If you open Google Maps now then users may use a traditional 2D map to search for where they want to go. But Google has some ideas to help users discover the world around them in a more sedate way, and it showed off some of the work it’s doing at its Search On event on Wednesday.
One of these new features is what Google calls Immersive View, which was first demonstrated at this year’s Google I/O conference. On the surface, it’s basically a 3-D bird’s-eye view of an area or location – think Apple Maps’ Flyover feature – but Immersive View also allows users to take a deeper look at weather, traffic conditions and even explore individual buildings in depth. At Wednesday’s show, Chris Phillips, vice president and general manager of Google Maps, took a short aerial tour of San Francisco’s Oracle Park baseball stadium and then zoomed inside a nearby restaurant to get an idea of what’s going on there.
The company said the Immersive View will roll out in Los Angeles, London, New York City, San Francisco and Tokyo in the coming months. In addition, Google provided an update to the bird’s-eye view of landmarks it first rolled out in July. At the time, the feature covered nearly 100 landmarks, and as of Wednesday, it will cover 250 landmarks.
A new feature complements Google Maps’ Live View tool, which uses augmented reality technology to overlay walking directions on top of information users see from the camera viewfinder to help them get around. This new feature allows users to search in Live View, making it easier to find things like ATMs or restaurants. In the coming months, it will roll out in London, Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, San Francisco and Tokyo.
Another less compelling feature is something Google calls “Neighborhood Vibe. The idea is that it will help people better understand what’s interesting about a neighborhood, highlight popular and trending places and display information such as photos and reviews. The feature will be available on Android and iOS worldwide in the coming months.
All of these updates could help Google compete with Apple Maps, which just recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Now, Apple is diligently adding new features to improve its product, and arguably its ahead of Google’s Flyover bird’s-eye view feature that has been available since its launch. But Google Maps is still the preferred choice for many and as Google makes a concerted push into Apple’s territory with these 3D views more people will probably end up using them.
