Uber Advanced Technologies Group (Uber ATG) has selected Washington, D.C. as its next location to collect data for its self-driving vehicles. 

Uber ATG’s self-driving cars will begin operating on the roads of D.C. beginning Friday, Jan. 24, to collect data, but the vehicles will be in manual driving mode, so a Mission Specialist—a specially trained vehicle operator—will always maintain control of the vehicle.

“We are using a phased approach to develop and deploy our self-driving vehicles, taking the necessary steps to operate safely in every city,” Uber ATG says.

“Manual data collection is the first step in our development process and part of how we are validating our self-driving expansion approach.”

According to Uber ATG, this manual data collection allows it to develop high-definition maps, which it describes as the “foundational information layer” for its self-driving system; capture scenarios that might be different from city to city to simulate and incorporate into on-track testing; and further refine its expansion methodology, which involves “identifying key characteristics within an operational domain in a new city,” and then running that data through its autonomy system in simulation, and on its test track to verify that its self-driving system performs the way it is supposed to before hitting the roads.

Uber ATG says that it hopes the first round of manually driven data collection will lay the foundation for testing its self-driving vehicles in self-driving mode in Washington, D.C., but it notes that it is “committed to ensuring that every mile we drive on public roads contributes safe and meaningful learnings to inform our development work.”

“When we think about safety, it goes beyond solely passengers. We care about keeping everyone on the road safe — whether you’re in one of our self-driving cars or crossing the street in front of one,” Uber ATG says.

“That’s why we believe in working closely with local stakeholders and city officials and engaging with the Washington, D.C. community every step of the way.”