Featured Photo: Image by Photo Mix from Pixabay
Happy Friday all. My three favourite months of the year have begun and I feel like the weeks are just flashing by at this point, it is going to be Halloween before we know it. I guess studying for days on end does that to you. There just never seems to be enough time. Nonetheless I am making steady and good progress – especially with my driving lessons. I am just about ready to take the driving theory test as well. Lots to look towards for me.
The other day I came across some new features that Google is planning to release to its very widely used Google Maps application – starting with select cities. One of these new features in particular caught my eye – Immersive View.
This new feature will allow users to look deeper into a city they are traveling to. It will allow one to see what the weather, traffic and crowds will be like in a given area at a given day and time. Predictive intelligence will use data like historical trends to determine what an area will be like on a given day whether it is the next day, next week, or in a month’s time.
This allows us to better plan our journey’s and make decisions on when we should or should not go to places. It even lets you more easily find parking lots and their entrances. You can even see how busy businesses (such as restaurants) are predicted to be on the given day.
I really feel like this feature will be an excellent companion for people with Autism, Selective Mutism, and general social anxieties and other anxiety disorders. For me it would mean more easily planning a trip around a time I’d be more comfortable with – knowing a given place will most likely be less crowded on the day I choose to go somewhere – and knowing where certain facilities are more easily.
It can help people who are more reluctant to go out due to uncertain variables become more confident with any plans they do make on going somewhere. It is really amazing to see AI being utilised in a way that can be so helpful – especially for people who can struggle to access places due to anxieties, disabilities and sensory difficulties.
The feature should enable a lot less uncertainty when going somewhere and as such a lot less stress and anxiety because we’ll be more organised and be more certain of what to expect, where to find things we need to find, and that it will likely be much more of a comfortable experience. These are the kind of things we need to see more of to help people like us be able to access general society more easily! It will mean less meltdowns, less panic attacks, and more fun.
I look forward to seeing if my hopes for this new feature are confirmed and how it can further be expanded to open up society for those of us who need it. For now the feature is only launching for Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo. Fingers crossed it all works out and more places get it soon.
Have a great weekend!
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