Techniques for generating map reference priors for an autonomous vehicle planning stack

A method for providing a reference prior for a route portion to a planning stack of a vehicle, the method comprising:

• creating a control point graph for the route portion, the control point graph comprising a plurality of control points connected by edges;
• accessing manual driving data associated with the route portion, the manual driving data comprising a series of spatial coordinates generated by a sensor suite of the vehicle during manual operation, the sensor suite including a LIDAR system, and stored in a database;
• overlaying the series of spatial coordinates onto a semantic map to associate the accessed manual driving data with the edges of the control point graph;
• averaging the accessed manual driving data associated with the edges to determine a nominal path for the route portion;
• integrating the nominal path into the semantic map as a new layer of reference paths to generate a map release;
• and
• transmitting, from a remote data center to the vehicle over a wireless network, the generated map release to the planning stack of the vehicle, wherein the planning stack consumes the nominal path from the new layer of the reference paths to generate actuator commands for controlling at least one of a steering system or a propulsion system of the vehicle for planning maneuvers of the vehicle in traversing the route portion.