谷歌地图潜入室内

    谷歌（Google）通过将室内地图融入Android版谷歌地图服务目前已经在利用两大流行趋势中拔得头筹：一是移动通信市场的飞速发展，二是公共空间的日益私人化。毕竟，在商场里寻找洗手间的难度可不亚于在一座陌生城市里找到一处确切的地址。

    更为重要的是，此举将进一步巩固谷歌对美国在线（AOL）MapQuest的优势。多年以来，谷歌工程师一直在奋力追赶MapQuest。现在，谷歌这个位于加州山景城的科技巨头又在不遗余力地强化其领先地位。

    目前为止，谷歌只收录了一部分室内场馆，包括：布鲁明代尔百货（Bloomingdale's）、梅西百货（Macy's）和家得宝（Home Depot）等商店；芝加哥、亚特兰大和旧金山等地的机场；日本的一些交通枢纽中心及其它场所；还有位于明尼阿波利斯郊外的美国商城（Mall of America）等商场。【美国商城的收录让人颇为意外，因为它在安全方面有过不少非常奇怪的举动。（美国商城曾将多位顾客当作恐怖分子处理。——译注）】

    谷歌将按照有意入驻室内地图的场馆提供的方案来显示室内楼面分布图。这项功能的基础是谷歌近来发布的360度商业图片服务，用户利用该服务可以远程观看商业建筑的内部全景图。谷歌派遣摄影师进入店中，然后这些照片就会出现在该商铺的谷歌地方信息（Google Places）页面中。

    一旦室内服务形成气候并与谷歌地方信息和谷歌钱包（Google Wallet）结合起来，谷歌就能从中赚取收益。

    许多用户都力挺MapQuest，认为它与谷歌地图不相上下。虽然MapQuest最近进步不小，但美国在线仍与谷歌相距甚远。MapQuest为Android发布了一款全方位导航移动应用程序。与此同时，它还宣称其移动网站每月能吸引到860万用户。不过，今年2月，尼尔森（Nielsen）发布报告指出，谷歌地图仅次于Facebook和气象频道（Weather Channel）应用程序，成为所有智能手机平台上第三受欢迎的应用，当然，也遥遥领先于MapQuest。在Android平台，谷歌地图是当之无愧的老大，高达67%的用户每月至少要访问谷歌地图一次。在iPhone平台，它也仅仅屈居iTunes之后，排名第二。

    尼尔森还指出，就互联网网站流量而言，谷歌地图2月份的独立访问人数为6,730万，而MapQuest仅为2,470万。雅虎本地资讯（Yahoo Local）排名第三，为1,310万。

    早在互联网被发明前，MapQuest就统治着整个在线地图领域（MapQuest于1967年创建，当时是作为一款商业性制图软件。美国在线于2000年收购了该公司。）。2009年，该服务在每月访问量上首次落后于谷歌地图，考虑到几年前其产品性能就大大落后于谷歌地图，这一成绩已经相当不错。尽管美国在线凭借相对有限的资源苦苦追赶，但其在整个网络的装机量优势仍在不断削弱。MapQuest的主要问题似乎在于它的东家是美国在线。

    谷歌室内地图服务面临的难题是手机信号问题，建筑物的厚墙和天花板导致手机信号减弱，更不要说像东京地铁系统这样的地下建筑了。定位精度可以米计，在大多数情况下这样的精度已经足够了。谷歌目前并未明确表示这项新功能何时甚至是否会登陆iPhone——不过假如谷歌希望继续保持领跑位置，登陆iPhone将是毋庸置疑的选择。

    译者：项航

    By including indoor spaces to the Android version of its Maps service, Google is positioning itself to take advantage of two concurrent trends: the spread of mobile communications and the increasing privatization of public space. After all, it can be just as hard to find the restroom in a mall as it is to find an address in an unfamiliar city.

    What's more, the move further solidifies Google's (GOOG) lead over AOL's (AOL) MapQuest. For years, Google engineers struggled to catch up to MapQuest. Now, the Mountain View, California-based giant is intent on not squandering its lead.

    So far, only a handful of indoor venues are included: stores such as Bloomingdale's, Macy's (M) and Home Depot (HD); airports in Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco; transit centers and other spaces in Japan; and malls including the Mall of America outside Minneapolis. (This latter spot comes as something of a surprise, considering the mall's history of bizarre behavior when it comes to security.)

    Google will accept floor plans from any indoor venue that wants to be included. The feature comes on top of the recent rollout of 360-degree Business Photos, a service that gives customers a remote, panoramic view of the insides of businesses. Google sends a photographer to a store, and the photos are posted on the store's Google Places page.

    Once the indoor service achieves scale, Google will be able generate revenues by tying it in with Google Places and Google Wallet.

    Despite recent improvements to MapQuest that by many accounts put it on a par with Google Maps, AOL is having a tough time competing. In February, MapQuest introduced a turn-by-turn mobile app for Android. At the same time, it reported that its mobile Web site was drawing 8.6 million users per month. Also in February, Nielsen (NLSN) reported that Google Maps was just behind Facebook and The Weather Channel's app in popularity among all smartphone platforms, far ahead of MapQuest. On Android phones, Google Maps was the No. 1 app, with 67 percent of all users accessing it at least once that month. On the iPhone, it was just behind iTunes at No. 2.

    On the Web, Google Maps drew 67.3 million unique views in February, according to Nielsen, while MapQuest tallied 24.7 million. Yahoo Local (YHOO) was third at 13.1 million.

    MapQuest, which had owned the online mapping space since before the Web was invented (MapQuest was created in 1967 as commercial cartography software; AOL purchased the company in 2000), first fell behind Google Maps in 2009 in terms of monthly visitors -- which is pretty good considering how vastly superior Google Maps had been for several years before that. AOL's advantage of having an installed base on sites across the Web eroded even as AOL, with its relatively limited resources, worked hard to catch up. MapQuest's main problem seems to be that it's owned by AOL.

    One issue Google had to overcome with indoor mapping is that it's hard for a phone to get accurate signals in buildings with thick walls and ceilings --- not to mention underground spaces such as the Tokyo subway system. The accuracy is down to a several yards, which should work well enough in most situations. Google hasn't said when or even if the new feature will be made available for the iPhone -- but maintain its lead will no doubt require it.