Apple Maps Gains Detailed Terrain Features for Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada US States

[MacRumors]

As part of its ongoing effort to rebuild Apple Maps, Apple has added detailed terrain features to the U.S. states of Arizona and New Mexico as well as the southern portion of Nevada, including the city of Las Vegas.

The enhancements are the result of Apple's street-level data collection using LiDAR-equipped vehicles, which has been going on for over three years. Related improvements first rolled out in Northern California in iOS 12 and have extended to Hawaii and Southern California over the past few months.

The overall look and feel of Apple Maps is mostly the same, but zooming and panning reveals more details like grass, trees, sports fields, and parking lots. Apple says search results also become more relevant.

Apple Maps vehicles have been collecting mapping data in the United States since 2015, with over 45 states at least partially surveyed to date. Apple will begin surveying Alaska, South Carolina, and Tennessee between March and July, according to an update to its recently revamped Apple Maps image collection website.

Back in June 2018, Apple said the revamped mapping data would roll out section by section across the rest of the United States over the following year. Since then, a pattern has emerged that appears to show Apple prefers rolling out the updated maps in adjacent continental U.S. states, rather than prioritizing more population-rich regions of the nation like the Northeast.

Our source notes that Apple is also working on an updated appearance for northeastern cities like New York, given that special detailed terrain features can be seen - perhaps unintentionally - when entering turn-by-turn navigation.

(Thanks, Dante!)

Article Link: Apple Maps Gains Detailed Terrain Features for Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada US States

 

[DamoTheBrave]

So nearly one country in four years.

 

[RobertMartens]

Can I still drive on to the runway at the airport. Or is that not actually a feature?

 

[Aluminum213]

So only another 50 years left before it matches Google maps

 

[BootsWalking]

I wonder when Apple will do a Qualcomm-type surrender and just yield to Google for their map functionally.

 

[DailySlow]

Better and better, say I

 

[szw-mapple fan]

So nearly one country in four years.

Right, because you can't start on other regions of the world when you're doing the current one.

Google street view took two years to release just a few cities at first and then added more places faster and faster. Apple has covered all of California and Hawaii in the past year, which is pretty good progress for a pilot release. Expect releases to ramp up in a similar way for Apple as they work out the kinks in their new data.

 

[0947347]

Can I still drive on to the runway at the airport. Or is that not actually a feature?

I much more preferred google maps, especially enjoyed the container lorries ending up on cycling paths and cars driving off the cliff. Fun fun, if you are a numb-nuts and don’t look where you are driving to.
[doublepost=1556193003][/doublepost]

Right, because you can't start on other regions of the world when you're doing the current one.

Google street view took two years to release just a few cities at first and then added more places faster and faster. Apple has covered all of California and Hawaii in the past year, which is pretty good progress for a pilot release. Expect releases to ramp up in a similar way for Apple as they work out the kinks in their new data.

Sorry, but you are too rational for this blog. I would recommend the “Google maps are the best” approach, followed by “Apple Maps suck”, or you are going to be called a fanboy and will be disliked in here.

 

[mcrawley]

Can someone at Apple please add a scale to their maps?


I get an air quality index and temp but no indicator of distance, a fundamental thing maps measure.

 

[Sasparilla]

Nice to see Apple continuing to improve it.

 

[Lee_Bo]

Can someone at Apple please add a scale to their maps?


I get an air quality index and temp but no indicator of distance, a fundamental thing maps measure.

As in, one inch = 2 miles, or something similar? I don't see an option for that in Apple Maps, Google Maps or Waze.

 

[aajeevlin]

So only another 50 years left before it matches Google maps

Only time I open is when I clicked on the wrong icon.....

 

[MozMan68]

“I never use Maps,,.or if I do, it’s by accident. Here, let me tell you how awful it is now...”

Always helpful...

 

[m0sher]

I realize it has a ways to go before all the states are added but for those who already added I can tell you that Apple Maps is almost as good as Google maps in many places now.

I live in Arizona.

I used to use exclusively Google maps but when I use Siri it’s much more convenient to let Siri open up Apple Maps.

Now that Google maps is allowing merchants to purchase prime spots to show themselves as closest nearby stores even if they aren’t, I feel I like the accuracy of Apple maps, a better app, rather than who paid more to be up top to google.

 

[thei3ug]

As in, one inch = 2 miles, or something similar? I don't see an option for that in Apple Maps, Google Maps or Waze.

For apple maps the scale should appear in the upper left corner while zooming.

Google maps allows the option of displaying scale while zooming as well.

 

[Tofupunch]

I really do hope they keep adding more features to maps. I like how in google maps you can find out when you need to leave by telling t when you want to arrive. A scale would be nice too as someone else mentioned. And also, a revamped list feature. It's pretty bare-bones and I use this feature a lot. But I'm sure it'll keep getting better and better.

 

[one more]

Can someone at Apple please add a scale to their maps? I get an air quality index and temp but no indicator of distance, a fundamental thing maps measure.

It is there, appearing in the upper left corner when you start zooming in/out of it.

 

[gwhizkids]

It is there, appearing in the upper left corner when you start zooming in/out of it.

You learn something new every day! Had never noticed that before. One reason why is that it disappears a little too quickly. But it is there!

 

[Lee_Bo]

For apple maps the scale should appear in the upper left corner while zooming.

Google maps allows the option of displaying scale while zooming as well.

Ah, I see now why I never noticed it. On Apple Maps it almost disappears as soon as you take your fingers off the display. On Google Maps it stays there a few seconds before disappearing.

 

[genovelle]

Can I still drive on to the runway at the airport. Or is that not actually a feature?

I really do hope they keep adding more features to maps. I like how in google maps you can find out when you need to leave by telling t when you want to arrive. A scale would be nice too as someone else mentioned. And also, a revamped list feature. It's pretty bare-bones and I use this feature a lot. But I'm sure it'll keep getting better and better.

That is a feature of Siri build into the calendar. You will get a notification of when to leave based on an event with a location and how soon before you want to be reminded. I think a much better Siri feature is being able to set a reminder linked to leaving or arriving at a location. This includes naming a point of interest and including a task like calling someone from your contacts. When you trigger the location event a notification pops ups with a link to the persons phone number.

 

[MozMan68]

That is a feature of Siri build into the calendar. You will get a notification of when to leave based on an event with a location and how soon before you want to be reminded. I think a much better Siri feature is being able to set a reminder linked to leaving or arriving at a location. This includes naming a point of interest and including a task like calling someone from your contacts. When you trigger the location event a notification pops ups with a link to the persons phone number.

True...but the Google allows you to look in advance to help plan your day better.

I use the Siri one, but sometimes I will check Google on my laptop a day in advance to make sure I know the average time it will take to get somewhere, especially during commuting times when the time can change dramatically.

Apple probably has the data...but I imagine it would only be added as a feature when Maps is available to more people and not limited to Mac users.

 

[jimbobb24]

Corporations - free to us - are literally 3D mapping the entire urban world. Apple goes one beyond Google maps - as Apple is trying to play catch up - by collected volumetric data with their pictures. It’s just astonishing. Will the future be even more amazing than this?

I do wish Apple had a street view. Looking in AZ the differences are not dramatic.

 

[nwcs]

I wonder what the time delay is from the cars being in the area to actually showing up as results in the map app? From looking at places where the cars have gone through, I haven’t seen much (if any) changes to the actual map displayed.

 

[justperry]

Can I still drive on to the runway at the airport. Or is that not actually a feature?

So only another 50 years left before it matches Google maps

I wonder when Apple will do a Qualcomm-type surrender and just yield to Google for their map functionally.

Only time I open is when I clicked on the wrong icon.....

This is getting (real) old, Apple maps is in many ways better than GMaps, maybe the bunch of you should try it again.
Google has plenty of mistakes in their maps while Apple displays them perfectly.

 

[cgaw23]

I’d rather just use google maps. I keep reporting issues with my local community to no avail. They use parish map data from the 1800s and can’t distinguish my communities name between the “parish” it’s in. I blame it on their partnership with tomtom