According to the evolving ERTRAC roadmap, the key enablers to resolve the Vision 2050 challenges are namely infrastructure, AI and validation that will need a permanent development in parallel to market solutions, as technologies, investments and business models need to go hand in hand. According to the vision, in Year 2050, vehicles are expected to have 100% real-time connectivity on the relevant road network, in order to allow the greatest possible extension of AVs ODD and, at the same time, the maximum benefits for all other connected vehicles, and, finally, through the use of a sharing and actuation enabling service framework, that will connect all road users and will deploy AI sophisticated techniques, the possibility to achieve a holistic situational awareness of the network, thus being able to apply granular traffic management strategies on vehicle and road user level. PDI merit in the transport paradigm of tomorrow and the efficient penetration of CCAM is significant. Still, the lack of understanding and clear guidance to the PDI adaptors on which are the priority and worth investing adaptations for their specific application context and considering the current and target CCAM readiness is considered as the first fundamental barrier in this direction. Current PDI classification and support schemes can work only on complementary basis and, even in that case, they still fail to provide a seamless multidimensional support, able to foster the context specific needs and priorities of all stakeholders and those imposed by evolving regulations. Next to that, PDI adaptors need to have a clear insight on the proven costs and benefits associated with the priority PDI interventions, prior to deployment, as interventions of this type are often tremendously expensive to install/integrate and maintain, with a much longer life cycle, which may prove them redundant in medium and long-term. To respond to the above, the project aims to understand, harmonise and evaluate in an augmented manner, adapted and novel support concepts of PDI, to advance its readiness for large scale deployment of CCAM solutions for all, by providing a new meticulous PDI support classification schema and an open sharing technology agnostic service operational framework for PDI enabled CCAM services and solutions. It develops, deploys and validates novel PDI support solutions for CCAM aiming to enhance the AVs ODD and the whole transport system functional safety by deploying AI and Big Data. Validation will employ a vast spectrum of physical and virtual (DT, AV and driving simulators) test beds, supported by HD maps and microscopic and macroscopic traffic simulation activities. The impact assessment on all layers, including socioeconomic aspects, will finally lead to a roadmap and recommendations towards a harmonised PDI for large scale CCAM demonstration and deployment will emerge along with a risk-aversion decision making tool.
