Google map navigation will be more convenient with the new AR-mode (5 photos + video)

Augmented Reality Technology Soontime can take root in the popular Google Maps application. Using the latest innovative technology is especially useful for accurate positioning and searching for objects in a densely populated city.

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User coordinates are determined by the system.GPS, which in urban areas may allow some error. In this regard, to find the necessary address or object in a densely built-up city, on the streets with a huge number of objects, it becomes problematic. Developers to eliminate inaccuracies offered to use the camera. The exact coordinates of the object have already been set in Google Maps, and the application simply begins to compare the photos of the terrain laid out in the Street View database and the camera image. To facilitate the use of the new application, the developers applied overlaying on the real images in the camera arrows-tips indicating the direction of movement to the required point.

Google Maps application yourselfswitches to the traditional map if the user drops the smartphone. Also, the application automatically switches to battery saving mode by reducing the brightness of the screen with a long absence of the owner's response. To work, you need to connect to the Internet, as the database of images is not available offline.

Developers used several options.visualization hints. The blue solid line was originally chosen. However, users formally approached this view and simply tied all their actions to the line. The virtual guide proposed by the developers, which too distracting the owners of the smartphone from the real world, did not fit either. Therefore, in the test version, it was decided to use the arrows.

Currently the application is in the process oftesting, and the final release time is not specified. The Wall Street Journal journalist who tested Google Maps with augmented reality claims that the application is particularly useful in determining the exact direction of travel.

Source: wsj.com, engadget.com