In there a more overused word in the modern parlance than “vibe”? People are always going on about “vibes” (or vibez, annoyingly), so it makes sense Google Maps would attempt to capture them within searches.
If you’re visiting a new town, city, or country, you might benefit from knowing what the “vibe” is within the different neighbourhoods, if you’re that way inclined. What that means in real terms is the Google Maps update will surface the community/AI sourced hot spots in certain parts of town.
Whether it’s great food, a strong arts scene, or places of cultural and historical significance, you’ll be able to sample “the vibe” before you go, or as soon as you arrive.
In a blog post, Google writes: “If you’re visiting a new neighborhood, it can be hard to figure out what’s worth exploring, what’s new, and what the local gems are. Soon, with our new neighborhood vibe feature, you’ll be able to select a neighborhood and see the most popular spots come to life thanks to helpful photos and information from the Google Maps community right on the map.
“Say you’re on a trip to Paris — you can quickly know if a neighborhood is artsy or has an exciting food scene so you can make an informed decision on how to spend your time.” The feature arrives globally on the Google Maps app for iOS and Android in the coming months.
Elsewhere, Google says there are now 250 photorealistic aerial views of global landmarks available within Google Maps. The Immersive View feature was launched at Google I/O this spring with a demonstration of Big Ben on a typically rainy day.
Google also offered an update on its eco-friendly routing feature, which Google says has been used to travel 86 billion miles and thus saving half-a-million metric tones of carbon emissions. It’s the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the road.
Finally, Google is launching an API feature for its Live View feature that shows AR walking directions atop of your world. It’s handy for getting around places like airports and train stations and now Google is giving developers the opportunity to app it to their own apps.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
