Google has announced it will roll out additional features designed to help travellers keep updated about the latest COVID-19 cases and public transport passenger occupancy.
In the updated COVID layer of Google Maps[1] on Android and iOS, travellers will be able to view all-time detected cases in an area, along with links to COVID-19 resources from local authorities.
"This is especially handy if you're heading out of town and need to get up to speed about the local guidelines, testing sites and restrictions in another city," Google Maps product VP Dane Glasgow wrote in a blog post[2].
The updated version of the Google Maps COVID layer will also include details about real-time passenger capacity so commuters travelling by bus, train, or subway lines will know whether there is space to maintain physical distancing from others while travelling.
According to Glasgow, the feature, which will be available globally on Android and iOS, is based on real-time feedback from Google Map users.
This feature looks to build on transit features[3] introduced back in June that informed commuters about whether their travel would be affected by any COVID-19 restrictions, such as the requirement to wear a mask on public transport as well as how crowded a station would be at a certain time.
See also: Google Maps turns 15: A look back on where it all began[4]
"Creating a map is hard -- what's even harder is keeping it continuously updated… but that's also what makes a map useful these days, and what our users expect. We are on a never-ending quest to understand and organise the endless information in the physical world, as it happens," Glasgow said.
"This is an exciting and incredibly