Google, during one of its events over a year ago, introduced the “immersive” viewing experience, its own vision of 3D maps for its next-generation Google Maps. This introduction came in the face of increased competition from Apple’s 3D Maps. One year later, Google has now announced that it is introducing the “Immersive View for Routes”. What this means is Google Maps users will now be able to get an in-depth preview of routes that they might be taking, in 3D, before actually going through them.
According to Google, this new feature will be rolled out in the coming months and will be available to users in select cities. These cities include Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paris, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Tokyo, and Venice. Also, it will be available to users on both Android and iOS devices.
How is This Useful?
Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, during the company’s keynote at the Google IO event, said “Google Maps provides 20 billion kilometers of directions every day, that’s a lot of trips. Imagine if you could see your whole trip in advance. With Immersive View for Routes, now you can, whether you’re walking, cycling, or driving.”
The introduction of the Immersive View for Routes feature for Google Maps means users can now see all the information that they need about their route at once. For instance, when you search for a direction to a location, you’ll see a multidimensional experience that lets you preview Intersections, bike lanes, sidewalks, and parking along your journey.
Furthermore, Immersive View for Routes on Google Maps also lets users see what the weather forecast is for that day, and what traffic on that searched route may look like at a certain time based on current and historical data that Google has gathered about a specific area.
When Can You Use this Feature?
Just as we mentioned earlier, this feature will be available to users in 15 cities around the world including Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paris, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Tokyo, and Venice. Now, Google did not mention if other cities will receive this feature in the near future.
