NEW DELHI: Google took advantage of the new geospatial strategy of the government by launching its mapping service, Google Street View, in India. Real View Maps, a locally produced offering by MapMyIndia that offers “360-degree panoramic street view” and also features a 3D Metaverse Maps Service, was released shortly after Google’s announcement.
Despite being one of Google Maps’ top markets, India’s regulators rejected Street View in 2016 in response to concerns voiced by security officials. However, the nation’s new National Geospatial Policy 2021, permits the operation of such goods by international businesses as long as the imaging data is controlled by Indian businesses.
Google announced that it is obtaining a license to use the data from Tech Mahindra and mapping company Genesys International to introduce Street View in India.
On the other hand, MapMyIndia is not constrained in this way. Similar to Google Street View, the company’s Real View Maps let users “virtually explore and engage with full 360-degree views of streets” in addition to well-known tourist, residential, and commercial locations in significant Indian cities.
RealView will compete with Street View, while the company’s main mapping product, Mappls, will compete with Google Maps. The Maples RealView maps library, according to MapMyIndia, already spans “hundreds of thousands of kilometers.” According to Google, Street View will first be accessible in 10 Indian cities and will span 150,000 kilometers of the entire nation. By the end of this year, 50 additional cities are expected to join.
Regular people can access both Street View and RealView, as well as public and private sector businesses who seek to incorporate them into their products and services.
RealView Maps, according to MapmyIndia’s CEO and Executive Director Rohan Verma, is a “totally indigenous” alternative to other map applications.
The introduction of such services by businesses other than Google, according to Anupam Shukla, partner at the law firm Pioneer Legal, is beneficial from the user’s perspective because it provides several options.
As a result, unless competitors can provide customers with a “differentiated experience,” Google’s Street View will have “far faster market penetration” than competitors.
On the other hand, MapMyIndia is renowned for its automobile navigation systems. By releasing several new apps targeted at various industries, the business has advanced its digital maps portfolio.
For instance, MapMyIndia Navic notifies fishermen when they cross international maritime borders or when there is bad weather on the sea. Likewise, the WorkMate app enables businesses to manage their on-site personnel, while MyKids is an app for parents to watch school buses.
Apple Maps in India also receives map data from this provider. MapMyIndia and the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) established a partnership in February 2021 to create mapping portals, mobile apps, and geospatial tools. MapMyIndia’s apps now include maps of the vegetation, temperature, and air quality and thanks to Isro’s satellite imagery. Along with data from drones and automobiles, RealView locations will also employ Isro-provided satellite images.
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