Google says it’s easier to explore side quests when you’re planning a route, with suggestions for landmarks and other sites of interest available by clicking the “Add Stops” button. At the end of a route, Maps will now start suggesting places to park, then switch to walking directions to your final destination, complete with augmented reality if you need it. This should be available this week to all iOS and Android users, Google says, with the ability to report weather disturbances and a more immersive view of 150 cities around the world.

And next month, Google will begin adding more detailed lane information in some metro areas.

Waze

NOW fully merged Within Google’s Geo division, Waze continues to offer an alternative road navigation experience, and will also benefit from AI-enhanced natural language processing, with the addition of conversational reporting. In practical terms, this means that you no longer have to tap the right icon on your phone to report a tire in the middle of the highway or a traffic policeman hiding behind a bush.

The feature, which will initially only be available to trusted Waze testers, allows users to verbally describe what they see, optionally asking follow-up questions.

Waze also said it makes it easier for map publishers to add school zones to the map and will alert users when they pass through one. This feature will roll out to iOS and Android later this year, Waze said.

Google Earth

The improvements to Google Earth will likely be of greatest interest to city planners, although they will need to request access to Google Earth’s Trust Testing program to gain access, which will roll out to these beta testers next month. Here, Gemini is leveraged to add complex searches such as “map the five zip codes with the fewest electric vehicle chargers relative to the size of their geographic area.” After determining the answer, Google Earth then creates a useful visualization, as shown in the video above.