Google Maps will show region-wise COVID-19 data for safe navigation
What's the story
As COVID-19 cases are surging exponentially, it is more important than ever to be fully aware of the situation prevailing in your local area. The number of active cases is the best measure to define safety, and now, to help you keep tab on it, Google will show these stats directly in the Maps app. Here's all you need to know about it.
Feature
Color-coded layer in Google Maps
Google is bringing a new COVID layer into Maps, a tool that would show color-coded locations to highlight the situation of the pandemic there. For instance, if the number of cases is high in a particular region, it will be highlighted with a shade of red, whereas those with fewer cases will be shown in yellow.
Data
Average of new cases will also be shown
Along with color-coding, Google Maps will also show a seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people for different areas of the map. Additionally, there will be trend indicators to show whether the cases are increasing or decreasing in the city or state you are looking at. This will make it easier to determine how safe it is to visit a particular place.
Usage
Available for all 220 countries on Google Maps
The new COVID layer is available for all 220 countries that are on Google Maps. However, the data would be shown at the state and city-level only where available. Google says that the information used for this feature is being taken from the same sources that provide data for its COVID-19-related search results, including Johns Hopkins University, The New York Times, and Wikipedia.
Enabling
How to use the new feature?
The COVID-19 layer will be rolling out for Android and iOS users around the world starting this week. Once the feature is available on your phone, you can toggle it on in Maps by simply tapping the layers button on the top right hand corner of your screen and selecting "COVID-19 info". Then, the color-coded layers and the COVID-19 data will start appearing.