Street view goes off-road, improved accuracy for Google Maps
Wed June 6, 2012
For Google Earth, the company will soon begin introducing 3D models of entire metropolitan areas for both iOS and Android devices. The models were built using a combination of new imagery rendering techniques and computer vision to produce 3D cityscapes from 45-degree aerial imagery. Google claims that there will be 3D coverage for a number of major metropolitan areas by the end of the year.
Google first hinted that the company had something new planned for its popular mapping service last week with an invitation to an event promising "the next dimension" of Google Maps. The enhancements to Google's mapping program come after news of Apple expecting to drop Google Maps for a native mapping application in iOS 6.