Google Maps to show mountains, rivers, width of roads, other details in new update

Google is redesigning Google Maps by adding new visual improvements in order to provide more details and granularity for its users.

In the redesigned Google Maps, users will be able to distinguish rivers, oceans, mountains, beaches, lakes, and ravines. The upgraded maps will be available in 220 countries and territories currently supported by Google Maps.

Google, in a blog post said, "This update is visible no matter what area you're looking at--from the biggest metropolitan areas to small, rural towns".

Google said it used satellite imagery and computer vision as the basis for its redesigned maps. Google applied a "new color-mapping algorithmic technique" to help users distinguish areas based on colours. For example, a densely covered forest can be classified as dark green and an area of patchy shrubs could appear as a lighter shade of green, Google explained.

Moreover, Google said that the map will also include more detailed features like the accurate shape and width of a road. "You can also see exactly where sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian islands are located," the search-engine giant added. Google will be launching the detailed street maps in  London, New York, and San Francisco in the coming months. Subsequently, the detailed map will be launched in other parts of the world too.

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