One of the best things about Google is that the company is always trying to improve its services, and it seems that it wants to make sure that people are having the best experience. Now, the tech giant has introduced a new wildfire boundary map in Google Search and Google Maps in the United States. Google rolled out this feature this week and it displays boundaries of active wildfires in near real-time. It is important to note that Google conducted a pilot test of this feature in California during 2019.
The features works in a simple way, users only need to search for the name of an active wildfire on their smartphone or PC, and they will see a map displaying the approximate boundary of the fire in near real-time. Furthermore, users will also be provided with the necessary resources and information from local emergency agencies. The most important part is that Google updates the crucial fire map information hourly. For instance, if someone searches for ‘wildfire in California,’ Google Maps will display an approximate boundary of active wildfire, and the insights also include name, location data, and news articles. This new feature in Google Maps will help millions of people by providing them near real-time and more accurate information about an active wildfire.
To ensure that users are provided with the most accurate view possible, the company has been using analytics tools of Google Earth Engine to monitor imagery which is provided by four GOES satellites of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration). With this new change, the Google Maps app will also update you with road closures. Furthermore, the app will also provide you with directions that will help you to avoid danger and roadblocks.
You will get an alert from the app if you are exploring an area close to an active wildfire on the Google Maps application. Users will receive warnings from the Google Maps app if they get close to an active zone of fire, and lastly, users will see multiple red boundaries in Search as well as Maps if there are multiple large fires in the same area. The feature is available on Android as well as the iOS version of the Google Maps app and Google Search. The new feature is currently available only in the United States, and it is expected that Google will expand this feature to other countries as well.
Read next: Google Search Tested Bold Header Photos Based On Search Queries
The features works in a simple way, users only need to search for the name of an active wildfire on their smartphone or PC, and they will see a map displaying the approximate boundary of the fire in near real-time. Furthermore, users will also be provided with the necessary resources and information from local emergency agencies. The most important part is that Google updates the crucial fire map information hourly. For instance, if someone searches for ‘wildfire in California,’ Google Maps will display an approximate boundary of active wildfire, and the insights also include name, location data, and news articles. This new feature in Google Maps will help millions of people by providing them near real-time and more accurate information about an active wildfire.
To ensure that users are provided with the most accurate view possible, the company has been using analytics tools of Google Earth Engine to monitor imagery which is provided by four GOES satellites of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration). With this new change, the Google Maps app will also update you with road closures. Furthermore, the app will also provide you with directions that will help you to avoid danger and roadblocks.
You will get an alert from the app if you are exploring an area close to an active wildfire on the Google Maps application. Users will receive warnings from the Google Maps app if they get close to an active zone of fire, and lastly, users will see multiple red boundaries in Search as well as Maps if there are multiple large fires in the same area. The feature is available on Android as well as the iOS version of the Google Maps app and Google Search. The new feature is currently available only in the United States, and it is expected that Google will expand this feature to other countries as well.
Read next: Google Search Tested Bold Header Photos Based On Search Queries
