The role of data in driving autonomous vehicles

Just a few days ago, the Directorate General of Traffic published the new Framework Programme for the Testing of Automated Vehicles which, among other measures, contemplates "the mandatory delivery of reports, both periodic and final and in the event of incidents, which will allow the DGT to assess the safety of the tests and publish basic information [...] guaranteeing transparency and public trust."

The advancement of digital technology is making it easier for the transport sector to face an unprecedented revolution in autonomous vehicle driving, offering significant improvements in road safety, energy efficiency and mobility accessibility.

The final deployment of these vehicles depends to a large extent on the availability, quality and accessibility of large volumes of data, as well as on an appropriate legal framework that ensures the protection of the various legal assets involved (personal data, trade secrets, confidentiality, etc.), traffic security and transparency. In this context, open data and the reuse of public sector information are essential elements for the responsible development of autonomous mobility, in particular when it comes to ensuring adequate levels of traffic safety.

Data Dependency on Autonomous Vehicles

The technology that supports autonomous vehicles is based on the integration of a complex network of advanced sensors, artificial intelligence systems and real-time processing algorithms, which allows them to identify obstacles, interpret traffic signs, predict the behavior of other road users and, in a collaborative way, plan routes completely autonomously.

In the autonomous vehicle ecosystem, the availability of quality open data is strategic for:

• Improve road safety, so that real-time traffic data can be used to anticipate dangers, avoid accidents and optimise safe routes based on massive data analysis.
• Optimise operational efficiency, as access to up-to-date information on the state of roads, works, incidents and traffic conditions allows for more efficient planning of journeys.
• To promote sectoral innovation, facilitating the creation of new digital tools that facilitate mobility.

Specifically, ensuring the safe and efficient operation of this mobility model requires continuous access to two key categories of data:

• Variable or dynamic data, which offers constantly changing information such as the position, speed and behaviour of other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists or weather conditions in real time.
• Static data, which includes relatively permanent information such as the exact location of traffic signs, traffic lights, lanes, speed limits or the main characteristics of the road infrastructure.

The prominence of the data provided by public entities

The sources from which such data come are certainly diverse. This is of great relevance as regards the conditions under which such data will be available. Specifically, some of the data are provided by public entities, while in other cases the origin comes from private companies (vehicle manufacturers, telecommunications service providers, developers of digital tools...) with their own interests or even from people who use public spaces, devices and digital applications.

This diversity requires a different approach to facilitating the availability of data under appropriate conditions, in particular because of the difficulties that may arise from a legal point of view. In relation to Public Administrations, Directive (EU) 2019/1024 on open data and the reuse of public sector information establishes clear obligations that would apply, for example, to the Directorate General of Traffic, the Administrations owning public roads or municipalities in the case of urban environments. Likewise, Regulation (EU) 2022/868 on European data governance reinforces this regulatory framework, in particular with regard to the guarantee of the rights of third parties and, in particular, the protection of personal data.

Moreover, some datasets should be provided under the conditions established for dynamic data, i.e. those "subject to frequent or real-time updates, due in particular to their volatility or rapid obsolescence", which should be available "for re-use immediately after collection, through appropriate APIs and,  where appropriate, in the form of a mass discharge."

One might even think that the high-value data category  is of particular interest in the context of autonomous vehicles given its potential to facilitate mobility, particularly considering its potential to:

• To promote technological innovation, as they would make it easier for manufacturers, developers and operators to access reliable and up-to-date information, essential for the development, validation and continuous improvement of autonomous driving systems.
• Facilitate monitoring and evaluation from a security perspective, as transparency and accessibility of such data are essential prerequisites from this perspective.
• To boost the development of advanced services, since data on road infrastructure, signage, traffic and even the results of tests carried out in the context of the aforementioned Framework Programme constitute the basis for new mobility applications and services that benefit society as a whole.

However, this condition is not expressly included for traffic-related data in the definition made at European level, so that, at least for the time being, public entities should not be required to disseminate the data that apply to autonomous vehicles under the unique conditions established for high-value data. However, at this time of transition for the deployment of autonomous vehicles, it is essential that public administrations publish and keep updated under appropriate conditions for their automated processing, some datasets, such as those relating to:

• Road signs and vertical signage elements.
• Traffic light states and traffic control systems.
• Lane configuration and characteristics.
• Information on works and temporary traffic alterations.
• Road infrastructure elements critical for autonomous navigation.

The recent update of the official catalogue of traffic signs, which comes into force on 1 July 2025, incorporates signs adapted to new realities, such as personal mobility. However, it requires greater specificity with regard to the availability of data relating to signals under these conditions. This will require the intervention of the authorities responsible for road signage.

The availability of data in the context of the European Mobility Area

Based on these conditions and the need to have mobility data generated by private companies and individuals, data spaces appear as the optimal legal and governance environment to facilitate their accessibility under appropriate conditions.

In this regard, the initiatives for the deployment of the European Mobility Data Space, created in 2023, constitute an opportunity to integrate into its design and configuration measures that support the need for access to data required by autonomous vehicles. Thus, within the framework of this initiative, it would be possible to unlock the potential of mobility data , and in particular:

• Facilitate the availability of data under conditions specific to the needs of autonomous vehicles.
• Promote the interconnection of various data sources linked to existing means of transport, but also emerging ones.
• Accelerate the digital transformation of autonomous vehicles.
• Strengthen the digital sovereignty of the European automotive industry, reducing dependence on large foreign technology corporations.

In short, autonomous vehicles can represent a fundamental transformation in mobility as it has been conceived until now, but their development depends, among other factors, on the availability, quality and accessibility of sufficient and adequate data. The Sustainable Mobility Bill currently being processed in Parliament is a great opportunity to strengthen the role of data in facilitating innovation in this area, which would undoubtedly favour the development of autonomous vehicles. To this end, it will be essential, on the one hand, to have a data sharing environment that makes access to data compatible with the appropriate guarantees for fundamental rights and information security; and, on the other hand, to design a governance model that, as emphasised in the Programme promoted by the Directorate-General for Traffic,  facilitates the collaborative participation of "manufacturers, developers, importers and fleet operators established in Spain or the European Union", which poses significant challenges in the availability of data.

Content prepared by Julián Valero, Professor at the University of Murcia and Coordinator of the Research Group "Innovation, Law and Technology" (iDerTec). The contents and points of view reflected in this publication are the sole responsibility of its author.