Not only did Google Translate get some new capabilities introduced at Google I/O today, but so did Google Maps.
Google Maps is receiving something called immersive view later this year, and the term is pretty self-explanatory. This should work for LA, London, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo at first, with additional places to follow.
So, what exactly is the big deal? Immersive view takes Street View and aerial images to a new level, merging them to completely immerse you in the atmosphere of a location from anywhere in the world.
Assume you want to “fly over Westminster to explore the neighborhood and spectacular architecture of locations like Big Ben up close.” You can accomplish exactly that with immersive view.
You may use a time slider to see how the region looks at different times of day and under different weather conditions, and so find out where the busiest locations are.
When you descend to street level, you can view real-time traffic statistics and even go into restaurants and other businesses to get a sense of what they’re like before you arrive.
Google’s ability to integrate billions of Street View and aerial photographs to build “a rich, digital representation of the globe” allows for immersive view to function “on just about any phone.”
After making its debut in the United States and Canada, eco-friendly routing is coming to Europe soon, and third-party app developers may now use Live View.
Live View is a feature that uses augmented reality to display arrows and directions to assist you navigate while you’re walking around.
Lime is already using it to assist riders park their e-bikes and e-scooters, while Telstra and Accenture are using it to help sports fans and concertgoers locate their seats, stands, and toilets at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.
More applications will undoubtedly follow.
To read our blog on “Because of a bug, Google Maps is sending people to unsafe routes,” click here.