Google Maps Update Includes More Colorful images and adds street-level details in select cities

Image - Google

Google adding a major update that can carry more detail and granularity to its map, with modifications that encompass both natural features and city-level details alike.

For the former, Google says it’s leveraged computer vision methods to research natural features from satellite imagery, then color-coded those features for simpler visual reference.

Meanwhile, select cities will achieve more detailed street information, for instance, the location of sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian islands.

The updated city maps gained’t show up instantly in the Google Maps app, we understand. As a substitute, Google says the new maps will roll out to New York, Sans Francisco and London within the “upcoming months.” Google Maps reaches over a billion active users on Globe, so changes can take time to scale.

These additions will assist folks better navigate their cities on hand or through alternative modes of solo transportation, like two wheeler Bikes and scooters, which some have opted for amid the pandemic. The supported cities will also present the accurate shape and width of a street to scale to offer a better sense of how wide or narrow a road is,according to it's surroundings.

Image from Google

Whereas the added granularity won’t include more accessibility options, like curb cuts for instance, Google says that having the crosswalks detailed on the map will assist in that area. The corporate additionally notes that Google Maps today displays wheelchair-accessible routes in transit and wheelchair attributes on business pages.

Google notes that after the first three cities get the update, it plans to roll out more information on city maps to further markets, including those outside the U.S.

Google Image

Meanwhile, users both inside and out of doors big cities around the globe will benefit from the changes to how natural features are available in Google Maps.

Google utilizing a color mapping approach to identify natural features from its satellite imagery, trying specifically at arid,forested and mountainous areas. A  dense forest will now seem as a dark green while patchier shrubs could appear as a lighter green. You’ll be capable to differentiate between beaches and greenery, see where deserts begin and end, see how a lot land is covered by ice caps, see where snowcapped mountain peaks seem or view national park borders more easily, amongst other issues.

These changes will reach all 220 nations and territories that Google Maps supports — over 100 million square kilometers of land, from larger metros to rural areas and small cities or towns.

The update comes at a time when Google’s lead as everybody’s default mapping app is being challenged on iOS and Mac. While Apple Maps began out rough, a 2018 redesign and subsequent updates have made it a extra worthy rival. Apple even took on Google’s Street View with its higher-resolution 3D feature, Look Around, which notably targets massive city users. More fast, Apple introduced a intelligent trick that allows you to increase your smartphone and scan the skyline to refine your location.

Apple is battling Google Maps’ explore and discovery features via its expanded, curated guides built with the assistance of partners. These updates have pushed Google to race ahead with enhancements of its own in order to keep its lead in maps.

Image Credit - Google