Google Maps Immersive view
Google Maps is expanding preexisting features and unveiling some new ones, in accordance with a Thursday announcement.
The corporate said artificial intelligence allowed for improvements to Google Maps’ EV charging station feature, more specific recommendations of nearby activities and more in-depth visualization. Lots of the new features use neural radiance fields, an AI subset that enables for using 2D images to construct a 3D scene.
“AI has really supercharged the way in which we map,” Chris Phillips, VP and general manager of Google’s Geo, or geography, division, said on a call with reporters.
New ways to go looking for things to do
Google Maps is offering new ways for people to go looking for activities to do near them as well. The corporate noticed how often users were typing generic phrases resembling “things to do” in a given area, and now they are going to get an information return with more specialized information.
As an alternative of getting a random list of activities near you, Google Maps will return a categorized list of activities grouped by topic. So, Google said, when you seek for things to do in Tokyo, you’ll get responses resembling “anime,” “cherry blossoms” and “art exhibitions,” and you’ll be able to get more granular from there.
The updated EV charging feature in Google Maps.
More on EV
The corporate is bolstering its EV charging station feature this week, allowing drivers to see when a charging station was used most recently as a way to decrease the probabilities of them driving to a station that doesn’t work.
The function also allows for drivers to see how briskly the charger is and if their automobile is compatible, though those usually are not new tools.
“As we expect concerning the way forward for navigation, we all know that an enormous a part of that future is electrical,” Miriam Daniel, VP and general manager at Google Maps, on the decision.
More in-depth visualization features
Google Maps can also be expanding its Lens in Maps feature to 50 more cities this week. That function was previously often known as “Search with Live View” and allows people to make use of their phone camera to scan nearby buildings. The camera parses through billions of photos and tells you the shop name, reviews and other applicable information of objects it sees.
Google Maps may even have higher visualization for its navigating features. Its Immersive View, which Google Maps announced in May, is expanding to more cities, including Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. It allows users to virtually travel through a planned route.
In the approaching months, in accordance with Google, 12 countries could have access to raised visuals of buildings and lanes for drivers to see while on their route. Within the U.S., there’ll soon be a way for users to examine whether their journey has highways with carpool lanes.