Google on Tuesday introduced a host of new features and updates to its mapping service in India as it wraps up this year and sets the foundation for next year.
One of the latest additions in the new series is Lens in Maps, which will be launched in 15 cities across India by January, starting on Android. The feature, which launched in the US and some global markets in October, uses a combination of artificial intelligence and augmented reality to provide information such as business hours, ratings, reviews and photos when people point their smartphone camera on the street. To a restaurant or café.
Google has also launched Live View Navigation in India to offer arrows, directions and distance markers overlaid on the Maps screen, helping users easily navigate to their destination. Google said that the feature will initially be available on the Android system and will be rolled out to more than 3,000 cities and towns in the country.
“India is a huge, huge country with many diverse needs,” Miriam Karthika, vice president of Google Maps Experience, said at the event. “The scale at which we have to work in India is very broad.”
In addition to visual and immersive viewing experiences with Lens in Maps and Live View for walking navigation, Google announced address descriptors that use a combination of machine learning signals to deliver up to five of the most relevant landmarks and area names around pinned addresses and display landmark reference when a user engages Signed. This India-first capability, which was introduced to developers on Google Maps Platform earlier this year, will be available in over 75 Indian cities.
Image credits: Google
Google has also brought its fuel-efficient steering system to India, which will be available to users starting January. This feature will work across four-wheel drive vehicles and two-wheelers in the country to help users reduce fuel consumption and reduce carbon emissions. In addition to India, this feature will be available to users in Indonesia next year.
From its initial launch in October 2021 through September of this year, Google said the fuel-efficient routing helped prevent more than 2.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions globally. The company said the feature uses artificial intelligence to understand real-time traffic data, road elevation, and vehicle engine type to determine a route that reduces fuel and emissions.
Apart from launching the global features in India, Google has partnered with India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and navigation app Namma Yatri to provide metro schedules and reservations to users directly through Google Maps. The trial will be available starting from Kochi Metro by the middle of next year and will follow other metros as they reach the open e-commerce network.
Google has also expanded the Where Is My Train app, which attracts more than 80 million users a month to navigate intercity train trips, to cover local trains in Mumbai and Kolkata, with more cities being added over time.
To date, Google has mapped millions of kilometers of roads as well as 300 million buildings across the country. Over 50 million daily map searches, 2.5 billion kilometers of directions per day, and over 60 million unique users contribute to maps in the country. In addition, Google said it has put 30 million businesses and places on maps in the country, enabling 900 million direct merchant-consumer connections.
In July last year, Google introduced Street View in India six years after this feature was banned in the country due to security concerns. The company has partnered with local entities Genesys and Tech Mahindra. Today, more than 50 million users are watching Street View in the country, Google said.