Google Maps Provides Warnings and Navigation for Disasters, Speedometer

Google has introduced a Google Maps replace will make the app much more helpful when there’s a pure catastrophe, whereas one other useful characteristic has been noticed by customers.

Google mentioned in a weblog put up that the SOS alerts characteristic of Google Maps was improved by including visible info throughout pure disasters, with a brand new navigation warning system to guide customers away from hazard.

Google Maps’ SOS alerts already present a abstract of no matter is going on, the related information tales for an incident, emergency telephone numbers and web sites, and updates from native authorities. With the brand new replace, the app will now additionally present detailed visualizations about hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods.

A disaster notification card will routinely seem within the days earlier than a hurricane hits, for many who reside close to the anticipated impression space. The cardboard hyperlinks to a hurricane forecast cone, which exhibits predictions on the trajectory of the storm and the time that it’s anticipated to hit places.

The playing cards for earthquakes, in the meantime, will show the shakemap, or the epicenter and magnitude with a color-coded visualization to point out how intense the shaking was in sure areas. For floods, forecasts will present the place they’re more likely to happen and the anticipated severity in some locales, although the characteristic is barely obtainable in India for now.

Google Maps will additional develop its disaster-related options in the summertime, with the plan to roll out notifications when an individual’s route is affected by a disaster exercise. The app can even attempt to lead the particular person away from the incident by offering directions on the place to go.

Whereas Google Maps introduced its enlargement of SOS alerts to incorporate disaster-related notifications, one other new characteristic for the app was added with out a lot fanfare. Android Police reported that some customers have began seeing an choice to show a speedometer whereas driving.

The speedometer, which can be turned on by way of the app’s preferences underneath Navigation Settings, enhances final week’s worldwide rollout of velocity cameras and velocity limits in Google Maps that additional likens the app to Waze.

Google Maps customers can even have a brand new augmented actuality mode to stay up for. The characteristic, which was first showcased in final yr’s Google I/O and presently in testing, will make the most of the smartphone’s digicam to assist decide precisely the place they’re, as an alternative of getting to orient themselves by way of the little blue dot.