How to use interior maps in Google Maps – Easy Steps

Google Maps offers live viewing, which is basically directions given in augmented reality. They are useful when you need to walk through dense areas without clearly defined streets and paths to get somewhere. Google Maps also has indoor maps. It is a map extension but it is for large buildings. The idea is the same but the location is much smaller.

Interior maps in Google Maps

Large buildings, such as shopping malls or museums, have physical maps, but they are difficult to navigate and are generally not portable or given out to everyone who needs them. The interior maps of Google Maps fill that void; they work in augmented reality and guide users through the building.

Indoor maps are not easy to create, and so far their availability is limited. They are available in these countries.

Use interior maps in Google Maps

Google Maps offers interior maps for large buildings. If you are looking to give it a try, you can try it with the San Francisco airport building.

1. Abre Google Maps.
2. Navigate to the building where you want to use interior maps.
3. Get as close as you can.
4. When you see a bar on the left hand side showing floor numbers or a floor plan.
5. Select a floor number.
6. Zoom around the building to find your way.

Buildings with interior maps

Google Maps creates indoor maps when requested by building owners. Essentially, it is up to a property owner to create them. Floor plans can be uploaded by contacting Google. However, before the plans can be uploaded, Google Maps will verify if the person uploading them has the right or ownership of the building to do so. Protect unauthorized maps from loading. You can modify the maps later, but the process takes time and does not happen in real time.

conclusion

Indoor maps aren’t as common as they should be and Google doesn’t have much control over this. If you think a building requires an interior map, you can ask the owner to create it and upload it. Beyond that, there is little that can be done by the end user. Creating floor plans is not easy and for places like shopping malls where stores tend to change ownership, keeping an interior map up to date can be time consuming. Google Maps does not indicate which buildings have an interior map available to them. The only way to find out is to zoom in on a building. You can check the details of a place on Google Maps and you can indicate in the details if there is an inside map available. Google Maps does not add this information and it must be included by the owner of the building.