Google launches Indoor Maps
Getting the right directions indoors.
Google claims to have found a solution to that embarrassing moment when you can’t find your way to the nearest bathroom or the lingerie section of a department store.
We could leave it at simply mentioning the name of the new app -- Google Indoor Maps -- because that pretty much tells you everything you need to know.
But if you still have 58 minutes of your lunch break to go, here's more.
The new app, for Android products only, will help you find your way to the nearest toilet, coffee shop, airport gate, movie theater or train platform, among others, in certain places.
All you need to do is launch Google Maps on your mobile device, enable the “my location” feature and search for whatever you want within the building.
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Google says Indoor Maps is built into Google Maps for mobile, which means you can use many of the same features to explore your indoor space, like searching by keywords or destination and latitude to view locations overlaid on the floor plan.
Indoor Maps is available for your Android 2.2 or above device in Google Maps for mobile version 6.0 or above, according to Google.
This newly launched feature is only available in selected locations in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Switzerland and Japan. It’s likely that more will be added because any building owner can upload their floor map and make it public.
Google Indoor Maps follows other Google initiatives, such as a flight search function launched last year that allows users to compare flights, fares, dates and destinations in an instant.
Its Street View project, which at least once resulted in a girl captured nude, has also gone indoor in some places.
Some places covered by Google Indoor Maps
United Kingdom
London City Airport
Wembley Stadium
Kings Cross Station
O2 Arena
British Museum
Victoria Station
United States
Atlanta Hartsfield -- Jackson International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
Mall of America -- Bloomington, Minn.
Caesars Entertainment -- Bally's Las Vegas
MGM Resorts -- Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, Las Vegas
Vallco Shopping mall in Cupertino, CA
Switzerland
Sihlcity (Zurich)
La Praille (Geneva)
Airport Center, Zurich Airport
Japan
Haneda Airport, Domestic Terminal
JR East in Tokyo and Chiba (main stations)
TOKIA Tokyo Building
