14 DAY TRIAL // Google is now expanding the coverage of building footprints in Google Maps, i.e. the ghostly shapes that represent builds in the regular Google Maps view.
Google already had visible building footprints in several places, but relied on 3D data from buildings available in Google Earth, created by volunteers or Google itself, along with data from the laser scanners on Street View cars.
There are now 25 million new building footprints added to Google Maps, in one fell swoop, and that's just for a few major metropolitan areas in the US.
Google says data for Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and the San Francisco Bay Area has now been added. In places where the new data is now included, the difference can be quite staggering.
The building footprints are designed to make it easier for people to orient themselves, using landmarks they know or they recognize while on the move.
The new data is generated automatically, Google has new algorithms that are able to analyze aerial imagery and detect building shapes. It does the building shapes based on the predictions of the algorithm.
Considering the amount of data that is processed and the small margin for error, it's quite an undertaking.
"These building footprints, complete with height detail, are algorithmically created by taking aerial imagery and using computer vision techniques to render the building shapes. This process enables us to provide more building footprints and a more comprehensive and detailed map than ever before," Google explained.
Obviously, there will be errors, but you can help correct them like you can with everything else on Google Maps, via the Google Map Maker tool. Any change or update you make there will make its way into Google Maps after a short while.
"For areas that you’re familiar with, you can also help ensure that the building footprints are accurate and up-to-date by using our community mapping tool, Google Map Maker," Google said.
"In addition to improving the shapes, you can also assign your favorite local business to an existing building or draw the building footprint for that business using Map Maker," it added.
