Google Indoor Maps

January 13, 2012 — by Per Christensson

It seems I discover a new technology each time I travel. Last time, it was Delta's iPhone app. This time, I learned about indoor Google Maps from an advertisement in the airport. Yes, the same company that brought you the now ubiquitous Google Maps now offers indoor maps of buildings.

While mapping the inside of small buildings isn't too useful, I can see a great benefit in mapping the layouts of malls, schools, and corporate offices. We'll now be able to find our way around malls using our smartphones, rather than those four-sided map towers. You know, the ones where it takes about a minute just to find the "You are here" marker since your location is always on the fourth side you check. Then you have to rotate the map in your head to find out which way you are facing and you still end up going the wrong way. I prefer the Google Maps alternative.

I'm not sure how Google is compiling maps of indoor locations, but I imagine the company is working individually with property management companies to get building schematics. That means it might take awhile for a map of your favorite hotspot to show up on your phone. But pretty soon, your phone will not only show you how to drive to your next downtown appointment, it will guide you all the way to the office door.