Singapore has become the second city in Asia to receive the Google
Maps indoor feature, software that helps users find their way
inside shopping malls and other large buildings.
From this morning, Android phone users will be able to tap into the
online mapping system to get floor plans and basic walking
directions for any building which has submitted its indoor maps to
Google.
It uses existing Wi-Fi access points to determine a user's location
and follows his movement as he travels across different floors.
The app was launched in the United States in November 2011, with
shopping malls and airports among the first to be mapped.
Japan was the first Asian country to use it in heavily populated
cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. In Singapore, 22 malls have signed
up for its launch, though Changi Airport is still not on the
list.
Indoor maps for malls are not new in Singapore. In 2010, SingTel
launched an app called Go! Shopping, which pinpoints a user's
location and gives directions to shops on its detailed floor plan
and store directory.
With Google Maps, however, there is no need to launch a separate
app to view an indoor map. It swops seamlessly from outdoor maps to
indoor floor plans when users zoom into the building on the
screen.
To keep the app updated, businesses can upload their floor plans to
Google at maps.google.com/floorplans
The product manager for Indoor Google Maps, Mr Cedric Dupont, said
that Google typically takes between two weeks and two months to
update a submitted map or report. "The turnaround to update the
indoor maps depends on the complexity of the floor plans, the
number of maps that are submitted and our own pipeline to process
the maps."
The app looks set to be a hit with shoppers.
Said Ms Wendy Koh, 31, a designer who tried it out: "Indoor maps
lead me to the shop I want instantly without searching around the
mall."
The feature will be available on Android devices using the latest
version of Google Maps. Indoor maps can also be viewed via a Web
browser, but this will show only a single floor instead of multiple
levels within the building.
Said the executive director of the Orchard Road Business
Association, Mr Steven Goh: "With these maps of indoor spaces now
available to all shoppers, everyone can enjoy a more seamless
shopping experience in the precinct."
More details about Indoor Google Maps will be available in
tomorrow's Digital Life.
ST