(Image Source: Google Maps)
BY ADAM FALK
ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY
Google Maps, the feature that provides you directions in the great outdoors, now invites you to explore the great indoors. CNN has more on Google Maps 6.0 for Android.
“It has a new feature that lets you figure out where you are and you see where you might want to go once you’re inside buildings they’ve mapped. [FLASH] And perhaps most important, it can locate bathrooms and ATMs.”
So far, Google has partnered with places like airports, IKEAs and even the Mall of America to put these big box buildings on users’ small smartphone screens. Because, as the company says...
“Many places provide a ‘You Are Here’ directory, but if you don’t know where here is in relation to there, you can quickly become lost in a veritable labyrinth of unknown twists and turns.” (Google)
But getting indoor accuracy within several-meters wasn’t easy. VentureBeat reports...
“Getting the familiar blue dot to work properly indoors was one of the biggest hurdles, and the 3D environment of a store or transit station, with multiple floors, added to the difficulty.”
And PCWorld adds getting strong-enough cell signals inside hasn’t been a major holdup, like many might expect. But just in case, Google’s Director of Product Management Steve Lee says...
“...the application has an existing feature that lets it cache and store maps locally on devices for when they're disconnected from the Internet.”
Instead of dwelling on G Maps new features, Fortune offers a why. The writer says this upgrade not only solidifies Google Maps over AOL’s MapQuest but also takes advantage of the current mapping marketplace.
“By including indoor spaces to the Android version of its Maps service, Google is positioning itself to take advantage of two concurrent trends: the spread of mobile communications and the increasing privatization of public space.”
Although the new feature is only available at participating locations, Google says small business owners can help by plugging in your floor plan at maps.google.com/floorplans. (Google Maps)
No word yet on when or if the service will make its way to iOS. But VentureBeat notes many of the Android G Maps features have yet to show up on Apple’s devices.
Transcript by Newsy.
