Google is set to roll out a plethora of AI-driven enhancements to Google Maps, designed to aid users in trip planning, navigating through unknown territories, locating electric vehicle charging points, and uncovering new venues and activities.
Dive into journeys with Immersive View
A standout among these upgrades is the Immersive View for routes, giving users a thorough visual rundown of their travel from beginning to end.
Harnessing sophisticated AI to amalgamate billions of Street View and aerial snapshots, Google boasts that Immersive View will facilitate a virtual walkthrough of journeys for users, making it seem as if they are physically present.
The preview feature within Immersive View is interactive, enabling users to scrutinise routes from various angles, zoom in and out, pan, and even tweak the time or weather conditions, offering a glimpse of what to expect during the journey.
Immersive View capitalises on computer vision and artificial intelligence, alongside billions of Street View and aerial photos, to craft its intricate 3D route outlines.
Furthermore, earlier this year, Immersive View was unveiled for distinct landmarks and places. Developers have also been given the tools to fabricate immersive experiences via new 3D mapping tools within the Google Maps Platform.
The rollout of Immersive View for routes is set to commence this week on Android and iOS, initially in cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tokyo.
Lens expansion to navigate unknown locales
Google Maps is broadening the scope of its Lens feature, aimed to help users find their bearings in unfamiliar locations by utilising their phone's camera.
Incorporating AI and augmented reality, Lens overlays information about surrounding eateries, stores, public transport stations, and more directly on the camera view. Initially launched in a select few cities last year, Lens is making its way to over 50 more cities worldwide.
Enhanced support for electric vehicle owners
A series of updates are in the pipeline to cater to electric vehicle drivers, offering more insightful information to alleviate “charging anxiety” during trips.
From now on, details such as compatibility, the quantity, kind, power capacity of chargers, and the last usage data to sidestep malfunctioning ones will be visible to users.
These enhancements are scheduled to be launched globally this week.
Visual search redefined with AI
Google Maps is revamping its search functionality with new AI-driven visual results. Searches for specific activities like “animal latte art” will now yield photo results of corresponding locations.
The thematic search outcomes are derived from billions of photos scrutinised by state-of-the-art computer vision models. Users can peruse the photo results for details, reviews, directions, and more regarding each location.
Google attributes these visual search breakthroughs to its advancements in computer vision, image recognition, and artificial intelligence. The fresh visual search experience is launching in France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US this week.
