Google Maps to mark flyovers, narrow roads in India with AI-powered features

Last December, Google introduced India-first features such as fuel-efficient routes, and Address Descriptors, which offer richer information on pinned locations.

Now, the search engine giant has announced that it will bring more value-added features including the much-awaited flyover callouts and narrow road indicators.

In highly-congested metros such as Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, there are a lot of flyovers spread across the Central Business Districts (CBDs), and one wrong turn can lead to waste of time while rerouting to the final destination. Google Maps users have long been requesting a feature to properly guide them at the mouth of the flyovers to ensure that they are on the right lane.

Well, the Google Maps' India team have answered their prayers and will soon bring the flyover callout feature that will guide the user on which turn to take, to either go up the ramp or continue on the service road, to reach the destination.

Flyover callouts feature on Google Maps.

The flyover callouts feature will be initially available in 40 cities across India for both four-wheeler and two-wheeler active navigation on Android apps and Android Auto. It will be introduced later to Google Maps for iOS and CarPlay-enabled cars.

Further, Google Maps is also bringing an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered narrow road callouts feature on the Maps Directions UI and Navigation UI on the phone's screen so that car drivers can avoid venturing into small lanes. They will get the best wide-road route to reach their destination.

If the destination is in the narrow lane and there is no other wider road available, it will alert the user that the final stop is on this particular road and be cautious. With this information, users will be more aware of risks and avoid scratching a parked car, a tree or a pole on the sides of the narrow road.

Narrow Road callouts feature on Google Maps.

"We've developed an AI model specifically for Indian roads that incorporates multiple signals – satellite imagery, Street View, and other information like road types, the distance between buildings, paved sections, etc. to estimate road widths at scale," said the Google Maps team.

The narrow road callout feature will be available through a new update to the Google Maps app. It will be initially on Android devices this week in eight cities: Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Indore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, and Guwahati. It will be made available on Google Maps for iPhones soon.

EV Charging stations on Google Maps.

“Our quest to build a better Maps experience is never ending, and India presents many amazing opportunities to bring the best of our AI and geospatial technologies to address complex real-world challenges. Many of these solutions are being pioneered in India, for India. From a custom-built AI approach for tackling narrow roads and flyovers, to powering sustainable journeys with EV charging stations, as well as enabling the biggest community of maps contributors to surface real-time road disruptions on the map, we’re excited to bring such helpful features to millions across the country. India truly is at the center of our innovation, and we can’t wait to build the future of Maps right here.”

Miriam Daniel, VP & GM, Google Maps

EV charging stations guide

India is registering a significant growth in adoption of Electric Vehicles both in two-wheeler and four-wheeler segments in all major cities. But there is a dearth of information on charging points.

Now, Google in collaboration with top EV companies-- ElectricPe, Ather, Kazam, and Statiq-- will offer more than 8,000 charging stations across India right on Google Maps.

This will offer a sense of reassurance for EV owners and allow them to plan their outstation trips with less anxiety. Google Maps can help find the nearest EV charging points, on their way to the final destination.

Google Maps will offer detailed information, including plug types (including those for two-wheelers) and real-time availability. Users can even filter by specific charger type and check if the station is open before they head over to the place. The same information can also be fetched in the Google Search app.

And, Google in partnership with Namma Yatri and ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) will offer a metro ticket-buying option right on the Google Maps app. Initially, it will be available in Chennai and Kochi.

Popular local restaurants on Google Maps

Google has tied up with NDTV Food, MagicPin, and other local review community contributors to offer a curated list of popular restaurants in major cities in India. In the list, travellers will be able to find iconic eateries of the cities and make their trip more memorable.

'Lists' feature on Google Maps app.

Initially, it will be available in 10 cities in India including Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Jaipur.

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