Google announced new updates to its Google Maps service this week, launching a series of new features aimed at enhancing the experience of travel and vacation planning as well as navigation once you arrive. First, the pan-view feature has been expanded to four new cities: Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence, and Venice.
In addition, the feature is now available to more than 500 important landmarks in the world. The immersive display, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to combine billions of images, provides a multidimensional view of the world with a layer of trusted information.
For example, if a user is planning a vacation or visit to Boston and wants to explore the historic Faneuil Hall, they can use the comprehensive view to get to know the area beforehand. After searching for the location on Google Maps and clicking on the first video, users can actually fly over the building and find nearby places.
The feature also allows users to see what the weather will be like at different times of the day and estimate crowding levels. In some cases, where data is available, users can search within restaurants and cafes to help them decide whether to make a reservation. This capability is powered by an advanced AI technology called Neural Radiation Fields, or NeRF.
Plan your vacation with Google Maps
Then, Google Maps provided directions that can be seen to simplify navigation, especially when users are somewhat aware of their route and only need minimal guidance. Once users choose this feature, they can request directions to their destination and start their journey.
They will then be able to see their updated ETA and where to make their next turn – information previously only available in the global navigation mode. If users decide to change their itinerary, their flight will be updated automatically. Quick Directions is set to roll out globally for walking, cycling and driving modes on Android and iOS.
Finally, Google Maps has enhanced the Recents feature on the desktop to help users plan trips. This feature automatically organizes the places users have searched for into a convenient highlight on the left side of the screen when they open Maps. With new updates, saved places will be retained in recent features even after users close their Google Maps window, ensuring that no progress is lost.
Users can remove places they’ve viewed, plan multiple trips at once, and share a selection of places — like attractions or hotels — with others. If users select three or more destinations and click Directions, Maps will create a custom route that includes all of the chosen stops and saves them to their Recents.
These additions to Google Maps underscore the platform’s commitment to enhancing the user experience and providing more personalized and intuitive features to assist with travel planning and navigation.
Source: GM
Filed Under: Technology News, Top News
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