Lanelet2 HD Map

Lanelet2 is a high-definition map format for autonomous driving. It describes a road not as a line but as lanes: every lane has its own left and right borders, neighbors, direction and rules — a speed limit, for instance. The format is built on OSM XML syntax, so the file is human-readable and opens in JOSM.

Such maps are what a trajectory planner needs: so that the car or the simulator understands where exactly it may drive, where a lane leads and at what speed. Lanelet2 is the standard map format in Autoware and AWSIM, and it is also understood by the lanelet2 library and research tools.

Our export builds lanes from OSM road centerlines: the number of lanes is taken from the lanes tag or from the road type, the lane width is 3.5 meters, and the speed limit is derived from the maxspeed tag or from the same road type and written as a separate regulatory element. One-way streets are taken into account. The output is a single .osm file in Lanelet2 markup.

Honestly about its status: this is a map derived from centerlines, not the result of a mobile laser scanning survey. Real lane widths, road markings, stop lines, traffic lights and elevations are absent from OSM — and absent from the file. For research, simulation and prototypes that is enough; for driving on public roads an HD map is surveyed separately.