The use of advanced technology in everyday life has made significant strides in recent years, with one such innovation being immersive mapping. Google Maps has been at the forefront of this development, with its latest feature – Immersive View – offering users a chance to explore their surroundings in a whole new way.
In this new feature, neural radiance fields (NeRF) and computer vision technology are employed to merge billions of Street View and aerial images, resulting in a digital world model that can be visualized in 3D, providing users with a highly interactive and immersive experience.
According to Chris Phillips, VP & General Manager, Geo at Google, “immersive view is an entirely new way to explore a place — letting you feel like you’re right there, even before you visit. Using advances in AI and computer vision, immersive view fuses billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich, digital model of the world.”
Immersive View is now available in select cities such as London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo, and allows users to experience the weather and busyness of a location using a time slider.
The Live View feature also uses AI and augmented reality to inform users about local attractions like restaurants, parks, and transit stations. By simply lifting their phone while on the street, users can see helpful information, like when a place is open, how busy it is, and its ratings, which helps them make informed decisions and save time.
With the new Immersive View feature, Google has created a rich digital model of the world, allowing users to feel like they are right there, even before visiting a place. In addition, the feature’s ability to layer helpful information like weather, and traffic, coupled with the Live View feature’s AI and augmented reality, provides users with a more informed decision-making process.
Although Immersive View is currently available to only select users, it is expected to be released to the public soon and will likely revolutionize the way we explore and navigate through our surroundings.
