Google updates maps to display natural disasters

Google is improving its SOS alerts by adding visual information about natural disasters and a navigation system on Google Maps. Google says the upgrade will extend the capabilities of the SOS alerts to provide crisis information via relevant news stories and Twitter updates from local authorities to include detailed visualisations about hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. In the days leading up to a hurricane, users will receive a crisis notification card on Google Maps that appears near impacted areas.
July 2, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

1691 Google is improving its SOS alerts by adding visual information about natural disasters and a navigation system on Google Maps.

Google says the upgrade will extend the capabilities of the SOS alerts to provide crisis information via relevant news stories and 2171 Twitter updates from local authorities to include detailed visualisations about hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.

In the days leading up to a hurricane, users will receive a crisis notification card on Google Maps that appears near impacted areas. A forecast cone shows the prediction of the storm’s trajectory along with information about what time it is likely to hit certain areas, the company adds.

The crisis card is also expected to display a visualisation of an earthquake’s magnitude along with colour coding to indicate the intensity of shaking in surrounding areas.

According to Google, users in India will be able to see forecasts of where flooding is likely to occur in addition to the expected severity in different areas.

This summer Google intends to offer another alert which informs people of routes which may be affected by crisis activity.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Trafficware: Digitised transport tech ‘is the new asphalt’
    April 16, 2019

    Trafficware provides the tech to manage intersections all over the world. Colin Sowman asks CEO Jon Newhard about the ‘questions behind the questions’

    Last year, Trafficware CEO Jon Newhard negotiated the company’s acquisition by Cubic Corporation and now serves as general manager of Trafficware within Cubic’s Transportation Systems business unit.

    Read More
  • Developments in software visualisation packages
    February 3, 2012
    Adrian Greeman looks at developments in software visualisation packages. The capacity to make visualisations has been growing in importance over the last decade, and is now a well-accepted part of consultations and client presentations. But making high-quality images of projects is still a major undertaking and larger consultancies employ specialist departments to do so. Costs are coming down but it can still take a while, and some high-capacity hardware, to produce realistic renderings from drawings and 3D
    Read More
  • The case for integrating urban traffic control and parking
    February 3, 2012
    Although urban traffic control and parking management are inextricably linked in so many ways, there remain fundamental differences which undermine closer integration. Car parking guidance systems can have a significant, positive impact on congestion in town and city centres, however conflicting business models still stand in the way of the more profound integration of car parking management and Urban Traffic Control (UTC) systems.
    Read More
  • Moovit updates RideMicro on-demand 
    February 23, 2022
    App directs users to pick-up location and provides real-time tracking in North Carolina 
    Read More

Highlighted Content