Google Maps expands Streetview to across 3,000 Indian cities

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Google is using AI and imagery with local partners, Genesys International and Tech Mahindra, to enable Streetview, which is now being deployed now in over 3000 Indian cities. The tech giant is also launching Lens in Maps across 15 Indian cities by January 2024 letting users get more information about businesses on Android phones by simply pointing the camera down a street. 

Similarly, Live View Walking Navigation will give users arrows, directions, and distance markers overlaid on the Maps screen in over 3000 cities for Android users.  

“Expectations of users are changing… global youth have different expectations… they actually want things to be more visual, more immersive. That’s what is engaging for them. We are recognizing this pattern all over the world,” Miriam Karthika Daniel, Vice President – Maps Experiences, Google sums up how Google Maps is changing with the times compared to when a simple map would do. 

“In places like India, voice and visual experiences are actually valuable. India is the number one country where people search using voice. It’s much easier for people to use their local vernacular language to search. So, we want to support more and more of these visual and immersive use cases,” she said.  

Google, utilizing AI maps for nearly a decade, has successfully mapped millions of kilometers of both urban and rural roads, along with more than 300 million buildings. This technology caters to millions of users daily, facilitating over 50 million searches in various languages on average. Moreover, it powers directions covering over 2.5 billion kilometers every day on Google Maps in India. AI has played a crucial role in adding over 30 million businesses and places to Google Maps, fostering over 900 million connections between consumers and businesses each month. 

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