Search engine giant Google has launched its indoor maps feature in Singapore on February 19, 2013. With the launch of the new indoor maps feature it has made the city-state the second country in Asia to have the feature.
All Android phone users will be able to use the online mapping system, which will help them find their way inside shopping malls, as well as large buildings. The information includes floor plans and basic walking directions for any building which has submitted its indoor maps to the search engine.
The feature will use existing Wi-Fi access points to pinpoint required locations to the user. It will follow the movement of users as they travel across different floors. For the launch, about 22 malls have signed up in Singapore. Japan had become the first Asian country to use the feature in heavily populated cities like Tokyo and Osaka. However, the indoor maps for malls had not been updated in Singapore.
In the year 2010, SingTel had launched an application which points the user to required shops on a detailed floor plan and store directory, but with Google Maps there is no need to launch a separate application to view an indoor map.
