listen to?
In a nod to privacy concerns, the AV Guidance
promulgated the Privacy Principles for Vehicle
Technologies and Services, an industry- written
document prepared in 2014 by the Alliance of
Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of
Global Automakers.8 Cities should consider their own
safety and privacy concerns that are not reflected in
these principles, and push for these guidelines to reflect
all stakeholder’s concerns. By working with cities,
manufacturers benefit from clear expectations related to
privacy and public records requests. Such policies also
promote transparency which benefits public outreach
and support for innovative partnerships.
How can cities benefit from an anonymous data
sharing mechanism between manufacturers?
As part of the future steps NHTSA envisions, the agency
wants to establish a platform for manufacturers to
share anonymized data from their vehicles.9 These
vast amounts of data are a potential boon, which cities
will be well placed to take advantage of if properly
developed and managed. Such data could be used for
traffic control, public utilities monitoring, road safety
evaluation, and identifying infrastructure needs to
support the safe, effective, and efficient deployment
of AVs. For example, imagine a city control center
getting a real-time notification from a car the moment
it encounters a pothole – that could be the future of
public road maintenance.
In a nod in this direction, Uber announced the creation
of Movement, its data-sharing platform for cities, in
January 2017.10 Subsequently, the New York City
Taxi and Limousine Commission passed a ruling
requiring ride-hailing companies to provide the
city with more specific data, including pick-up and
drop-off locations.11 Cities should consider their data
needs, and the relationship they seek to build with AV
manufacturers as well as transit platforms and other
mobility providers.
All parties will need to be satisfied with the security
of the data being handled, as well as the level of
transparency and good faith. While it is unlikely that
AV manufacturers and transit platforms will divulge
proprietary data to every municipal jurisdiction they
travel through, cities can push for anonymized and
private raw data remittance between AVs and their state
DOT, requiring their DOTs to share high priority data with
municipalities. This will allow for a more centralized and
controlled remittance of raw data, while still ensuring
access to cities, large and small. Ultimately, data sharing
and analysis should be a partnership, which will benefit
both cities and manufacturers in determining what is
needed for safe deployment and how benefits can be
maximized for residents.
GOVLINK » ISSUE 2 2017
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