Immersive View is the new project that will soon be integrated into Google Maps. His goal ? Give users the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in a place virtually before going there in real life.
Who has never asked themselves the following questions before a good frichti at the restaurant: are the chairs on the terraces comfortable for the morning coffee? Would this restaurant be suitable for a first romantic date or between colleagues? Will eight screens be enough to watch the rugby match in peace? Even if the photos or videos offered by Google Maps can provide some answers, nothing can replace the feeling of actually being in the place in question. With this in mind, Google Maps wants to go further by integrating NeRF technology into its application.
NeRF: the 3D reconstruction revolution
NeRF (Neural Radiance Fields) will rely on Machine Learning and the compilation of billions of photographs to recreate realistic 3D views of a scene. This technology will allow users to more naturally access the necessary information before visiting a place. This will integrate important information: weather, traffic or general affluence of the place in question.
Using machine learning and computer vision, this new project will merge Street View and aerial imagery. This will make it possible to recreate in a completely virtual way interior images of cafes or restaurants before customers go there IRL. Based on the operation of the neural network, NeRF will extract relevant data to generate a set of photos. These are created entirely from existing collections to provide an immersive 3D preview.
The challenges imposed by this new technology
The creation of NeRF integrated into Immersive View will necessarily require Google to face new challenges, particularly in terms of reconstruction consistency. The 3D reconstructions must remain faithful, whatever the places represented and the conditions of capture: insufficient lighting or overexposed terraces for example. The user experience must be logical and natural to use, especially on smartphones.
It will also be necessary to respect the confidentiality and privacy of individuals by deleting any personal information that is easily identifiable. It is important for Google to prevent any risk of disclosure of sensitive information or security breaches. Privacy policies should be clear and transparent to ensure the security of data acquired by Immersive View.
The integration of NeRF in the Google Maps application is a new step to take for the Californian company. Thanks to the progress of Machine Learning, the project promises a full immersion of the places of relaxation before their visit. To see if it will not be confronted with the problems inherent in the confidentiality and security of user data.
Sources: Google Blog, Apple
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