Google, along with the new Offline Maps for Android, announced a new version of Google Earth with a radically improved 3D technology.
Google unveiled a new version of Google Maps that will be available to the public in weeks with a huge 3D rendering improvements and the ability to fly across places with the application on your iOS or Android devices. The company is using an automated technology to bring the Google Maps 3D to these devices, and they are flying planes that captures these images in 3D. These planes would fly in a very tight pattern bringing in a lot of data from the ground. These planes are using a technique called stereophotogrammetry, to get the patterns right and for each of the pixels on the model which is being captured, they find the best color and then use it for building the image.
Talking about this new technology, Mr. Peter Brich, Product Manager, Google Earth says:
“What we’re doing is using automated technology to extract 3D from aerial images.”
The new system can also know if the images are blocked or they are just shadows due to the sun! These planes are currently being rented from vendors and Google has got some idea to get their own planes too! The new application will hit the iOS App Store and Google Play Store in the coming weeks!