Japanese mapmaker Zenrin joins race to develop navigation guides for driverless cars

Tokyo

FROM cartographers on foot to gathering data from vehicles equipped with sensors, a Japanese company that started out making guides listing public hot spring baths is taking a leap into the world of autonomous driving.

Zenrin Co, Japan's biggest mapmaker which counts Google Inc and Toyota Motor Corp among its clients, intends to build on its knowledge of Japan's topography, which it has been honing for its seven decades in operation. To keep its edge and stave off competition, the company is working on a system to translate data gathered from vehicles mounted with cameras and other equipment in real time.