Google, MapMyIndia announce 3D maps for Indian cities

NEW DELHI : Google launched its Google Street View mapping product in India on Wednesday, capitalizing on the federal government’s new geospatial coverage. Shortly after Google’s announcement, homegrown MapMyIndia, unveiled a product referred to as Real View Maps, which supplies “360-degree panoramic avenue view” and also includes a 3D Metaverse Maps Service.

Though India is one of the top markets for Google Maps, its Street View was rejected by the country’s regulators back in 2016 following objections raised by security agencies. The country’s new National Geospatial Policy, 2021 however, allows such products to be operated by foreign companies, as long as the imagery data is owned by Indian firms.

To that end, Google said it is licensing the data from Tech Mahindra and mapping firm Genesys International to launch Street View in India.

MapMyIndia, on the other hand, doesn’t have to deal with such limitations. The company’s Real View Maps works on similar lines as Google Street View and allows users to “virtually explore and interact with full 360-degree panoramas of streets” together with well-known vacationer, residential and industrial spots in main Indian cities.

The firm calls its main mapping product Mappls, which competes with Google Maps, and RealView will compete with Street View. MapMyIndia stated Mappls RealView maps repository already covers “a whole lot of hundreds of kilometers”. Google said that Street View will be available in 10 Indian cities presently and cover 150,000 kilometres across the country. It plans to grow to 50 more cities by this year-end.

Both Street View and RealView are available to public and private sector companies that want to integrate it into their apps and services, and to regular users.

Rohan Verma, chief executive and executive director of MapmyIndia emphasized that RealView Maps is a “fully indigenous” different to international map apps.

Anupam Shukla, associate at regulation agency Pioneer Legal, stated the roll out of such options by firms aside from Google is sweet from a buyer perspective because it gives extra choices.

He, nonetheless, famous that given the ubiquitousness of Google merchandise and the way seamlessly it (Street View) will combine with Google Maps, offers Google a bonus over MapMyIndia, as it’s a default on Android gadgets.

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