Technology Partners

Our Team

Our Awards

Social Impact

Newsroom

Locations

Careers

About Us

Contact

Do Not Sell my Personal Information

Cookie Preferences

Culture Value Chain

iLabs Center for Innovation

Industries

Insights

Investor Relations

TELUS Digital is a subsidiary of: 

Privacy Shield Framework

Privacy Policy

Solutions

Subscribe to Newsletter

Website User Terms

WillowTree, a TELUS Digital Company

Icon facebook

Icon youtube

Icon linkedin

Technology

Financial Services & Fintech

Automotive

Healthcare

Communications & Media

Games

Retail & Ecommerce

Travel & Hospitality

infobrief

Guide

Resource Type Article

Article

case-studies thumb

Case Study

Preventing fraud for a global tech company in the travel and hospitality space image with fern in background

TI resource case 900x510

Video

whitepapers thumb

Research & Reports

brochures thumb

Brochure

Podcast Type Image

Podcast

Diagram of artificial intelligence systems in modern cars

car AI

In the dynamic world of automotive technology, the integration of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing vehicle safety, efficiency and autonomy. Using a network of cameras, radar and sensors, these systems create a real-time picture of the surroundings, enabling vehicles to react swiftly to potential dangers.

Core ADAS features such as automatic emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane departure warning (LDW) and blind spot detection (BSD) are becoming a requirement in the modern production of vehicles. Given their impact on the safety of humans, it's crucial that every manufacturer prioritizes the reliability and regulatory compliance of these systems. 

This is done through a robust field operational testing (FOT) program, with training data specifically created for ADAS model testing and validation. Since this process involves technical and operational investments that are outside of the strategic business focus of most manufacturers, many choose to partner with external solution providers capable of managing end-to-end FOT projects. This includes everything from sourcing vehicles and qualifying drivers, to planning routes and calibrating sensors, as well as specialized technical support for collecting, labeling and validating the data.

An FOT data collection program is a massive undertaking with many integral components. Read on to explore the processes involved in such a program, the importance of sourcing high-quality data and some key points to consider when selecting an optimal FOT data solution to enhance your ADAS.

The advanced drivers assistance systems circle of safety.

Beyond the drive: Considerations for top-tier FOT data collection programs

Embarking on a comprehensive FOT data collection program for ADAS and autonomous vehicles includes a number of considerations. Some of these include sourcing different vehicle types, fitting those vehicles with sensors, planning optimal routes with specified conditions and hiring experienced engineers, drivers and technical staff.

Beyond these practical considerations are some key criteria that often go overlooked when commencing this type of project. These include data bias concerns, data privacy considerations, the complexities involved in storing and managing such massive amounts of data and the expertise and tools needed to efficiently label the data.

Let's look at these four critical components in detail.

One of the biggest challenges in FOT data collection lies in ensuring the data collected accurately reflects real-world driving scenarios. Insufficient or biased data can lead to misinterpretations of cause and effect. As a result, your advanced driver assistance systems might struggle to adapt and perform safely in unforeseen driving situations.

One of the critical ways to combat bias in ADAS is to ensure that FOT datasets encompass diverse driving conditions, including various weather, lighting and road surfaces. For example, one of our client's projects required leveraging our expertise to hire multiple drivers, one acting as a driver and one as a co-driver, to drive in turns during both day and night, in various cars. Using our proprietary software, we optimized route planning to cover a wide range of cities and scenarios of interest in more than 30 countries — including Taiwan, Japan, the United States, South Korea and several countries in the European Union (EU) — with daily data collection schedules. The end result was high-quality data that was representative of a wide breadth of real-world scenarios.

For driver monitoring systems (DMS) and occupant monitoring systems (OMS), FOT data collection also includes monitoring the vehicle's interior, driver and passengers, as well as collecting in-cabin audio data for car assistants. To mitigate dataset bias, it's crucial that the vehicle's occupants represent diverse demographics. For example, to develop a driver monitoring system that accounted for diversity, we crowdsourced 400 global participants from our AI Community who satisfied demographic variances such as skin tone, physicality, ethnicity, age and gender for driver data collection. This eliminated the need to ship the vehicle and recording systems out of the country and provided data to develop gesture recognition and gaze-detection models.

FOT data includes potentially sensitive information such as personally identifiable information (PII), as well as information about drivers' destinations, routes and locations near their homes. Such video data, GPS information and vehicle data can pose significant privacy risks. Further, the data can often be subject to regulatory compliance. For example, FOT data often includes video footage of other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and passengers who haven't consented to being recorded. Under Article 4 of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), images showing faces and license plates are classified as personal data, making it critical to ensure collected data is well-protected and inaccessible to unauthorized parties.

Best practices for ensuring privacy protection and compliance with regulations such as the GDPR include implementing robust anonymization techniques, including:

Data masking, PII scrubbing and data aggregation to obscure personal identifiers.

Blurring faces and license plates in video footage to protect non-consenting individuals' identities.

Using end-to-end encryption for data storage and transmission and implementing strict access control mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication and access log audits.

Optimizing data collection by selectively gathering only essential data for ADAS functionality and storing it securely.

3. Meeting the computational and storage demands

Computational demands of real-world driving data collection present an operational challenge. Take for example the fact that a single vehicle equipped with six high-definition cameras and radar systems generates over 2 terabytes of data per hour. To effectively manage this massive and unpredictable influx of data, you need to implement storage systems like Azure data disks, external solid-state drives, AWS Snowball devices and cloud storage solutions. These storage systems can also scale efficiently with the increasing data volume and complexity.

Recently, we led a project mapping the city of Los Angeles using a vehicle moving at a speed below 20 miles per hour with minimal route repetition and a 50:50 ratio of night to day. To achieve this, we developed proprietary route planning software to avoid city route repetition and optimize the data collected to reduce computational overheads. Our enterprise-grade relationship with cloud storage providers helped us deliver one-week vehicle-to-cloud data transfer with a daily capture of 11 terabytes.

Further, a network of high-performance servers and storage is necessary to house the preprocessed and enriched data, which includes information on drivers, trips, situations encountered and performance indicators. Driving data collected in these projects usually amasses between 10-30 terabytes per day, running into hundreds of terabytes per week and reaching petabytes within a quarter. To adequately collect, store and transfer this data, the infrastructure requires careful orchestration, including the ability to schedule and manage all resources (e.g., storage, computing power and workforce) in a centralized location to maximize throughput and productivity. Additionally, regular technical maintenance tasks like data backups, software updates and hardware inspections are vital to prevent system failures and ensure smooth operation.

Recently, we collected roughly 125,000 miles of data across 30 countries, with a daily throughput of up to 7 terabytes per vehicle. Due to vast amounts of sensor data, video feeds and diagnostics generated by collection vehicles, the customer required robust data storage infrastructure and efficient data management techniques. To address this, we used Microsoft Azure to design a data storage and delivery solution. Leveraging Azure's capabilities, we implemented efficient data transfer and logging processes, ensuring seamless data management.

4. Transforming raw data into actionable insights

Ultimately, the raw data sourced during FOT data collection is just the beginning. This data needs preprocessing, which involves tasks like filtering, cleaning and enriching it with additional contextual data such as weather, traffic conditions and road classification.

The data labeling task for FOT involves a sophisticated and time-consuming process to extract and annotate relevant information about driving situations from the vast amount of data from various sensors (e.g., cameras, lidar and radar). It also requires a specialized workforce with the right skill set, including knowledge of driving rules and scenarios, attention to detail, good visual perception and the ability to follow complex guidelines. To increase the efficiency of this process, we leverage automated labeling from our industry-leading Ground Truth Studio (GTS) platform. With built-in project and user management tools, AI-enabled annotations and prelabeling and configurable workflows, GTS supports multiple data types such as image, video and 3D sensor fusion. Further, our data labeling work is carried out by thousands of annotators who continue to support ambitious labeling pipelines that drive global ADAS, autonomous vehicle and in-cabin technologies.

Leverage the benefits of working with a long-term ADAS data services partner

High-quality, vetted data is crucial to train and test your computer vision systems for navigating the complexities of the real world. Working with a partner that offers a comprehensive, fully-managed solution encompassing all of your automotive computer vision data collection and labeling needs can help. Such a partner can assist with everything from project management to scaling the workforce you need for collection and annotation to providing that workforce with efficient labeling tools.

Our global reach, supported by a robust partner network, enables us to conduct diverse and comprehensive data collection worldwide. To help reduce real-world testing costs and accelerate your ADAS development, we also offer a comprehensive library of curated and fully managed FOT datasets.

Leverage our team of AI and FOT specialists to design and execute robust automotive data collection programs that will help you build the future of safe and secure autonomous driving.

Contact our team of experts today to discuss your next ADAS enhancement project.

Discover the processes involved in field operations testing for enhancing advanced driver assistance systems and key considerations for program success.

Futuristic illustration of a car in motion, meant to symbolize AI technology in the automotive industry

adas

Check out our solutions

ADAS field operations testing: Four essential considerations for program success

On this episode, we ask big questions about how customer loyalty is formed — and how AI can be leveraged to build stronger connections with customers.

Episode cover image for Questions for now, a TELUS Digital podcast, featuring an illustrated character holding a tablet and giving a five-star rating as they receive support from an AI-powered bot.

Questions for now loyalty in the age of AI image

What does customer loyalty look like in the age of AI?

A PDF of the case study overlaying a green fern.

Maximizing profitability in telecom case study asset image

Streamline your operations with TELUS Digital

What to speak with a business process consulting expert?

Discover how TELUS Digital’s business process consulting experts helped a leading telecommunications company drive improvements in its customer service delivery and efficiency.

A professional woman looking down at a smart phone screen.

Maximizing profitability in telecom case study preview image

Streamline your operations

Maximizing profitability in telecom: leveraging customer insight for digital transformation excellence

A PDF of "The CCaaS breakthrough: Redefining customer interactions with AI" overlaying a green plant.

Frost & Sullivan - The CCaaS Breakthrough Executive Brief Preview Image

Explore the transformative potential of Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) solutions and learn how to navigate the evolving landscape of AI-driven customer interactions with this executive brief from Frost & Sullivan.

A closeup shot of a person typing on a keyboard. A digital representation of the computer screen appears above the keyboard that shows the user speaking with a chatbot.

Frost & Sullivan - CCaaS Breakthrough Executive Brief Hero Image

The CCaaS breakthrough: Redefining customer interactions with AI

Join Ajinkya Malasane, senior director, product strategy and marketing for TELUS Digital (formerly TELUS International), and Vikram Chatterji, co-founder and CEO of Galileo, a generative AI (GenAI) evaluation company, as they provide efficient and effective ways to solve key GenAI project blockers for easier deployments.

Video screen shot showing two people and a slide. 

Crafting production-grade GenAI applications - hero

Crafting production-grade GenAI applications

Discover how TELUS Digital helped a world-leading communications and technology company streamline workflows and enhance its quality standards by leveraging a cloud-native development strategy and advanced automation solutions, including AI-powered test-driven development (TDD).

An illustration representing the concept of cloud computing.

Optimizing app development with cloud-native solutions and automation

Achieve faster delivery, higher quality and cost efficiency in your software development

Optimizing application development with cloud-native solutions and automation

Global brands considering customer experience (CX) outsourcing locations have their eyes on South Africa. Learn why.

Photograph of Cape Town, South Africa at night

south africa

Why South Africa is ideal for CX outsourcing

Watch this recorded webinar from Everest Group and TELUS Digital (formerly TELUS International) for new insights to help you skillfully transform your digital customer experience.

First frame of the webinar recording "How to supercharge your CX with AI-fueled digital transformation", showing tiles for the speakers - Rajiv Dhand and Sharang Sharma - and the title slide.

Webinar: How to supercharge your CX with AI-fueled digital transformation

How to supercharge your CX with AI-fueled digital transformation

Discover how TELUS Digital used our proven field operations testing (FOT) experience to create a high-quality dataset for training advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles (AV).

An autonomous vehicle shown driving on a busy highway. 

ADAS data collection - hero

Curating high-quality data for the training and validation of ADAS and AV models

On this episode, we explore how eco-friendly apparel brand Frank And Oak evolved its business model to adapt to customer expectations — and how data, feedback and technology are used to optimize its CX strategy.

Episode cover image for Questions for now, a TELUS Digital podcast, featuring a character browsing an ecommerce website and pointing to a shirt with an eco-friendly tag.

Questions for now Frank And Oak image

What is the Frank And Oak secret for adapting to changing customer preferences?

The cover of The future of content moderation: Strategies and tools for 2024 and beyond e-book with a fern in the background.

Preview-image COMOEBook 2024

Organizations have a responsibility to create and maintain digital experiences that are truthful, welcoming and safe. Learn how brands can keep pace with the growing levels of user-generated content (UGC) to build trust with their customers and protect their reputation.

An illustration showing various people enacting content moderation on a website and mobile phone.

The future of content moderation: Strategies and tools for 2024 and beyond

Enterprises worldwide are focused on optimizing customer experience (CX) delivery costs amidst challenging economic times.

Watch now to explore decision-making processes that reduce costs without negatively impacting CX.

Jim Mitchell Headshot

Jeremy Tamm Headshot

David Rickard Headshot

Jim Mitchell

Jeremy Tamm

David Rickard

Key takeaways

Partner

Enhance your CX strategy

Join industry experts from TELUS Digital and Everest Group as they explore how leading technologies, such as generative AI, automation, analytics and more, are delivering value for organizations without compromising service quality.

Efficient CX delivery: A tech-driven approach SEO Image

Efficient CX delivery: A tech-driven approach

Trailer - Efficient CX delivery: A tech-driven approach

Discover how TELUS Digital assisted a leading U.S. autonomous vehicle (AV) developer in refining the scenario comprehension and motion planning capabilities of their AV bot.

Visualization of the interaction of self-driving autonomous vehicles.

AV bot - hero

Enhancing an autonomous vehicle bot’s scenario understanding with tailored fine-tuning datasets

A preview image of the case study document overlaying green grass.

Streamlining operations and kickstarting the digital transformation journey - preview image

Want to speak with a Process Consulting expert?

Uncover how TELUS Digital’s business process consultants helped a leading financial services brand optimize its operations, enhance its customer experience (CX) and advance its digital transformation journey.

Happy financial services customer speaking to an agent over the phone. 

Streamlining operations and kickstarting the digital transformation journey - feature image

Optimize your operations

Streamlining operations and advancing the digital transformation journey of a leading financial services brand

Discover how TELUS International successfully deployed a robotic process automation (RPA) solution for a leading waste management company to minimize time-consuming tasks and reduce the errors associated with manual data entry.

Implementing robotic process automation to streamline critical procurement processes

Discover how TELUS Digital successfully deployed a robotic process automation (RPA) solution for a leading waste management company to minimize time-consuming tasks and reduce the errors associated with manual data entry.

Card Services brochure cover in front of a fern leaf. 

Card-Services

See how TELUS Digital can help card services brands meet rising consumer expectations through high-tech, high-touch customer experiences.

Holistic digital customer experience solutions for card services

On this episode, we explore strategies for building a compelling business case for customer experience (CX) investment — and how to optimize the budget you’ve secured.

Episode cover image for Questions for now, a TELUS Digital podcast, featuring an illustrated character holding a tablet and pointing to a series of charts.

Questions for now investment in CX image

How can leaders win and optimize investment in CX?

Uncover how a mix of human interaction and automated tools can help card services brands build digital customer experiences that foster customer loyalty.

Two people facing a laptop screen and smiling, with one of them holding a credit card

card-services

Going beyond transactions: How card brands can offer elite digital CX

Forrester Budget Planning Guide 2025: Customer Experience Hero

To succeed, customer experience (CX) leaders must invest in strengthening core capabilities that enable their organizations to turn customer-centric strategies into real, impactful experiences. This guide from Forrester offers data-driven insights to help you determine where to increase, decrease or experiment with your CX budgets for 2025.

Forrester’s Budget Planning Guide 2025: Customer Experience

TELUS Digital recently conducted a survey that explored the customer service preferences of consumers today. Explore the results.

customer considering her options with questions marks around her head

2024 customer service preferences 

Infographic: 2024 customer service preferences

See the results our global, disruptive client achieved after they transitioned to Contact Center Outsourcing Solutions from TELUS Digital.

Photograph of customer receiving a food delivery order and using their phone to confirm the transaction

food delivery

Bring efficiency to your contact center

Bringing efficiency to a leading food delivery platform's overwhelmed contact center

Global expansion to Africa brochure cover in front of a fern leaf.

TI Resource Brochure Global Expansion

Access multilingual talent at scale

Speak with an expert

TELUS Digital recently established operations in South Africa and Morocco, extending our presence across five continents. Learn more about the delivery capabilities in our new sites.

Global expansion to Africa TELUS Digital

TELUS Digital's global expansion to Africa

TELUS Digital Resource Fraud prevention in crowdsourcing AI training data web

Discover how TELUS Digital safeguards AI training data quality through a comprehensive fraud prevention framework.

Discover how TELUS Digital safeguards AI training date quality through a comprehensive fraud prevention framework.

TELUS Digital's global expansion to Africa

Share