Google Maps’ New AI Feature Will Now Help You Skip Narrow City Roads
Every person who goes to a new place uses Google Maps to navigate in India. And now, to help make the Google Maps experience better for users, Google is rolling out new AI-driven features. One of the standout features is the one that will help four-wheeler drivers avoid narrow city roads. This update has come just a few weeks after Google announced a significant 70% price reduction for its Maps application programming interfaces (APIs) for developers. Apart from this, there are a lot of new features that have been added.
Narrow Road Avoidance Feature
For any car driver, navigating through narrow and congested roads is a challenge. Drivers in India, particularly, face this problem in unfamiliar areas. However, now with the new routing capability, which has been developed specifically for Indian roads, they will be able to avoid narrow roads.
This feature uses an AI model to estimate road widths based on satellite imagery. It also takes note of Street View data and other parameters, such as the type of road, distance between buildings, tree cover, poles, and drains. After combining all the information from these elements, the AI model can accurately predict and avoid narrow roads.
How the AI Model Works
According to the company, this AI model developed by Google for this feature combines various data points to estimate road widths. Satellite imagery provides a broad overview of the terrain, while Street View data offers detailed, ground-level insights.
The model also takes into account the type of road, which is crucial for understanding its suitability for four-wheelers. Additionally, factors like the distance between buildings, the presence of tree cover, and the positioning of poles and drains are considered to ensure a detailed understanding of the road’s characteristics.
Once the road width estimates are generated, Google Maps customizes its existing AI routing algorithms. This helps in avoiding narrow roads wherever possible. This means that when users select the four-wheeler mode, the app will prioritize wider, safer roads. The result is that it reduces the likelihood of navigating through tight and potentially hard-to-drive streets.
Availability and Future Expansion
The new AI-driven routing feature is set to roll out this week on Android devices in eight Indian cities. These cities include Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Indore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, and Guwahati. Google currently has plans to expand this feature to more cities and iOS devices in the near future.
This feature will also be available to developers through the Google Maps Platform Routes API. It will enable them to integrate these advanced routing capabilities into their own applications and services.
Flyover Callout Feature
In addition to the AI-driven routing feature, Google Maps is also introducing the “flyover callout” feature. This has been one of the most requested features by users. The new feature will help drivers anticipate upcoming flyovers in their routes. This feature will be available on Android Maps and Android Auto this week, with support for iOS and CarPlay to follow soon.
Integration with Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations
Apart from the above-mentioned features, Google Maps is also enhancing its support for electric vehicle (EV) journeys. For this, it is partnering with local EV charging providers such as ElectricPe, Ather, Kazam, and Statiq.
Under this partnership, it will provide detailed information about over 8,000 EV charging stations across India. These will include plug types and real-time availability. Users will be able to easily search for nearby charging stations, filter by specific charger types, and even check the station’s status before heading over.
Simplified Incident Reporting and Curated Lists
Additionally, to improve user experience even more, Google Maps has simplified the process of reporting road incidents. Users can now report construction, traffic mishaps, and other incidents with just a few taps. This enhances the accuracy and reliability of these updates.
Lastly, Google has collaborated with local experts like NDTV Food and magicpin. This has been done to create curated lists of favorite places in ten major cities. This will offer recommendations for dining, drinking, and exploring.