Google maps adds navigation, live traffic updates

Google recently announced the availability of two new features for Google Maps in India: turn-by-turn voice-guided driving directions through Google Maps Navigation (Beta) and live traffic information for several major cities.

 Google Maps Navigation is an Internet-connected GPS navigation system that provides turn-by-turn voice-guided driving directions as a free feature of Google Maps for mobile on smartphones running Android version 2.2 or later. As a part of the Google Maps for mobile application, Google Maps Navigation automatically accesses the latest information about roads and points of interest from Google’s online mapping services without the need for any manual data updates.

 Google Maps Navigation takes advantage of long-standing features of Google Maps for mobile. These features include powerful Google search and voice search capabilities, which allow users to find local destinations by typing or speaking an address or business name.

 Initially, voice search is only available in English. Google’s search tools simplify the process of navigation by assisting the user in intelligent ways - for example, misspelled or ambiguous queries are corrected and clarified, without requiring the user to enter an exact address - and quickly calculating the optimal route from origin to destination.

In addition to Google Maps Navigation, which is accessible to Android users anywhere in India, live traffic information will also be available for Google Maps in India for major roads in the prominent cities.

 Users can check the traffic conditions by enabling the ‘Traffic’ layer on maps.google.co.in (for desktop browsers) or in Google Maps for mobile (on their smartphones).

 Desktop users of Google Maps can even review ‘typical’ traffic conditions on a given road at specific days and times. On every platform, traffic information is displayed in a simple and readable colour scheme: red for significant congestion, yellow for minor slow-downs, and green for free-flowing traffic.Google Maps Navigation also takes traffic data into account when calculating directions, so users will automatically be routed around areas of major congestion if a faster alternative route is available nearby.