By Jenn McKeogh, senior manager, GM News

General Motors is constantly innovating to bring cutting-edge technology and features to our vehicle portfolio that can better customers’ lives. Take our award-winning hands-free technology Super Cruise¹ – with HD maps and an array of sensors, consumers can comfortably navigate compatible roadways.

Enter David Craig, GM product manager on our advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) team. Craig works on the team responsible for Super Cruise mapping and among them he’s known as a maps guru.

A lifelong love of maps

Born in Southern Indiana, Craig relocated to Oklahoma as a child and considers himself an “Okie” at heart. It was in this state that he decided to couple his electrical engineering undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State with an MBA from the same school.

“When I was a kid, I thought I wanted to race cars,” he says. “Once I grew up a little bit, I wanted to know how everything - and I mean everything - worked.”

Craig loves challenges – or as he says, “solving impossible problems.” He kicked off a career in consumer-grade GPS right out of college in 1992, taking tech that was previously limited to military applications and bringing it to the masses.
After working in various engineering and tech companies – and starting a few companies of his own – Craig joined GM in 2016. His first role was in autonomous driving mapping, where he helped set the strategy, technology sourcing, and requirements for HD maps used in GM’s ADAS systems. As ADAS technology continued to evolve, so did Craig’s role. Today, his work provides crucial data for Super Cruise.

Demystifying mapping

Craig supports a team of 90 mapping employees, who work with suppliers to collect map data, create technical specifications for future Super Cruise expansions, and help ensure smooth over-the-air map updates for GM products.

And mapping is critical to the safe deployment of Super Cruise.

“At GM, we want to make sure drivers have the same Super Cruise experience, whether in an Equinox EV or Sierra EV. That means we need a combination of super accurate high-definition (HD) map data and live sensor data - think radars and cameras,” he says. “For example, HD maps allow the car to understand the curvature of the road and the proper steering angle before you get there. As you drive along the curve, the car’s sensors help ensure that both the vehicle and its surroundings are in the correct position. When the maps and the sensors agree, we’ve decided it’s OK to let drivers go hands (and feet) free.”

At GM, our Super Cruise maps start with LiDAR mapping. LiDAR is a technology that uses lasers to remotely detect, measure, and analyze surfaces - like roads - and use the data to create 3D models. His team works closely with Dynamic Map Platform (DMP), a software company that creates high-definition maps, to scan roads and create the base data that GM's Super Cruise maps require.

Here’s how GM’s Super Cruise maps come to life:

1. DMP scans roads using survey-grade LiDAR.
2. DMP then processes the data and creates base HD maps they send to GM.
3. GM then processes this data into a format that the vehicle can understand - including calculating road curvature and compacting map data.
4. A geofence tool processes the entire map to eliminate any roads or lanes that don’t meet Super Cruise’s requirements, like too many traffic signals close together.
5. Then the map is used to create an over-the-air software package that is sent to Super Cruise-enabled vehicles, updating the in-vehicle maps.  

To ensure mapping is accurate, GM needs to collaborate with suppliers, vendors and local governments, as well as the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“We found all state transportation departments used their own language to describe road construction” he says. “Working with the US-DOT, we created a ‘universal language’ to describe work zones. Now, over half of the U.S. state DOTs have adopted these specifications and implemented a standard reporting method.”

Map mastery

GM launched Super Cruise in 2017, making it the world’s first truly hands-free driver assistance technology. By the end of 2025, Super Cruise will be available on about 750,000 miles of roads across the U.S. and Canada. This expansion was made possible with the support of Dave and his team.

“When I first started working with GPS systems more than 30 years ago, I never dreamed I’d be where I am now,” he says. “I still love solving problems and bringing new products into the world. If I can actually use that product in everyday life, like with Super Cruise, the more joy I get out of it.”

GM is continuing to expand our hands-free driving tech, offering Super Cruise on more than 20 models from Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC — with more on the way.

On the job highlights the unique and innovative roles of employees across GM, from the unusual to the unexpected. If you have someone to nominate for this series, drop us a line at news@gm.com.

Check out more from the series:

• On the job: Max Sikorski, virtual reality lead

Learn more about Super Cruise by checking out these stories:

• How machine learning makes Super Cruise smarter every day
• Record set: Largest hands-free caravan with Super Cruise

¹ Always pay attention while driving and when using Super Cruise. Do not use a hand-held device. Requires active Super Cruise plan or trial. Terms apply. Visit cadillacsupercruise.com, chevysupercruise.com, buick.com/explore/connectivity/super-cruise or gmc.com/connectivity-technology/super-cruise for compatible roads and full details. Automatic Lane Change and Lane Change on Demand are not available while trailering.