Today at its event in Paris, Google announced the launch of new updates for Maps, aimed at making the navigation app more immersive and user-friendly.
Google has announced that its highly anticipated feature, Immersive View, is now available starting today in five cities: London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo. First introduced at I/O in May 2022, Immersive View helps users plan ahead and get a better understanding of a city before visiting it. In the near future, the feature will expand to more cities including Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence, and Venice.
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Exploring a place just got a whole lot better with the introduction of Immersive View. This innovative feature uses AI and computer vision to bring the world to you, fusing billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich digital representation of your desired location. Get a feel for a place even before you visit by accessing helpful information like weather, traffic, and crowd levels, all directly on the app.
When planning a visit to the Rijks museum in Amsterdam, you can use immersive view to virtually soar over the building and spot the entrances. The time slider shows the area’s appearance at different times of day and the weather. Identify the busiest areas to plan your visit accordingly. If you’re hungry, explore nearby restaurants by gliding down to the street level and even take a look inside before making a reservation.
Google transforms ordinary pictures into 3D representations using the advanced AI technique, Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF),” the company explained in a blog post. “By using NeRF, we can accurately recreate the full context of a place, including its lighting, texture of materials, and background, enabling you to see if a bar’s moody lighting is suitable for a date night or if a cafe’s views make it an ideal spot for lunch with friends.
Experience Indoor and Outdoor Navigation with Augmented Reality (AR)
Lift your phone and let Search with Live View help you find things around you using AI and augmented reality. This feature helps you find things like ATMs, restaurants, parks, and transit stations just by walking down the street. You’ll see important information about each place, like if it’s open now, how busy it is, and how well it’s rated.
Find nearby restrooms, lounges, taxi stands, car rentals, and more with ease and confidence. Using AR, you can navigate the place’s easily, like any unfamiliar place such as Airport.
Google is launching indoor Live View in more than 1,000 new airports, train stations, and malls in cities such as Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Paris, Prague, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney, and Taipei in the coming months, making it the largest expansion of indoor Live View to date.
Simplifying Your EV Driving Experience
As more drivers and auto companies shift toward electric vehicles, Google is introducing new Maps features to make driving an EV easier for those with vehicles that have Google built-in.
- Charging Stops added in shorter trips
- Find fast charging stations with ease by using our “very fast” charging filter, which displays stations with chargers of 150 kilowatts or more.
- Showing Charging Stations in Super markets and other stores.
Google's new feature : Glanceable Directions
Google will soon be launching “glanceable directions,” a new feature for Android and iOS users, globally in the coming months. This feature enables you to monitor your journey directly from your route overview or lock screen. You’ll be able to see updated ETAs and the next turn you need to make.
If you choose to take a different route, the app will automatically update your trip. Previously, this information was only available by unlocking your phone, opening the app, and using comprehensive navigation mode. “Glanceable directions” can be used during any mode of transportation, whether you’re walking, biking, or taking public transit.