Google Maps and Earth gain AI‑enhanced satellite and Street View updates

More changes in Google Maps. Improved satellite images and additional street-view photographs are being added to the application. For Google Maps users, they can discover new locations and plan trips and excursions more effectively. The changes also apply to Google Earth.

The website 9to5Google reports more changes in Google Maps. Users will soon see improved satellite images and spherical Street View images from new locations. The changes also apply to the Google Earth application, where new historical street and satellite images will be available, including, for example, black-and-white photographs of New York from 1938. This is an opportunity for users to explore selected places from a perspective they have not known before.

The most interesting development seems to be improving satellite images in Maps and the Earth application through artificial intelligence and the Cloud Score+ model. As a result, the photographs should be sharper, thanks to removing previously visible artefacts caused by clouds, shadows, or fog.

Importantly, AI "intelligently" removes unwanted shadows without removing the significant ones, indicating, for example, mountain slopes or other terrain features. Simultaneously, a significant update concerns Street View. Fresh images from almost 80 countries, including France, Switzerland, Spain, and Argentina, are being added to the service.

Theoretically, the changes should be available and visible to users now, but as usual with Google app updates, it is worth being patient. The new photos may be available on the server side, so not everyone will see them at the same time right away. Implementation in practice usually takes a few days.