HIGHWAY, will provide European car drivers and pedestrians with eSafety services and when needed, interaction with multimedia (text, audio, images, real-time video, voice/graphics) and value-added location-based services, through the combination of smart real-time maps, UMTS 3G mobile technology, positioning systems and intelligent agent technology, 2D/3D spatial tools and speech synthesis/voice recognition interfaces.

Within the HIGHWAY integrated safety scenario, the role of digital maps was central: smart, queryable HIGHWAY maps will bring up-to-date information enriched with safety relevant data for the car. These comprise speed limit data to feed speed limit units and dynamic data like relevant traffic or weather information for human and possibly for non-human consumption (e.g. maps will be treated as additional sensors by on-board ADAS systems). HIGHWAY maps will help drivers facing critical driving situation resulting from road topography, for instance, by delaying incoming phone calls or triggering safety mechanisms based on map information like the radius of the curve ahead or speed limits or data like an accident ahead. In addition to decreasing the probability for accidents and minimising potential damage to drivers and property, HIGHWAY services will be more cost-effective, efficient (saving time to customers) and informative (e.g., better informing travellers who can have difficulty discovering what is available or on offer in an area they arrive).