Features will arrive in the coming weeks and will be added to the Covid-19 information layer in the iOS and Android app
Google is adding new features to Maps so that users have more information about Covid-19. Thus, in the coming weeks improvements will be incorporated that include new layers with additional information, links to the resources of local authorities or data on the influx of public transport in real time.
The search engine has long provided information about the pandemic in its map application. Specifically, according to Dane Glasgow, vice president of Maps, in a press release, “almost 250 functions have already been added that allow obtaining precise information on this changing scenario”.
The next functions to arrive will be information added in the Covid-19 layer and influx in real time in public transport. The first will include “the number of infections registered in a certain area since the beginning of the pandemic” and resources from local authorities, something that seems focused on Christmas trips. In this way, whoever is going to travel on these dates will be able to know what are the restrictions in force at their destination.
With regard to public transport, the idea is to avoid crowds by checking the influx in real time. It will be possible to consult -only if there is data available, of course- “how busy your bus, train or metro line is at that precise moment.” The information will not be sent by the authorities, but by the Maps users themselves, as is already the case with their GPS service, for example.
To activate the Covid-19 layer, you just have to open the application (both on iOS and Android) and press the layers icon (a small diamond located inside a circle in the upper right part of the screen, below the search bar and establishment suggestions).
This button displays a submenu in which all the layers appear, including the one dedicated to the disease. There are many others ‘hidden’ here, such as the bicycle, public transport or the famous Street View.
