In India, the widely used navigation app Google Maps is getting a major makeover with several new AI-powered capabilities.
These advancements were introduced by Miriam Karthika Daniel, VP of Google Maps Experiences, who emphasized the mission of making accurate and easily accessible location data available to everyone.
Google Reveals India’s First AI-Powered Maps Experience
A New Development in Location Search: Address Descriptor
Google intends to launch the Address Descriptor in early 2019 as a groundbreaking endeavor for the Indian market. With this new feature, we hope to make location searches easier by providing a more natural interface.
Google improves the visual mapping experience by going beyond conventional latitude and longitude coordinates by automatically proposing five nearby landmarks when users drop a pin to share their position.
Looking Through Maps: A Visual Journey Through Locations
Google plans to introduce Lens in Maps in 15 cities by January 2024, beginning with Android, in order to fulfill users’ growing demands for a more visually appealing mapping experience.
Users can get a feel for a place before they go by pointing their camera to the street and getting details about the businesses and establishments in the area.
Walking in Real Time: Effortless Navigation with Augmented Reality
Expanding on the popularity of Street View, Live View Walking will be launched in fifteen locations, providing users with a blend of Street View Data, artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented reality (AR) technologies.
This function allows users to more easily follow directions by superimposing markers on top of the Maps screen.
Eco-Friendly Transportation
By adding the most fuel-efficient routes for two-wheelers, Google Maps is taking a step towards sustainability. These routes are designed to minimize carbon emissions; they can be identified by a green leaf emblem.
A total of 2.4 million metric tons of carbon emissions have been avoided since October 2021 thanks to the deployment of fuel-efficient technologies in various areas.
Collaborations for Improved Services
Namma Yatri is a network-based ride-hailing service, and Google has announced a cooperation with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
Beginning with the Kochi metro in mid-2024, this partnership intends to provide users of Google Maps with access to metro schedules and bookings.
How to Make Your Train Tracking App Even Better
Local train information for Mumbai and Kolkata will now be available in the Where Is My Train app, which was acquired by Google. This app informs its 80+ million users with important information such as intercity train schedules, status updates, platform changes, and more.
Urban Areas in Tiers 2 and 3: Enhancing Navigation
Daniel addressed concerns regarding navigating in smaller towns and cities by explaining that the program will learn more about the road features as Street View imagery expands.
India’s 300 million buildings and millions of kilometers of roads have been mapped with the use of AI, and there are continuous efforts to improve routing informational models.
