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Google Maps has been updated to include a new “Covid-19” filter that brings the latest data on infection rates to the map, letting you immediately know if it is safe to travel somewhere or if it is best avoided. The new setting, which is completely optional, uses an average of seven days of new infections per 100,000 so that each region and country is comparable within the application.
Google also includes a handy arrow symbol that tells you at a glance whether infections are trending up or down. There is also a color code, which looks like a heat map, which is designed to help you quickly distinguish the density of new cases in an area.
The latest addition to the highly successful navigation software was announced in a blog post by Google Maps Product Manager Sujoy Banerjee. The data used by Google is detailed enough that you can zoom in on a county and citywide level to see if infections are increasing or starting to decline in the area you want to visit for pleasure. Or work.
Data showing whether new Covid-19 cases are trending upward or downward is already available for the 220 countries and territories available on Google Maps, the Californian company promised. However, there are still many areas within these countries where data is not available, so don’t count on being able to track new coronavirus cases in every city on the planet just yet.
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Google uses data from multiple sources, including Johns Hopkins, New York Times, and Wikipedia.
According to Banerjee, “These sources obtain data from public health organizations such as the World Health Organization, government ministries of health, along with state and local health agencies and hospitals. Many of these sources already feed the information of COVID cases in Search, and now expanding this data to Google Maps. “
The optional Covid-19 layer starts rolling out worldwide at this time. It will be available on Android and iOS, although the update may take a few days to arrive as Google staggers these major software releases.
This is not the first update to Google Maps designed to make travel easier during these uncertain times. Google has already expanded its tools to allow businesses to quickly update their listings to include updated opening hours, new facilities, such as take-out options, and restrictions for customers, such as mandatory face coverings and limits on the number of people per table. .
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