By: Nick Gambino
Google had a big week, what with their I/O conference and all the new goodies announced, including the reveal of their first foldable smartphone – the Google Pixel Fold. But amongst the hype of all the new hardware hitting the market, the tech giant also managed to introduce a brand-new 3D routes feature to Google Maps.
The new feature in Google Maps is called Immersive View for Routes. This is essentially a fully immersive function that allows you to dig into a locale on a near micro level. Utilizing AI (the future apparently) combined with computer vision, and powered by aerial images and Street View, Immersive View for Routes simulates a 3D model of the city you’re interested in finding out more about. It’s honestly stunning.
Imagine all of the things you might perform a Google search to find out about a destination ahead of time. You might want to know what the weather is going to be like during your trip. Or what traffic might look like at certain times of the day. You might even search for parking options. All of this and more is available right through the 3D model created by Immersive View for Routes.
The intended use of the new immersive feature is to allow people a full view of the city before they get there, allowing them to make informed decisions based on super fine details.
“Google Maps provides 20 billion kilometers of directions every day,” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, said at the annual I/O conference. “That’s a lot of trips. Imagine you could see your whole trip in advance. With Immersive View for Routes, now you can, whether you’re walking, cycling or driving.”
There’s no public plan for a wide rollout of Immersive View for Routes in Google Maps. For now, we’re only getting the feature in 15 major cities across the globe by the end of year. These cities are:
- Amsterdam
- Berlin
- Dublin
- Florence
- Las Vegas
- London
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York
- Paris
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tokyo
- Venice
