Google Maps to Get ‘Immersive View’ Feature That Gives Users a Drone-view of Cities

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai presented a new feature dubbed ‘Immersive View’ at Google I/O 2022 event on 11 May.

Set to be part of Google Maps, the feature lets users get a drone-level aerial view of cities and see surroundings and landmarks in 3D.

Here’s more about the ‘Immersive View’ feature coming to Google Maps

What is ‘Immersive View’?

Elaborating on the feature, Miriam Daniel, vice president, Google Maps, said in an official blog post that users will be able to “explore with an all-new immersive view of the world, find the most fuel-efficient route, and use the magic of Live View in your favorite third-party apps.”

With numerous Street View and aerial images, ‘Immersive View’ uses machine learning to model buildings and trees in 3D. Users can change perspectives to see between buildings and check for weather and traffic at different times of the day.

“Say you’re planning a trip to London and want to figure out the best sights to see and places to eat. With a quick search, you can virtually soar over Westminster to see the neighborhood and stunning architecture of places like Big Ben, up close,” Daniel said.

The view offers users a better look at key places such as restaurants and confirm traffic around them or if the restaurant is busy at a particular time. It is also possible to “look inside them” before booking a reservation.

“With our new immersive view, you’ll be able to experience what a neighborhood, landmark, restaurant or popular venue is like — and even feel like you’re right there before you ever set foot inside,” Daniel said in the post.

Can function across devices

‘Immersive View’ can function on almost any phone and device. This is primarily because it relies on photos alone and streams from Google Cloud.

The feature will begin rolling out later in May 2022 in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo. It will be available in more cities later.

(Main and Featured images: Google)