One step closer to the perfect map.
Brian McClendon, Vice President of Engineering, Google Maps
For the last ten years we have been constantly working to ensure that our users have detailed maps covering literally the whole world, which are also easy to navigate and create routes.
Full coverage
The possibilities of a search engine that searches only for a part of sources, and not for all available, are rather limited. In the same way, a map cannot be considered as high-quality unless it tells you the route or is unable to pave it as soon as you turned off the highway and drove onto a country road. For the past few years we have been developing a detailed map of the whole world. To do this, we used public and commercial data, information from users, as well as satellite, panoramic and aerial photographs.
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Today we are taking one more step towards perfect maps and presenting panoramic shots made by the tracker - special portable equipment, similar to the one we use for filming Street Panoramas. You already know that we filmed the streets and objects on cars, cycle rails, snowmobiles and even with the help of carts. However, not everywhere you can drive on wheels - only pedestrians can pass somewhere. The tracker allows us to photograph such places - for example, the Grand Canyon - so that everyone can explore them. The tracker is placed in a backpack and we have already traveled with some of the slopes.
Luc Vinsen, head of development, tests new equipment at Lake Tahoe
Accuracy
Cartographers try to do their job as accurately as possible. However, the world around us is constantly changing and we always have something to work on. The emergence of new homes, parks and cities does not leave us idle. We significantly improve the quality of maps by constantly checking whether the data we have has changed. And, if so, change the information on the cards. It turns out that users care about the accuracy of Google Maps as much as we do: they always give useful tips on how to improve the service. Every day, based on the information received from them through the special “ Report a Problem ” form, we make thousands of changes.
The convenience of use
Another important characteristic of the cards is their usability. Today it is hard to remember how digital maps looked like before the appearance of Google Maps in 2005. If earlier you had to click on the arrows and wait for the required fragment to load, then later you had the opportunity to simply smoothly map the map with the mouse. In addition, we added the search “in one window”. Today, we use thousands of information sources to make Google Maps more and more detailed, interactive and accessible on any device. Now on the maps you can get almost any information - from public transport routes to exploring the halls of museums and reviews about restaurants.
Smartphone users often ask us when Google Maps will be available offline. Today we are pleased to announce that within a few weeks this function will appear on Android users in more than 100 countries, including Russia. Now you can use cards even where there is no Internet coverage, or simply save on traffic while traveling.
New dimension
Another important stage in improving the work of the Maps is 3D modeling of the whole world. Since 2006, 3D-models of buildings have become available on Google Earth . Today we are starting to add three-dimensional cities to the mobile version of the service. This was made possible thanks to new processing technologies and computer image recognition. They allow you to automatically recreate urban landscapes and terrain in 3D-format based on aerial photographs taken at an angle of 45 degrees.
I have been working on the development of map services almost all my life, but I have never imagined that progress can be so fast. We hope that thanks to this, in the next few years we will be able to use even more innovative technologies. Perhaps our cards will never be 100% perfect, but every day we are getting closer and closer to this goal.
For the last ten years we have been constantly working to ensure that our users have detailed maps covering literally the whole world, which are also easy to navigate and create routes.
Full coverage
The possibilities of a search engine that searches only for a part of sources, and not for all available, are rather limited. In the same way, a map cannot be considered as high-quality unless it tells you the route or is unable to pave it as soon as you turned off the highway and drove onto a country road. For the past few years we have been developing a detailed map of the whole world. To do this, we used public and commercial data, information from users, as well as satellite, panoramic and aerial photographs.
')
Today we are taking one more step towards perfect maps and presenting panoramic shots made by the tracker - special portable equipment, similar to the one we use for filming Street Panoramas. You already know that we filmed the streets and objects on cars, cycle rails, snowmobiles and even with the help of carts. However, not everywhere you can drive on wheels - only pedestrians can pass somewhere. The tracker allows us to photograph such places - for example, the Grand Canyon - so that everyone can explore them. The tracker is placed in a backpack and we have already traveled with some of the slopes.
Luc Vinsen, head of development, tests new equipment at Lake Tahoe
Accuracy
Cartographers try to do their job as accurately as possible. However, the world around us is constantly changing and we always have something to work on. The emergence of new homes, parks and cities does not leave us idle. We significantly improve the quality of maps by constantly checking whether the data we have has changed. And, if so, change the information on the cards. It turns out that users care about the accuracy of Google Maps as much as we do: they always give useful tips on how to improve the service. Every day, based on the information received from them through the special “ Report a Problem ” form, we make thousands of changes.
The convenience of use
Another important characteristic of the cards is their usability. Today it is hard to remember how digital maps looked like before the appearance of Google Maps in 2005. If earlier you had to click on the arrows and wait for the required fragment to load, then later you had the opportunity to simply smoothly map the map with the mouse. In addition, we added the search “in one window”. Today, we use thousands of information sources to make Google Maps more and more detailed, interactive and accessible on any device. Now on the maps you can get almost any information - from public transport routes to exploring the halls of museums and reviews about restaurants.
Smartphone users often ask us when Google Maps will be available offline. Today we are pleased to announce that within a few weeks this function will appear on Android users in more than 100 countries, including Russia. Now you can use cards even where there is no Internet coverage, or simply save on traffic while traveling.
New dimension
Another important stage in improving the work of the Maps is 3D modeling of the whole world. Since 2006, 3D-models of buildings have become available on Google Earth . Today we are starting to add three-dimensional cities to the mobile version of the service. This was made possible thanks to new processing technologies and computer image recognition. They allow you to automatically recreate urban landscapes and terrain in 3D-format based on aerial photographs taken at an angle of 45 degrees.
I have been working on the development of map services almost all my life, but I have never imagined that progress can be so fast. We hope that thanks to this, in the next few years we will be able to use even more innovative technologies. Perhaps our cards will never be 100% perfect, but every day we are getting closer and closer to this goal.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/145362/
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