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Google Maps Floor Plans

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Re: Google Maps Floor Plans

#91

Post by philwebster »

7952 wrote: post #86
aerosuch wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Julian - just listened to your question from SXSW last year. I was part of another discussion on indoor maps this year: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_IAP100110 One of my fellow panelists from Google discussed ways for developers to use Google's existing map tools to create their own indoor map content. This uses the Google Maps slippy map API, but doesn't require the developer to submit indoor map data t…

Just curious, but why exactly do you want indoor mapping? Is finding your way around buildings really that problematic? What exactly is the point?

Indoor mapping will be incredibly useful for those who are disabled. Knowing where to find ramps and elevators is great for mobility and for safety, but I think that for a blind person the possibilities are even greater. Being able to navigate a building independently using an application on one's phone, for instance. Maybe Google's indoor maps won't be the end-all solution, but will hopefully get institutions thinking about the possibilities.

Re: Google Maps Floor Plans

#92

Post by CamperBob »

7952 wrote: post #86
aerosuch wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Julian - just listened to your question from SXSW last year. I was part of another discussion on indoor maps this year: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_IAP100110 One of my fellow panelists from Google discussed ways for developers to use Google's existing map tools to create their own indoor map content. This uses the Google Maps slippy map API, but doesn't require the developer to submit indoor map data t…

Just curious, but why exactly do you want indoor mapping? Is finding your way around buildings really that problematic? What exactly is the point?

So you've never been lost in a Home Depot (or your local equivalent thereof)?

Re: Google Maps Floor Plans

#93

Post by comex »

RobAtticus wrote: post #28
cwe wrote: post #13

Why would this be Android only? Isn't there value at all in having this on a full computer?

Maybe, but they seem to be going for helping people find things in places like malls and such. So instead of using a directory (which can sometimes be few and far between), you find it on your phone. Also, you can probably sync with your location so you have a real-time "You are here!" icon.

This is not a particularly good reason to make it Android only

Re: Google Maps Floor Plans

#95

Post by batista »

aerosuch wrote: post #90
7952 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious, but why exactly do you want indoor mapping? Is finding your way around buildings really that problematic? What exactly is the point?

Yes, we can live without indoor maps, but we're suffering through a lot of inefficiencies just because we don't know yet that there's a better option. I want indoor maps because they can help reduce healthcare costs. It costs us all money when people get lost in hospitals. While environmental signage helps, it's often not sufficient. Visitors end up interrupting doctors and nurses to ask for directions. This directly…

>I want indoor maps because they can help reduce healthcare costs. It costs us all money when people get lost in hospitals.

Really? Like how much money? Seems like it needs a huge "citation needed" sign.

Re: Google Maps Floor Plans

#96

Post by gbog »

aerosuch wrote: post #75
tocomment wrote: post #29

So it's only available in Google maps on Android, not on the iphone or on the web? If it's just for Android I'm not submitting my building.

While the technology for making indoor map content (georeferencing a floor plan) is already widely available, most smartphones do a very poor job of positioning themselves indoors. GPS doesn't work inside, leaving cell and wifi trilateration as the most readily available alternatives. Another likely factor for Google deploying on Android only is the ability to use wifi signal strength data from the phone to do approx…

I wonder why we couldn't use sound as a precise indoor positioning system. Each position has a unique reverberation signature.

Re: Google Maps Floor Plans

#97

Post by calwonderman »

finalcut wrote: post #73

I submitted four floors worth of plans for a building on our campus probably close to two months ago; they are still "pending review" There is no way to get feedback about the process and no indication on where in the queue our submissions are. There are probably 40 buildings on our campus that I was going to submit floor plans for. However, I was using this first building as a guinea pig of sorts. I can't imagine sp…

Finalcut23, Thanks for reaching out—and for your feedback.

Your problem is something we are very interested in. If you are interested in solving this, please let me know by email at thomasdn@google.com.

Thanks again. Tom

Re: Google Maps Floor Plans

#98

Post by chrisbroadfoot »

jpk wrote: post #78
rickyconnolly wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

agreed, the two-screen, three-point alignment system is finicky and needlessly complex. All you need is pan, scale, and rotate functions to get the job done. Much more intuitive.

What it's doing is setting ground control points that can be passed to a tool like gdal_translate[1]. That three-point alignment deal is setting three pairs of points made up of a lat,lng on the world, and an x,y on the image. Most world map projections cause distortion that can't be compensated for with just pan, scale, and rotate. The GCP jazz can. But I'm in agreement, their UI to set the GCPs is terrible. :-P [1]…

> Most world map projections cause distortion that can't be compensated for with just pan, scale, and rotate.

Sort of. At the level of indoor floor plans, affine transformations are just fine.

Re: Google Maps Floor Plans

#100

Post by jpk »

chrisbroadfoot wrote: post #98
jpk wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What it's doing is setting ground control points that can be passed to a tool like gdal_translate[1]. That three-point alignment deal is setting three pairs of points made up of a lat,lng on the world, and an x,y on the image. Most world map projections cause distortion that can't be compensated for with just pan, scale, and rotate. The GCP jazz can. But I'm in agreement, their UI to set the GCPs is terrible. :-P [1]…

> Most world map projections cause distortion that can't be compensated for with just pan, scale, and rotate. Sort of. At the level of indoor floor plans, affine transformations are just fine.

Good call. Looking into this further, looks like you're right.[1] For the Mercator projection, translate, scale, and rotate are sufficient for the georectification of small images (read: floorplans). You'd need more of the affine toolbox if you used something like Mollweide (mostly sheer, right?), and then you might need non-affine stuff to deal with crazier projections.

I guess, then, that begs the question of why the Google floorplan submission UI uses that weird double-pane thing?

[1] http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2011/03/24/tissot-s-indica...

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