Google Maps Is Getting Augmented Reality Directions And Recommendation Features

Machine learning now gives you a version of the internet tailored to fit your specific needs and wants. Google’s been beating that drum for years, but the vision manifested itself in fresh, in an overhauled Google Maps app revealed during the company’s I/O keynote.

Google Maps will be updated with a new personalised “For You” section that offers up recommendations based on your interests. The Maps app is gaining a dedicated “For You” tab that is designed to “tell you what you need to know about the neighbourhoods you care about.” It will feature new restaurants opening nearby, trending spots, and more, based on places you’ve rated and places you’ve visited

For You will be accompanied by a new “Match Score” that predicts which restaurants you’re most likely to prefer based on your personal preferences, which is designed to help you to choose between multiple restaurant suggestions.

The score is generated by utilising Machine Learning and outlines the reasons explaining why it thinks you’d enjoy that place such as ‘you enjoy Greek food’ and it’s similar to another restaurant you’ve visited and liked, as well as giving you the score.

In order to facilitate making plans with others, Google Maps is gaining a feature that will let you long press on any restaurant or location to add it to a shortlist that can be shared with friends to get their input. Once shared, your friends can add additional suggestions to the list and vote on the place they’d most like to visit to find a group favourite.

Google showed off its new features for Google Maps at I/O conference. Features which include a redesigned Explore interface, that make Google Maps better at being your local guide. A feature known as an augmented reality Street View mode which help show you directions in real time, along with personalised recommendations to help you discover places in your neighbourhood.

The new AR features combine Google’s existing Street View and Maps data with a live feed from your phone’s camera to overlay walking directions on top of the real world and help you figure out which way you need to go. It’s a lot like the promises Google had made with the original version of Google Glass, except without the need for wearing an additional AR headset.

The new AR view will overlay your Google Maps navigation directions over the camera view, showing directions, street names and even overlaying business names and information cards about them. Google has also been toying with a new animated ‘Guide’ to help you get you where you’re going.Google is also utilising VPS to take visual cues such as landmarks and features seen by the camera to improve navigation. VPS will help Maps to figure out where you are, what direction you’re currently pointed in and then help you get where you need to go.

The “For You” tab and “March score” are coming to Maps on Android and iOS  few months from now,  but Google hasn’t yet announced when their AR and VPS navigation features are coming, but we’re hoping they’ll be coming soon.