Google Maps, a popular Big Tech service that provides browser-based search and map viewing, marks its 20th anniversary in February 2025, solidifying its status as an essential tool for billions of individuals in their daily lives.
Since its establishment in 2005, the service has consistently improved to assist users in navigating the world more securely and confidently. Lately, the company integrated its proprietary generative artificial intelligence, Gemini, into the browser.
It also emphasized the addition of more agile, lightweight, and versatile cameras to the Street View archive, which started functioning in 2022.
Newly added countries
Cameras no longer have to be permanently installed in certain vehicles due to advancements, allowing them to be easily mounted in any car. This new feature simplifies the process of mapping remote or hard-to-reach areas.
In Hawaii, the equipment can be sent by air transport, and a car can be rented locally for data collection. This will allow Google to update information from areas that have not been photographed for over a decade.
The company increased its international presence by including three new countries in its portfolio: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Namibia, and Liechtenstein.
Maps remains the most extensive navigation app globally by utilizing satellite images, local government data, user contributions, and other external sources in over 250 countries and territories.
Integration with AI
Since October 2024, Big Tech has been experimenting with integrating Google Maps with Gemini, an AI that enhances the system’s intelligence.
Users now have the ability to locate places with highly specific attributes, such as a pet-friendly restaurant with outdoor seating and televisions showing games. Additionally, the search function can identify similar establishments with more budget-friendly pricing by recognizing the shared criteria.
The technology provides immediate updates on road issues, in-depth weather predictions for the journey, and recommendations for nearby parking.