Google Maps is rolling out a new feature in India that uses AI to help drivers navigate narrow roads and overpasses in the world’s most populous country, which has a number of overpasses to help with traffic congestion and the massive obstacles on its roads.
On Thursday, Google announced that it had built an AI model for Indian roads that uses satellite imagery and Street View data to estimate road width. The model also takes into account information such as road type, distance between buildings, tree canopy, poles and drains to help riders avoid narrow roads.
Navigation functions
Google Maps shows routes that avoid narrow roads when users select 4-wheel drive mode while navigating, but Google says this update will also help cyclists in 2-wheel drive mode and pedestrians in pedestrian mode navigate narrow Indian roads safely.
Sometimes you may need to drive on narrow roads, especially if your destination is on a narrow road. For this reason, Google Maps adds callouts to navigation to warn you of narrow sections ahead.
Google says the narrow roads feature is initially available on Android devices in eight cities and will be coming to iOS soon.
In addition to helping you avoid narrow roads, Google Maps has integrated flyover callouts into its navigation experience, allowing users to see upcoming flyovers along their route and decide in advance whether to drive through them.
Until now, Google Maps has instructed drivers to “take the ramp” when getting on or off a flyover, but that term is not commonly used in India. Furthermore, the map also suggested that drivers take “(road name) road.” However, in India, this can cause even more confusion, as drivers may not know the road name or the name is not prominently displayed. In this case, a clearer instruction such as “take the flyover” is a better prompt.
Flyover callouts will be rolled out across 40 cities across India for Android devices and Android Auto for four-wheeler and two-wheeler navigation. Google says the feature will soon be available on Apple CarPlay as well.
Google Maps has also added EV charging stations in India, five years after it first launched in the US in 2018. Google has worked with EV charging providers and aggregators such as ElectricPe, Ather Energy, Kazam, and Statiq to display information on over 8,000 charging stations on Google Maps in India.
When users search for charging stations on Google Maps, they can see information about available charging stations, including the types of plugs they support.
What's notable is that this is the first time that two-wheeler EV charging stations are being shown on Google Maps, as four-wheelers are being rolled out globally at a time when electric two-wheelers are dominating the Indian EV market.
public transport
Google announced a partnership with India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), an open-source infrastructure network, and Google-backed ride-sharing app Namma Yatri to provide an end-to-end booking experience for local trains, auto-rickshaws, and metro rides.
This week, the company is launching the ability for users to book metro tickets for Kochi and Chennai directly from the Google Maps interface through Namma Yatri integration. Users will receive tickets in the form of QR codes after payment. Google added that it will add more cities and additional modes of transport in the future.
In particular, Google Maps used to show Uber and Ola cab prices when users entered their destinations. However, this feature was eventually discontinued. The company said that the partnership with Namma Yatri and ONDC was a closer integration and that the feature would continue.
Google also added that “Where is my train?”, an Indian train-tracking app it acquired in 2018, has over 100 million monthly active users.
Earlier this year, Google launched curated lists for some U.S. cities and places in Canada. Now, the company is 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. These lists will appear in Google Maps when users search for terms like “best sea view cafes in Goa” or “best breakfast places in Mumbai.”
The company also said it has updated its interface to make it easier for users to report incidents, including crashes, slowdowns, construction, lane closures, stopped vehicles, and objects in the road, through tappable icons on Android, iOS, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay.
