Soon the Google Maps app on your phone will be able to tell you which transit lines to avoid or places to spend less time at to prevent coronavirus infection. Google in a recent blog said that it is bringing new tools to Maps that will help people decide where to go as the pandemic rages in varying states across the globe.
The first tool is transit crowdedness predictions, which will be expanded to over 10,000 transit agencies in 100 countries. The feature will let users know if their line is likely to have lots of open seats, hit full capacity, or be somewhere in between.
These predictions are made possible through our AI technology, contributions from people using Google Maps, and historical location trends that predict future crowdedness levels for transit lines all over the world, Google said.
The tech giant is piloting this feature in New York and Sydney "to see live crowdedness information right down to the transit car level" with data from agencies. More cities will be added soon, it further said.
Timeline Insights is yet another tool coming to Google Maps for information on how much time one spends in a particular location. Android users who have turned on Location History will see a a new tab in the 'Your Timeline' on tapping on the profile picture with monthly trends on where they have travelled to and how.
"You’ll see which modes of transportation you’ve used and the distance and time you’ve driven, flown, biked or walked. You can also see how much time you’re spending at different places — like shops, airports and restaurants — and instantly drill down to see all the places you visited," Google stated.
One can also revisit older journeys under the 'Your Timeline' option and choose Trips. This will bring up parts of past vacations, like hotels or restaurants, visited on old trips. These places can then be exported to a list and shared with friends as travel recommendations. This feature is live for all Android users.
Users can easily manage their data - in bulk, in-line, or with auto-delete controls - right from your private Timeline, Google said.
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