Apple today announced that it will be rebuilding its Maps app "from the ground up" with street-level data collected from its fleet of Apple Maps vehicles, high resolution satellite imagery, and anonymized, random segments of navigation sessions from iPhone users, which Apple refers to as "probe data."
Image: TechCrunch
TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino has published an in-depth overview of the changes coming to Apple Maps, which will be available in the San Francisco area starting with the next iOS 12 beta next week, cover all of Northern California by this fall, and roll out across the rest of the United States over the next year.
In short, Panzarino says Apple Maps will be switching to its own base map, reducing but not fully eliminating its reliance on third-party providers like TomTom, which will yield significant improvements to traffic, real-time road conditions, road systems, new construction, changes in pedestrian walkways, and more.
Apple also promises more relevant search results that, as Panzarino quips, are hopefully on the same continent now.
In a follow-up question-and-answer piece, Panzarino noted Apple Maps will more accurately display foliage like grass and trees, pools, parking lots, exact building shapes, sports areas like baseball diamonds, tennis and basketball courts, and pedestrian pathways that are commonly walked but previously unmapped.
His questionnaire also confirms that the overall design of Apple Maps will remain similar for now, beyond the additional detail.
Image: TechCrunch
Panzarino spoke in detail about the changes with Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue, who oversees Apple Maps:
Cue noted further improvements will take Apple Maps to "the next level":
More from Cue:
Cue's notion that nobody really knew about these plans is debatable, as its Apple Maps vehicles have been a telltale sign since 2015, the same year Mark Gurman reported that Apple would switch to its own base map by 2018.
Apple's in-house base map will continue to improve thanks to probe data. When an iPhone user is navigating with Apple Maps, Apple may collect anonymized data from middle segments of the trip, but never the beginning or end point. Apple says no personal information is ever attached to the data it receives.
Despite the privacy push, iPhone users can still disable the collection of probe data from their device, if they so desire, by opening the Settings app and tapping Privacy > Location Services > Maps > Never.
Image: TechCrunch
In addition to improved accuracy, Cue said Apple will be able to quickly make changes and updates to its base map, such as new roads:
Apple did not confirm when the improvements could reach other countries, but Cue noted that the Apple Maps team is global, and Apple Maps vehicles have already surveyed parts of at least ten other countries, including Croatia, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
iPad-based system in Apple Maps vehicle via TechCrunch
Apple also hasn't confirmed if it will use the data it collects to eventually introduce its own street view feature like Google Maps.
The full article is well worth a read, diving deep into advanced technologies like 3D point clouds and Deep Lambertian Networks that Apple is using to parse its mapping data. Panzarino was also invited for a ride in an Apple Maps vehicle, and he shared interesting photos and details about their setup.
TechCrunch: Apple is rebuilding Maps from the ground up
Article Link: Apple Maps to Be Rebuilt 'From the Ground Up' With First-Party Data Over the Next Year
