Google Maps is rolling out new features in India using AI to help drivers navigate easily through flyovers and narrow roads in the world’s most populous country, with enormous roads with obstructions and several flyovers to deal with traffic congestion.
On Thursday, Google announced that it had built an AI model specifically for Indian roads that estimated road width using satellite imagery along with Street View data. The model also considers information such as the type of road, distance between buildings, tree covers, poles and drains to help riders avoid narrow roads.
Navigational features
Google Maps shows routes avoiding narrow roads when a user chooses the four-wheeler mode while navigating. However, Google said the update would also help bikers in the two-wheeler mode and pedestrians in the walking mode to navigate through narrow Indian roads safely.
Sometimes, you still need to pass through a narrow road, especially if your destination is on a tight street. For this, Google Maps has added callouts to the navigation to warn you about narrow sections ahead.
Google said the narrow roads feature is initially being implemented on Android devices in eight cities and will debut on iOS soon.
In addition to the ability to avoid narrow roads, Google Maps has integrated flyover callouts within the navigation experience to let users see upcoming flyovers along their route and make a decision about whether they want to go through the flyover beforehand.
Until now, Google Maps instructed drivers to “take a ramp” while getting on or off the flyover, but the term is not commonly used in India. Plus, the maps also suggested drivers to take “[Road name] road.” However, in India, drivers might not know the road’s name, or the name is not prominently displayed, causing more confusion. In this case, a clear instruction like “Take a flyover” is a better prompt.
Flyover callouts will be rolled out in 40 cities across India in four-wheeler and two-wheeler navigation for Android devices and Android Auto. The feature will also be available on Apple’s CarPlay soon, Google said.
Additionally, Google Maps has added EV charging stations in India — over five years after it was initially rolled out in the U.S. in 2018. Google has partnered with EV charging providers and aggregators such as ElectricPe, Ather Energy, Kazam and Statiq to show information about over 8,000 charging stations on Google Maps in India.
Users will see information such as plug types supported at the available stations when they search for charging stations on Google Maps.
Notably, it is also the first time that Google Maps is showing two-wheeler EV charging stations, as the global rollout was for four-wheelers, given that electric two-wheelers dominate the Indian EV market.
Public transport
Google announced a partnership with India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), an infrastructural open-source network, and Namma Yatri, a Google-backed ride-hailing app for an end-to-end booking experience of local trains, autorickshaws, and metro rides.
This week, the company is rolling out the ability for users to book Metro tickets in Kochi and Chennai directly within the Google Maps interface through the Namma Yatri integration. Users will get their ticket in a QR code form after the payment. Google added that it will add more cities and additional modes of transport down the line.
Notably, Google Maps was used to display Uber and Ola cab prices when users typed in a destination. However, the feature was eventually discontinued The company said that the partnership with Namma Yatri and ONDC is a deeper integration and the feature is here to stay.
Google also added that “Where is my train?” app, which it acquired in 2018, for train tracking in India has more than 100 million monthly active users;
Earlier this year, Google rolled out curated lists of places in select U.S. cities and Canada. The company is now bringing this feature to India in partnership with Magicpin and NDTV Food. Starting this week, users will be able to see these lists in Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Jaipur. Google Maps will surface these lists when users search for terms like “Best Ocean-View Cafes in Goa” or “Top breakfast places in Mumbai.”
The company said that it has also updated its interface to make it easier for users to report incidents like crashes, slowdowns, construction, lane closures, stalled vehicles, and objects on the road through tappable icons across Android, iOS, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay.