At its annual developer conference, Google unveiled a brand new feature for Maps dubbed Immersive View for routes. The new Google Maps Immersive View for Routes will soon be rolled out in 15 cities across the world.
This brand-new feature uses existing Google Earth images and AI to create 3D models of cities which along with interactive data could transform the way we plan journeys in the near future.
Combining billions of Google Street View images along with aerial shots of the same area with the help of AI, the new feature creates 3D models of the cities.
These models come into play when users in the roll-out cities use Google Maps to preview their journeys. Providing a top-down view of the city, these previews will give users real-time weather and traffic for their routes as well as make predictions for both using data that Google has been studying for quite a bit of time.
This allows users to plan for traffic snarls and weather foul-ups from their phones before ever deciding to go ahead with the journey which should save them from headaches and the inevitable screaming match inside the car.
Users will be able to scroll across a timeline through their journey preview which will allow them to note down what snarl-ups may occur as well as keep an eye out on the weather that may show up on the route.
Currently, no Indian city is a part of the roll-out for the new Immersive View for routes feature which will be limited to Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paris, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Tokyo and Venice.
Thoughts: The all-new Immersive View for Routes may seem like an updated version of a feature already seen on Maps but it promises to be more than just a tiny upgrade.
This new feature could change the way we plan our future journeys and save us quite a bit of time by giving us details like weather, traffic and parking space options in advance ensuring that our ride or drive stays as smooth as possible once we set off.
