Google Maps app upgrade: artificial-intelligence inspired features in revamp

More than 100 artificial intelligence-powered features are coming to Google Maps in a major revamp of the popular app.

The new weather and air quality layers. Google says it’s on track to add more than 100 AI-powered improvements to its Maps app this year.

Google says it will add more than 100 AI-powered improvements to its Maps app this year.

The features include ‘Live View’ indoor guided navigation in subways, transit stations and airports, and weather forecasts and air quality assessments at map locations of your choosing, to help you plan ahead.

“Sixteen years ago, many of us got around by holding a printout of directions in one hand and the steering wheel in the other — without information about the live traffic along your route or details about when your favourite restaurant was open,” Google says in a blog post.

“Since then, we’ve been pushing the boundaries of what a map can do, propelled by the latest machine learning.”

Google is using a novel approach to offer indoor navigation called global localisation. The Maps app matches images from your phone’s cameras with previously taken street view images to work out where you are and your orientation using artificial intelligence.

It says the app uses AI to scan tens of billions of street view images to understand your orientation. “Thanks to new advancements that help us understand the precise altitude and placement of objects inside a building, we’re now able to bring Live View to some of the trickiest-to-navigate places indoors: airports, transit stations and malls,” says Google.

Live View offers indoor directions

“If you’re catching a plane or train, Live View can help you find the nearest elevator and escalators, your gate, platform, baggage claim, check-in counters, ticket office, rest rooms, ATMs and more.

“Arrows and accompanying directions will point you the right way. And if you need to pick something up from the mall, use Live View to see what floor a store is on and how to get there so you can get in and out in a snap.”

When on the road, Google Maps in future will select an ‘eco-friendly route’ based on the lowest carbon footprint, where the arrival time is about the same as a non eco-friendly one.

“In cases where the eco-friendly route could significantly increase your ETA, we’ll let you compare the relative CO2 impact between routes so you can choose.”

However users will be able to override this in their preferences if they always want to choose, say, the fastest route.

There will be a new directions experience where users don’t have to swap tabs between driving, walking and public transport. Options are shown in sequence so you can more readily decide the optimal travel mode.

Pick-up and delivery actions

In some countries Maps will also notify drivers about a low emission zone, an area that restricts polluting vehicles like certain diesel cars. Google says it is working on new alerts so that drivers know if they are entering those zones and whether they are allowed.

Maps will help those drivers select an alternative transportation mode, or another route.

Google says expansion of the assisted driving mode will let users use voice to send and receive calls and texts, review new messages across multiple messaging apps, and get a readout of texts without leaving the navigation screen.

In the US Google says it will show delivery and kerbside pick-up options at shops with information such as delivery providers, pick-up and delivery windows, fees, and order minimums. Initially this will roll out in collaboration with the US supermarket chain Fred Meyer.

In a separate collaboration it is piloting an easier way to pick up groceries kerbside with The Kroger Co, another US grocery retail company.

It’s a glimpse of what Google says is coming with its Maps development.

However much of this won’t be available in Australia – at least yet.

A spokeswoman said Australian implementation will be restricted to the air/weather quality layers, new directions experience, eco-friendly routes and assistant driving mode expansion. For the others we’ll have to wait and hope.