Google Maps has evolved from navigation tool to daily companion, offering information about multimodal transportation, local businesses, and, most recently, the effects of COVID-19. Now, after 15 years, it’s getting a fresh coat of paint.
“We’re rolling out new visual improvements that bring even more detail and granularity to the map, making it easier to understand what an area looks like whether you’re exploring virtually or planning a visit,” product manager Sujoy Banerjee wrote in a blog announcement.
Sure, Google Maps already boasts high-definition satellite imagery for more than 98 percent of the world’s population. But a fresh color-mapping algorithm takes things to a whole new level, creating a more comprehensive, vibrant projection of Earth.
“Exploring a place gives you a look at its natural features—so you can easily distinguish tan, arid beaches and deserts from blue lakes, rivers, oceans, and ravines,” Banerjee said. “You can know at a glance how lush and green a place is with vegetation, and even see if there are snow caps on the peaks of mountaintops.”
The color-mapping technique relies on computer vision to identify natural features like dry, icy, forested, or mountainous regions in satellite imagery. Analysts then assign each feature a range of colors: dark green for a dense forest or light green for an area of patchy shrubs, for example.
Quickly spotting a wasteland, however, isn’t much help to regular commuters, who are more likely interested in minutiae like the shape and width of a road or where sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian islands are located. “Crucial information if you have accessibility needs, like wheelchair or stroller requirements,” Banerjee pointed out. “These details are particularly helpful as more people are opting to walk or take other forms of solo transportation due to the pandemic.”
Detailed street maps are coming soon to London, New York, and San Francisco, with plans to expand the function to more cities “over time.” The color-mapping update, meanwhile, is now available in all 220 countries and territories that support Google Maps.
