Google Maps launches indoor functions
- 13 March, 2013 09:01
- Comments 7
Google Maps indoors at the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney.
Google Maps has launched 200 indoor maps for Androids in Australia for shopping centres, train stations and airports.
Users will now be able to navigate inside buildings such as the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney and Flinders Street Station in Melbourne.
Users will be able to upload floorplans, with maps automatically loading when users zoom in on a location.
The indoor maps will show users where they are located in a building, down to what floor they are on and directions on how to get to a destination.
Some locations will also utilise the Google Maps ‘blue dot’ function, which users have been able to use outdoors to track where they are located as they move.
The indoor blue dot function will show users when they move between floors and update the map automatically.
Google Australia said in a blog post that it plans to add new indoor maps throughout the rest of the year.
However, the company has not revealed when it will release indoor maps for iPhones.
"We have no additional announcements or timelines to share at this time," a Google spokesperson told Computerworld Australia.
A Google software engineer has previously said low adoption and insufficient research has slowed the movement of Google Maps indoors.
Waleed Kadous, who leads Google’s indoor map acquisition efforts, said late last year that gathering indoor maps presents unique challenges because it requires acquiring building maps from building owners and GPS coverage is frequently poor inside.
Google has launched indoor maps in eight other countries: US, UK, France, Japan, Canada, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland.
Google has also released tools for businesses in several countries to upload their own maps.
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Comments
Howard Cairns
1
Has anyone thought about the security issues involved in making floor plans of public areas like stations etc available especially if they make it available on smartphones.
Unfortunately we have numerous groups who threaten the West who would love to have a smartphone to plan and then guide them to the chosen spot to plant a bomb!
NikCortes
2
Wow such a useful tool .. I'll upload my house floorplan so I can find my own bathroom. Sheesh .. is there no end to this online nonsense. Since when was navigating a building difficult .. perhaps challenging at times but a need for a personal map? If it's that hard - do it all online while munching away at your cheezles!
IT_Observer
3
Howard Cairns, you are right, Google should not expand its maps to compromise the security and the wellbeing of Australian citizens here and other countries.
Its still fresh the memory of those who perished in the attack to the twin towers in Mew York, USA in september 11 2001, 3000 human lives were lost.
Not to forget that in other parts in the world, mobile phones were used to plan attacks and destroy human lives.
Technology is a very good tool when used wisely but in the wrong hands this spells doom and a complete disaster.
Every kind of business would have trouble to reinforce the security of its premises, this can translate in higher costs that will have to be passed onto the consumers or clients.
Google must stop inmediately in deploying such initiative.
IT_Observer
4
To the online Editor or person in charge with this page content, you need to weed out the oportunists that try to get away easily advertising their services/products.
This kind of abuse should not be tolerated, apart from being irritant this is out of topic.
gnome
5
Yes, IT, and this annoying spam also leads to viewers clicking straight off sites which allow it to build up. :(
gnome
6
Hey, that was quick!
The spam has gone already.
rb
7
Information (& technology) can be used for good or bad - what about finding your lost kid in a department store or helping disabled access? There are numerous good reasons for having this information available and it is already.
Bring it on asap & stop being so shortsighted - use technology to solve the problems, don't hinder or legislate against the inevitable and stifle innovation.