‘Indian users are the biggest contributors to Google Maps’: Miriam Daniel

Google Maps has 60 million active users in India who are contributing in making the app work better. In an interview, Miriam Daniel, VP & GM Google Maps told Tech Today that India has the biggest contributing community in the whole world.

Daniel stated, “They are giving us information like opening hours for businesses, Star ratings, photos, validating addresses, validating roads etc. They tell us about road closures and make edits to Maps.  That is how we are able to keep pace with the ever-changing landscape in India.”

On a single day, Google Maps witnesses over 50 million searches across multiple languages that power over 2.5 billion kms of directions in India.

Lens in Maps

Google has announced 5 new features for Google Maps in India. One of the major features is Lens in Maps. With the help of this feature, users will just need to point their camera in a direction to see all the major landmarks in that direction like cafés, restaurants and more with relevant information like hours, ratings, reviews and photos. This can help users make quick decisions like where to eat. It will roll out in 15 cities in India by January 2024, starting with Android.

Live View

Another feature is Live View walking navigation that will help you out in case you end up in an unknown location or are looking for a specific landmark. Google Maps will show you arrows, directions and distance markers on the Maps. This feature is set to roll out in 3,000 cities across in India in 2024. This feature uses AR to make navigation easier to understand.

Address Descriptors

With the new Address Descriptors feature, instead of the exact locations, Google Maps will give directions based on the nearest landmarks. For example: next to Prem Mandir or opposite to PVR.

Where is My Train App

Google’s Where Is My Train app, which garners over 80 million users every month, and is used to navigate intercity train journeys, is also getting an upgrade. With collaboration with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and mobility app Namma Yatri, users will be able to see metro schedules and booking via Google Maps. Google says that this feature will be first rolled out for Kochi Metro followed by Mumbai local.

Fuel-Efficient Routing

Finally, Google has also introduced a feature that will minimise the CO2 emission in the country. With the Fuel-Efficient Routing feature, users will be able to identify a more eco-friendly route, based on their choice of vehicle. Google says that this feature uses AI to real-time traffic data, road elevation, and vehicle’s engine type to identify the route that limits fuel and emissions.

The company is heavily relying on AI for Google Maps. Daniel told Tech Today. She said, “We're using AI to scan millions and millions of images and stitching them together and figuring out where you are in the physical world, then locating you and showing you what's around you. None of this would be possible without artificial intelligence and we'll continue on this AI journey in the future.”

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