Mapping Two Decades of Autonomous Vehicle Research: A Systematic Scientometric Analysis

Autonomous vehicles (AV) have become a symbol of futuristic and intelligent transport innovation. This new driving technology has received heightened attention from academic, public, and private sectors. Nonetheless, a big challenge limiting a clear understanding of AV research is its scale. A large volume of literature is produced-covering various fields. This paper aims to map out the research on AV for a better understanding of the trends, patterns, and interconnections, and it critically reflects on their implications for research. A scientometric analysis technique is applied to analyze 4,645 papers published between 1998 and 2017. The findings disclose that (a) 87.7 percent of the AV studies was conducted by educational institutes; (b) Europe is the most productive continent in AV research with a 35.9 percent share of publications; (c) North America is the most influential continent in AV research, receiving 41.1 percent of the citations; (d) Over 50 percent of the studies were conducted during the last three years of the analysis period; (e) Urban and social contexts of AV research are still at their early stage; and (f) Relatively limited collaboration and knowledge sharing between academia and industry exist.

Automated summary

Research on AV is mostly conducted by educational institutes, with Europe being the most productive continent and North America being the most influential. Studies on the urban and social contexts of AV are still in early stages, with limited collaboration and knowledge sharing between academia and industry.