Google is to begin rolling out its Immersive View product to four new cities, with Dublin among the latest to get the AI-powered treatment.
Immersive View uses artificial intelligence to combine billions of images to create a multidimensional view of the world, with information layered on top. Dublin, Amsterdam, Florence and Venice are all getting the new Maps view, along with more than 500 landmarks around the world including St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
The new view appears as a video on Google Maps when you search for a location. A time slider shows you the weather at a specific time of day, or how crowded the area is.
Google’s own advanced AI technique, dubbed neural radiance fields - NeRF for short - will allow users to see inside restaurants and cafes where Google has data available, so they can decide on making a reservation.
The move was one of a number of updates announced by Google to its Maps interface to make it easier for users to find their way around. the company also launched glanceable directions in Maps to help users track their trip progress automatically, regardless of whether people are walking driving or cycling.
Google has also added a new feature to save recent locations you have searched even after you close the Maps window, to allow users to return and continue planning at a later stage.
