
One of the key stages on the path to validating ADAS (Advanced Driver Assisted Systems) and AD (Autonomous Driving) vehicles is the independent and objective evaluation of the sensor system against a reliable representation of the reality – this is known as ground truth.
An accurate representation of the real world lets you measure the accuracy of the vehicle’s perception systems and therefore engineer the vehicle's safety.
Even though virtual development methods for testing of automated driving functions are becoming more advanced, testing under real-world conditions on public roads will remain an important pillar of the test strategy.
Once vehicles with AD functions with Level 3 and above are planned for release to end-customers, the certification of these vehicles must be considered.
As a result, certification tests must be carried out on public roads (such as for emission tests e.g., RDE) which, on the other hand, requires objective evaluation methods.

Requirements to a Reference Measurement System
The Dynamic Ground Truth (DGT) system is an independent reference measurement solution, which can be mounted on standard roof racks to enable universal, flexible application.
The object-recognition shall not be based on the internal vehicle sensors, but on a third-party system. It should be manufacturer-independent, highly precise, and universally applicable.
AVL DGT fulfills all these requirements as a one-box solution with an integrated calibration concept.
Property | Unit |
Operating temperature |
-10 to 50°C |
Dimensions for DGT passenger car: | Width: approx. 1080 mm Length: approx. 960 mm Height: approx. 300 mm |
Max. operating speed: | 130 km/h (considering the terms of use of the roof rack) |
Weight: | approx. 53 kg |

Independent and safe
The validation of future autonomous vehicles requires an independent measurement device, which evaluates compliance with regulations and safety of the test vehicle in real -world traffic
Universal Application
The sensor setup, configuration, and modular mounting concept offer flexibility for a variety of vehicle classes and manufacturer types.
Global Presence with Local Support
The global network of highly skilled experts provides fast and reliable service and maintenance
All- In-One Solutions
The system will be delivered fully calibrated to speed up testing operations.
360° -Field of View
The DGT system lets you capture an accurate 360° field of view of the test vehicle, allowing the verification and validation of all automated driving functionalities.
Accurate Data Acquisition
The image it captures comprises lidar, camera, and high-precision GNSS sensors, offering an extremely accurate view of the vehicle and its systems’ test environments. The sensor-messages are time-stamped accurately with the GPS-time.
Highly Precise Comparison between the DGT and the SUT (System Under Test)
To enable the comparison of DGT-system data and the system under test (SUT)-data, the clocks of the SUT-logger and the DGT can be synchronized.
Seamless data processing
During test trips data are collected with the DGT system and the vehicle under test. The data is transferred to a data center once the vehicle returns to the garage. From there, the data is available for further processing using our cloud-based ADAS/AD Big Data and Analytics Platform.
AVL Dynamic Ground Truth System™-Solution Sheet
Solution Sheet - EN
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