Google Maps Will Soon Give You An ‘Immersive View’ Of Major Cities Worldwide
By Alexa Heah, 12 May 2022
At this week’s Google I/O 2022 Keynote, Alphabet CEO Sunar Pichai revealed that an ‘Immersive View’ mode would be coming to Google Maps, allowing users to experience what a neighborhood’s like even before they’re there.
To achieve this, engineers working on Maps tapped on advances in computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) to merge billions of Street View and aerial images, resulting in whole new digital model of the world you can explore.
Fancy a trip to London? Just with a quick search, you’ll be able to virtually traverse through Westminister right up to the Big Ben in high-definition, or take a peek inside famous restaurants to get a feel before making a reservation.
Plus, using the time slider, users can see what the landmarks look like at different times of the day or in different weather scenarios, helping you plan your trip accordingly.
According to Google, the new feature will work on almost any device, be it on a desktop, laptop, or a smartphone.
‘Immersive View’ is slated to launch in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo later this year, with more cities across the globe to be added soon.