Google Announces 3D Maps for Mobile Devices [Video]

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Posted June 6, 2012 at 6:33pm by Shalom Levytam

Google today announced that it is bringing 3D maps for entire metropolitan areas to mobile devices.

An important next step in improving all of these areas-comprehensiveness, accuracy and usability of our maps-is the ability to model the world in 3D. Since 2006, we've had textured 3D buildings in Google Earth, and today we are excited to announce that we will begin adding 3D models to entire metropolitan areas to Google Earth on mobile devices. This is possible thanks to a combination of our new imagery rendering techniques and computer vision that let us automatically create 3D cityscapes, complete with buildings, terrain and even landscaping, from 45-degree aerial imagery. By the end of the year we aim to have 3D coverage for metropolitan areas with a combined population of 300 million people.

Apple is widely expected to drop use of Google Maps for iOS and announce its open mapping service with 3D at WWDC 2012.

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NoGoodNick - June 6, 2012 at 11:37pm

While 3D is a nice feature for maps, I rarely use it on my desktop, since it grinds my Quad-core computer to a slow crawl. It's incredibly inefficient, and I doubt I'd EVER use it on a mobile device. Other than being pretty, it really conveys very little information.

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Lm - June 6, 2012 at 11:13pm

Isn't that going to be apple copying google.? Apple cannot come up with anything new? How lame of them!

joyz - June 6, 2012 at 6:39pm

Lame... Wait until it is June when Apple will reveal their mapping service

LOL - June 6, 2012 at 6:56pm

It's June already Sir. Wait until 11th June..WWDC

joyz - June 7, 2012 at 5:57am

How very observant! I'm glad you invested in a new pair of glasses

bd - June 7, 2012 at 1:09pm

Supposedly the opinion of someone that knows plenty about both mapping services is that apple will struggle to compete with google's, when they're both up and running that is, apple will have a great and persuasive looking presentation as usual no doubt

joyz - June 7, 2012 at 2:52pm

Apples mapping software was used once by the military fighter jets in Scandinavia! How could google top that?

farpthor - June 6, 2012 at 6:35pm

Want!!!!