Millions of users worldwide can now rely on Google Maps and AI to get things done in a more effective, greener, and quicker way.
Years ago, the method of navigating was either printing out directions from MapQuest or pulling out the absurdly large Rand-McNally map for the state and figuring it out the quickest way to your destination. You would not have access to live data like accidents, police activity, and road conditions as you do now with mobile devices. Since the “dark times,” Google has been “pushing the boundaries of what a map can do, propelled by the latest machine learning ” and is “on track to bring over 100 AI -powered improvements to Google Maps.” Have you ever gotten lost or turned around in an airport, mall, train station, or other large, yet crowded location? Using augmented reality cues, Google is helping users find their way with Live View, an AI-powered indoor navigator. It uses tech called global localization, which, according to the Google blog, leverages AI to “scan tens of billions of Street View images to understand your orientation.” Pairing that with precise altitude and placement of objects in buildings, Live View now works in some locations such as malls in Chicago, Long Island, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle.
