Google Maps is rolling out incredibly accurate street-level details in these 4 cities

[mood]

Google Maps is rolling out incredibly accurate street-level details in these 4 cities

Crosswalks, pedestrian islands, park pathways, and more

 

 

One of my small pet peeves when using Google Maps in a new city or country is the lack of crosswalk details for walking directions. The app might tell me it takes twenty minutes to go from one point to another, but it could realistically be a lot more than that when you factor in crosswalks, especially if those aren't exactly on my path but require a little detour. Google is now starting to remedy that by rolling out super accurate street details in four major cities, which include crosswalks, pedestrian islands, and more.

 

The change was announced last year in August, but we only got a glimpse of it in action in December. Now, it seems that the rollout is reaching more users, even if it's still not live for all. We also know the four cities where these details will be available:

• London, UK (Central London)
• New York City, USA
• San Francisco, USA
• Tokyo, Japan (Central Tokyo)

 

To check it out, visit one of these cities on your phone and zoom in enough to get to street level. Once there, and if the feature is live for you, you'll notice several improvements. Road widths, rounded corners, and even roadside vegetations will be accurately depicted. Crosswalks, medians, and pedestrian islands will be pointed out, so you know exactly where to cross to street. And parks will show the real width of pathways in dark green as well as any stairs in grey, providing better accessibility info for anyone in a wheelchair or with a stroller.

 

We've taken a few comparative screenshots from the four cities below, to show you what you can expect.

Tokyo

 

Left: Tokyo intersection before. Right: Now with crosswalks.

London

Left: London roads and park before. Right: Crosswalks, pedestrian islands, and roadside vegetation.

New York

Left: Central Park before. Right: Notice the more realistic pathways (dark green) and stairs (grey).

San Francisco

Left: Major intersection in San Francisco before. Right: Accurate road width and curves, crosswalks, pedestrian islands.

 

These street-level details are rolling out as a server-side update, regardless of Maps app version and beta status. Even on the same device, you may notice that they show up when you're logged in with one account, but revert when you switch to another.

Maps - Navigate & Explore

Developer: Google LLC

Price: Free

 

Source: Google

 

 

Source: Google Maps is rolling out incredibly accurate street-level details in these 4 cities

[mood]

Google is adding crosswalks and other details to Google Maps

 

Google started to roll out an improved version of Google Maps in January 2021. The new version introduced details, such as crosswalks, footpaths, pedestrian refuge islands, to Google Maps. The functionality is still rolling out and only available in select locations at the time of writing.

 

Probably the most interesting part of the change is that Google is using an automated system for much of the data. Google is analyzing and processing satellite imagery and Street View recordings automatically to introduce the new level of details on Google Maps.

 

The first cities that received the treatment are London, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo. The rollout and the limited number of locations with the feature suggests that it is used for testing purposes. Google needs to make sure that the error level is low before rolling out the functionality to other locations in the world.

 

The following screenshot demonstrates how crosswalks are now displayed on Google Maps in those locations.

 

 

The new level of detail adds more information to Google Maps. Besides the already mentioned crosswalks, footpaths and pedestrian refuge islands, users may see additional details such as transportation facilities and even edge of carriageway details.

 

Some details may need adjusting. If you zoom in on Central Park in New York, you may notice that it is harder to follow footpaths on the new updated Google Maps. Footpaths, displayed as a solid line previously may lack path information on the new Google Maps.

 

 

It is unclear at this point whether Google will fine tune the display of footpaths before rolling out the new level of detail to additional regions.

Closing Words

Details such as crosswalks or pedestrian refuge islands are useful additions to Google Maps as they are useful to pedestrians. The improved level of details needs a bit of adjusting and tinkering, especially when it comes to the display of footpaths.

 

 

Source: Google is adding crosswalks and other details to Google Maps