Google Maps is Getting a Big Update

[zeusthemoose]

Summary

 Google has started to roll out updates to its very popular navigation software, Google Maps. The first, most noticeable update is the new color-mapping algorithm. As you can see from the image above, the colors on the updated maps are more vibrant and it is much easier to see the different features. If you want more comparisons, go to The Verge (linked below). This will be coming to all users in the coming weeks.

  The other update is more detailed streets. You will now be able see more precise locations and other street features like crosswalks and pedestrian islands. Take a look at the image below to see some changes. This will start in New York, San Francisco, and London in the next few months and eventually to all cities around the world.

 

Quotes

Quote

Google Maps is being redesigned to make it easier to distinguish between natural features in the environment, whether they’re mountainous ice caps, deserts, beaches, or dense forests. Google says the new maps will be available in the 220 countries and territories currently supported by Google Maps, “from the biggest metropolitan areas to small, rural towns.” Google says that street maps are also getting more detailed in select cities.

Google says it used satellite imagery as the basis for its redesigned maps and that this has had a “new color-mapping algorithmic technique” applied to it. The end result does a much better job of showing off the differences between natural features, such as between snowy peaks and dense forests or green fields and sandy beaches.

(The Verge)

Quote

Along with the changes it’s made to the natural world, Google is also making its street maps more detailed in select cities. While previously its maps simply showed the streets themselves, in New York, San Francisco, and London, they’ll soon distinguish between different street features like roadways, sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian islands. Google says the new design shows the shape and width of any given road “to scale.”

(The Verge)

 

My thoughts

 Nothing too major but it is cool to see how detailed they can get these maps. Im guessing the updated streets will take many years to reach every city but will hopefully come to most major ones in a year or two. It really is cool to see how much more detail they can get in these maps without even needing to change the satellites used. The difference is very much visible and all it took was a new algorithm (even if it was likely very complex).

 

Sources

 The Verge

 CNN

[Orangeator]

Awesome, glad to see Google making efforts to improve their maps, this will just further their lead over their competitors such as Apple maps.

[Skipple]

9 minutes ago, zeusthemoose said:

most noticeable update is the new color-mapping algorithm. As you can see from the image above, the colors on the updated maps are more vibrant and it is much easier to see the different features.

I'm... honestly not sure if I like that. Looks pretty and all, but when I use Google Maps, I'm looking for roads mainly. Seems like it would be harder to easily spot and recognize roads with all the different colors going on. If I wanted to see land features I would turn on satellite view. 

[zeusthemoose]

1 minute ago, Skipple said:

I'm... honestly not sure if I like that. Looks pretty and all, but when I use Google Maps, I'm looking for roads mainly. Seems like it would be harder to easily spot and recognize roads with all the different colors going on. If I wanted to see land features I would turn of satellite view. 

It is actually easier to see roads after the update. If you are not fully zoomed in and only see the major  roads, they are much more visible now because the colors have improved so it stands out more. When you are zoomed in, it will eventually look like the second picture; slightly improved contrast but also much more detail. If you want to see it for yourself, check out the verge article linked in the sources section.

[rcmaehl]

Waze update when?

[Skipple]

9 minutes ago, zeusthemoose said:

colors have improved so it stands out more.

Took a look at it. Totally agree that the color change on the roads themselves are easier to see.

 

But take this for example. I find it much easier to follow 89A in the old style. I would have preferred to have the color update to just the roads.

 

                 

 

Either way, I am being nit-picky for the sake of being nit-picky and I'll get used to it.

[zeusthemoose]

1 minute ago, Skipple said:

But take this for example. I find it much easier to follow 89A in the old style. I would have preferred just to have the color update to the roads.

Oof didn’t see that road. I definitely agree with you. Hopefully we will get another update down the line that changes the color of the road depending on the terrain to make it more visible.

[Skipple]

1 minute ago, zeusthemoose said:

Hopefully we will get another update down the line that changes the color of the road depending on the terrain to make it more visible.

Yeah that's my main concern. Especially if you are somewhere where the terrain changes quite often it might make this a pain in the ass. I'm not sure if changing the color of the road would help or just make it worse honestly... lol

[Kanna]

I don’t use google maps that much only use it for searching places etc navigation is done using waze the comunity features are so good (wonder when they will bring the update there)

[Letgomyleghoe]

22 minutes ago, Orangeator said:

Awesome, glad to see Google making efforts to improve their maps, this will just further their lead over their competitors such as Apple maps.

Apple Maps isn’t even a competitor

 

it’s so fucking broken...

[Skipple]

2 minutes ago, Kanna said:

(wonder when they will bring the update there)

(wonder when they will kill Wase like they do everything else)

[Orangeator]

3 minutes ago, Skipple said:

(wonder when they will kill Wase like they do everything else)

Waze is so widely used that I would be surprised if it got the axe any time soon... 

[Kanna]

6 minutes ago, Skipple said:

(wonder when they will kill Wase like they do everything else)

I don’t think it will be killed unless the other google services it has a good ammount of daily users

[Skipple]

2 minutes ago, Kanna said:

I don’t think it will be killed unless the other google services it has a good ammount of daily users

 

7 minutes ago, Orangeator said:

Waze is so widely used that I would be surprised if it got the axe any time soon... 

Tell that to Google Duo

[The Sloth]

2 minutes ago, Skipple said:

 

Tell that to Google Duo

If it's anything like hangout, they won't. 

[Orangeator]

20 minutes ago, Skipple said:

Tell that to Google Duo

Jesus, does Google even realize that Duo and Meet have totally different audiences? With minor overlap between the two. What a bad idea. Duo competes with Face Time, Meet competes with products like Zoom. This is beyond stupid.

[Skipple]

Just now, Orangeator said:

Jesus, does Google even realize that Duo and Meet have totally different audiences? With minor overlap between the two. What a bad idea. Duo competes with Face Time, Meet competes with products like Zoom. This is beyond stupid.

Which is why it surprises me so much that they still have 2 map applications. 

 

I have to imagine it's because there would be massive backlash if they did ever end up merging it... More than every other product they kill.

[Kanna]

6 hours ago, Skipple said:

 

Tell that to Google Duo

It isn't being "killed"

[Doobeedoo]

Dark mode is where it's at. 

[Mark Kaine]

9 hours ago, zeusthemoose said:

The end result does a much better job of showing off the differences between natural features, such as between snowy peaks and dense forests or green fields and sandy beaches.

Yeah,  and it still won't be able to show me the way back to where I departed the same way it showed me the way to my destination and instead will lead me through every little town in the country, which takes triple the time. Great! 

[maartendc]

Big improvement. About time really. Maps were very bad at showing green / paved areas.

 

What is strange is how the colors are AI generated based on the satellite imagery. This results in "squares" of darker color in parts of the map where the satellite imagery is of a different resolution or darkness.

 

Like notice the "square" of darker green around Mt Rainier:

 

 

[paddy-stone]

10 hours ago, zeusthemoose said:

eventually to all cities around the world.

What about the non-cities areas?

[zeusthemoose]

6 minutes ago, paddy-stone said:

What about the non-cities areas?

The artcle says it will be “coming to other cities over time“, so nothing about other areas was specifically mentioned. However, I think they will bring it to every road eventually.

[JZStudios]

12 hours ago, Skipple said:

I'm... honestly not sure if I like that. Looks pretty and all, but when I use Google Maps, I'm looking for roads mainly. Seems like it would be harder to easily spot and recognize roads with all the different colors going on. If I wanted to see land features I would turn on satellite view. 

Most actual paper maps are like this, but it's possible they could do a simple "black and white" view for clarity.

 

12 hours ago, zeusthemoose said:

Oof didn’t see that road. I definitely agree with you. Hopefully we will get another update down the line that changes the color of the road depending on the terrain to make it more visible.

For things like subtitles in movies they're generally white with a black border. Thus they stand out against black, white, and anything in between. Google uses a faded yellow and a slightly less faded yellow. At least giving it a black border will make the roads pop out.

 

12 hours ago, Skipple said:

Took a look at it. Totally agree that the color change on the roads themselves are easier to see.

 

But take this for example. I find it much easier to follow 89A in the old style. I would have preferred to have the color update to just the roads.

It's not the cleanest looking 30 second photoshop, but at least it visually pops. Although even the text seems to be a light grey on white instead of a much more visible black. Google Maps already has 2 tones, they just have a near identical color.

 

Edit* A further crappy photoshop. I managed to figure out that Google Maps in general is using very light, pastel colors. They're easy on the eyes, but also not very distinct. I think a bigger issue is that smaller roads, along with text and possibly even the main roads, have an apparent amount of transparency on them, so they blend in far more than if they were just solid colors. There's not really any good reason for this. It literally just makes roads harder to see.

The smaller white roads (And everything white actually) isn't actually white. Simply making them pure white dramatically increases visual clarity. Look around Cornville or Mormon Lake. Then think about how the roads are more distinct than they were before. (The image is much larger than visible on the forum so it kind of looks worse. Check it in a new tab at full size.)

[paddy-stone]

1 hour ago, zeusthemoose said:

The artcle says it will be “coming to other cities over time“, so nothing about other areas was specifically mentioned. However, I think they will bring it to every road eventually.

Yes, let's hope so, for us non-city dwellers in the world. Maybe we'll actually get deliveries to us every time then, rather than the 50% success rate we get right now... I mean, it's not hard, our side of the street is odd numbers, the other is even numbers. Yet the amount of time you see drivers go to a house across the street is ridiculous. Do the drivers not know how numbers work? if you see the numbers on that side going 12,14,16, the next number is not gonna be 35

I know this isn't gonna help with that, was just using it as an example of stupidity we see in drivers currently, whether that's down to the software they're using, or their own incompetence.