At the Google I/O event, Google Maps (Google Maps) was unveiled the innovations of its service, which will get a feature called immersive view. Initially, the mode will work for Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo. Other cities will be added gradually.
The immersive view takes street viewing and aerial photography to a whole other level, combining them to immerse you in the atmosphere of a particular location, wherever you are. You can use the time slider to check what a neighborhood looks like at different times of day and in different weather conditions, and to figure out where the busiest places are, for example. When you get down to street level, you can see information such as hours of operation, traffic, and even peek into restaurants and other establishments from the street.
The immersive view should work “on almost any phone,” and it’s made possible by Google’s ability to combine billions of street views and aerial photos to create a “rich digital model of the world.”
It’s also announced that Live View is now available to third-party app developers. Live View is a feature that helps you navigate as you walk, using augmented reality to display directional arrows.