Google India unveils new desktop maps

Google, the world's largest search engine provider, Thursday unveiled a new tool to search, navigate and explore Indian cities, streets, landmarks, restaurants and events through its desktop maps.

"Our new tool will help a user find a way to a specific locality in a new city to travel by any transport mode, including walking and biking, as the map not only shows the route, but also the distance and travel time," India Google Maps director Suren Ruhela said in a statement here.

Similarly, the latest maps are loaded with a wealth of information to preview imagery of places a user would like to visit such as landmarks, museums and places of interest. The tool will also enable users to save home and work locations to maps. One can check travel time to office by typing 'work' in the search bar. The map will highlight the destination with the route marked in blue with directions from home or market," Ruhela said.

Besides providing route maps, the desktop tool offers information on social, cultural and musical events for viewing them live.

"The map adapts with every click and search to highlight information that matters most. "When users click on points of interest like a park, museum, or restaurant, the map will highlight similar results to show options users may not have known in their city," Ruhela observed.

"Under 'upcoming events', we offer schedules of concerts, plays or dramas in a theatre and sports matches in a stadium in the city the user lives in or visits," the statement noted.

Real-time traffic reports alert users where an accident, road closure or untoward event occurred to plan well for commuting by own vehicle or public transport and to avoid being caught in a gridlock.

"Details of public transit such as train, bus and Metro service, including arrival and departure timings, help users to plan when to travel at ease," the statement added.

Though a few hundreds of people climb Mount Everest every year, the latest maps also enable users to visit the world's top peaks from their desktops and explore landmarks with the imagery carousel.