Battle to win street maps heats up

Whoever owns the most detailed version of up-to-the-minute maps will own an asset worth billions

There are half a dozen autonomous cars mapping the same street corner in Silicon Valley on any given day and and these cars from different company are all doing the same thing. They are building high-definition street maps, which may eventually serve as an on-board navigation guide for driverless vehicles.

These companies converge where the law and weather are welcoming—or where they can get the most attention.  Autonomous cars require powerful sensors to see and advanced software to think. They especially need up-to-the-minute maps of every conceivable roadway to move. Whoever owns the most detailed and expansive version of these maps