Google improves "Maps", its mapping service

A conference dedicated to Google Maps and nothing to this service. Program of the celebration, the 3D high definition, the storage of maps for use in offline line and Street View still and always further exploration.

Yesterday was held the Conference long-awaited Google involving its mapping service Google Maps. Broadcasted live on the Internet, the Mountain View giant has shown that its application now allows more than previously, with for main news, the 3D display at 45 ° in a fluid manner and the passage in offline mode of portions of map for the Globetrotters.

Before you begin to expose all these beautiful features, Brian McClendon, Vice President of Google mapping recalled that it was important for its division as its users do not hesitate to go back any error. Thus, the provision updates cards will be more specific to provide a better quality of navigation in the end. It also addressed the contextual search by location of the user in referring to the search for a place nearby, with for example a user typing Paris in the Google Maps search bar which is located in France will return to the capital and not to the American city.

I turn to the first announcement of the evening, the offline mode. It is not here actually a new feature because it was already available for the users of the service who have installed the module then in beta. But this time, Maps goes a bit further by giving the possibility of defining the level of detail that the card will contain to the end as all the shops of the selected map or just the streets with the names or the main axes of the city. Once the level of detail is selected, the application will be download only the strictly necessary to then store the portion on the mobile microSD card.

The second announcement is much more impressive because this time the recovery in three dimensions at 45 ° view of Google Earth is much more representative que cubic buildings que we had up to now. The demonstration video available just after appears fluid, but we wonder if this be as much on older models or even entry-level smartphones models still in mono core.

Finally, the firm of Mountain View has shown that its Street View service subject to controversy as to the protection of privacy continues its path snowman. After the cars with a camera on the roof, snowmobiles, bikes, the time is in the pedestrian equipped with a backpack with a beautiful ball full of cameras. The purpose here is to map hiking paths in the forest, in the mountains or other accessible locations to feet around the world.

The Conference is only dedicated to mapping of the giant of the research service, it however did not mention the date of the update of its flagship application, at least for the moment. Unless he keeps under the elbow for the next I/O Conference, held from 27 to 29 June during which he will also issue of the next version of the Android operating system.