Google has introduced its new AI-powered India-focussed innovations, intending to underscore its vision of unlocking the power of digital mapping for everyone.
According to an official release, aiming to build a map localised for Indian users’ needs, Google has launched an India-first innovation, Address Descriptors, for people to find locations based on landmarks. It’s believed that Google is also focussed on building a visual and immersive map to transform the way users navigate and explore the world. Reportedly, the company announced two visually immersive features, called Lens in Maps and Live View Walking Navigation, that it’s understood to be bringing to India by combining street view imagery from local partners along with AI and AR technologies.
To deliver on a vision of building a more digitised public transport experience and making it accessible to all users, Google seemingly announced partnerships with ONDC and Namma Yatri. These partnerships are expected to focus on bringing metro schedules and bookings to users, and will launch by next year with Kochi metro on Google Maps powered by Namma Yatri, followed by other metros as they join the ONDC network. From what it’s understood, Google is also bringing Mumbai and Kolkata local trains to the Where Is My Train application, enabling access to information such as train location, real-time status, platform changes, among others.
“AI has accelerated our ability to build solutions that can scale to the diversity and complexity of a country such as India. As we look to the future of Google Maps, we hope to be building a map that helps people go from knowing about a place to experiencing it. We’re also focussed on catering to India’s mobility needs, from journeys to public transport. We are looking forward to partnering with ONDC and Namma Yatri to enable a more digitised public transport experience accessible to all users,” Miriam Karthika Daniel, VP – Google Maps Experiences, stated.
