Google Maps to Get a COVID-19 Map Layer
Since the beginning of the current pandemic, Google has included several features in its Google Maps to help the public. This includes the easy changing of working hours for various brick-and-mortar stores, highlighting the medical centers, suggesting nearby restaurants and their ability to work (like takeaway only or dine-ins also), etc. It has customized the platform for various officials to set data that’s helpful for the public. And now, it’s about to bring a big feature that gives users a sneak peek into various areas COVID-19 situation. As spotted by Jane Manchun Wong, a new feature in Maps include a layer called COVID-19 Info, where it highlights the borders of every state and country, and displays numbers over them.
(idk if it’s new) pic.twitter.com/qqPUfmn5pN — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 4, 2020 The numbers show new cases per 100,000 people on 7 days average of that area and are taken from various public sources like Wikipedia, New York Times, Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation, John Hopkins University, etc. These sources update the COVID-19 data regularly. While the feature isn’t revealed yet, it’s expected to roll out widely for everyone. Since the pandemic is expected to stay a little longer, introducing features like these could help users make better decisions like skipping travels to certain areas if the cases are increasing. Maps also tell whether the cases are decreasing or increasing of certain states/countries when seen.
