Tag: #googlemaps

As Ireland begins to re-open, Explore Ireland with Google Maps and Local Guides. #Travel #Ireland #GoogleMaps

As the country re-opens this week, now is the time to re-discover Ireland with the help of Google Maps and its community of Local Guides. We all know Google Maps can help us find the best directions but the app has more uses than just directions.

With help from Local Guides you can also use the wisdom of local experts to find hidden gems close to home you may never have known existed or to get to know an area before you visit. Local Guides is a passionate community of users who share reviews, photos and local knowledge about places around the world and every day make more than 20 million contributions from reviews to photography of local places on Google Maps.

Dana Singh is a local guide based in Dublin that’s an active member of the Local Guides community who not only uses other Local Guides reviews to help plan her own day trips and holidays but likes to give back to this online community by sharing reviews and images of everywhere she visits. She’s uploaded over 1,000 images to help people plan their own trips and they’ve been viewed millions of times by other users. Her images and first-hand knowledge of everything from beauty spots to local businesses helps other users every day whether its visiting a local business or a trip further afield. Dana is also passionate about helping local businesses and has connected with many businesses in her community to help them update their business listings, making sure Google Maps users can easily find them and plan their visit with up to date business information and images.

Local Guides goes beyond navigation to help people explore the world around them and the hidden gems in our local communities – what better way to discover Ireland than with the help of local knowledge. If you want to get to know a particular area you plan on visiting you can follow a top local guide in the area to see all of their reviews to get to know the area better before you visit or closer to home you might find a Local Guide who regularly reviews restaurants and you can easily follow them to get reviews before your next takeaway or planning ahead with a reservation in June. Local Guides can also prove helpful for those who need accessibility information before a visit , many Local Guides include accessibility information such as parking, terrain and how much walking is involved as part of reviews  to help those for whom this information is crucial for.

In the Explore tab you can easily explore any area in Ireland and find; local cafes, restaurants and bars now doing a take-away service, newly reopened galleries and museums and, if you can face another walk, the best beaches, landmarks or parks to visit. Then in preparation for the summer of staycation-ing ahead keep track of all your favourite places or spots you want to visit using Lists which you can keep to yourself or share with friends.

Irish Google Maps Trends and Updates for the Festive Season. #GoogleMaps #Trends #Shopping

Google Maps has analysed data before and during the pandemic to see how people have been getting around, where they are spending their time and what type of food they’re craving. If you have not already known you can now check shops online to see what the flow is like prior leaving your house which is also handy as you will see just below is a live example for my local Dunnes Stores and I use this anytime I need to venture out to get some things done.

Interest in cycling is up 

Across the country, people are opting for solo ways to get around safely. Unsurprisingly, driving continues to be the most popular mode of transportation while cycling has  emerged as an alternative – interest in cycling has increased 32% percent nationwide and 36% in Dublin compared to pre-pandemic days.

Social distancing in a winter wonderland 

 

Popular times and live busyness information in Google Maps have always been essential festive season tools, helping you avoid unwanted crowds. These tools help you know in advance when places are going to be busy so you can save precious time and also social distance.

So if you find yourself in need of a caffeine fix to tackle your Christmas errands, make sure to avoid coffee shops on Saturday mornings at Midday when coffee shops across Ireland  tend to be most packed. And if you’re planning to shop for your Christmas feast, avoid your local supermarket on Saturday afternoons between 1-2 p.m. when you’re likely to encounter long lines.

Chinese is the most searched cuisine in Ireland

With indoor dining shut for many months of the year and indoor dining capacity reduced, search interest in Take-aways has soared throughout the year. As for what people are eating, Chinese is the most-searched for cuisine followed by Indian, Kebabs and Italian.

Time to embrace the outdoors

Across the country, people are using Google Maps to search for parks, waterfalls, beaches and gardens within driving or walking distance.  While searches for outdoor locations decreased by 456% in April, when the toughest restrictions were in place May was the most popular month for outdoor searches with an increase of 84% in searches. The Top Outdoor search queries for Dublin are:

  • Phoenix Park

  • Marlay Park

  • Bushy Park

  • Saint Anne’s Park

  • Ticknock Forest

The festive season is going to look a little different this year because of COVID-19. Family gatherings may be smaller or take place virtually to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy. Indoor activities could  move outdoors. And the holiday abroad might become an Irish road trip to discover some  local hidden gems. But even still, people are looking for ways to experience winter and finding new ways to be together.

No matter what plans people have this winter these Google Maps tips will help them to stay informed, stay connected, and save time.

Stay informed even while shopping and travelling

 

  • Check out how busy a place is: Popular times and live busyness information can tell you how crowded a place typically is on a given day or time–and even how busy it is right now. This is especially handy during the era of social distancing, Check out busyness on Maps before you head to a restaurant, store, business, or place to avoid holiday crowds and long waits.

 

  • (New!) Find the latest information about COVID-19: Are you visiting family in another country? Use the COVID layer on Maps to quickly see how cases are trending in the area. You can also access quick links to authoritative local resources so you know at a glance if there are specific guidelines or restrictions in the area you’re visiting.

 

  • Quickly understand safety precautions from a business: If you’re eating out or getting a head start on your Christmas shopping, you can easily learn more about what safety precautions a business is taking. Find out if they’re sanitizing between customers, if there’s safety dividers at checkout and if they require staff to have regular temperature checks.

 

Connect with family and friends this season 

 

 

  • Meet up with ease with Live View: If you’re meeting up with friends for a socially distant gathering, it can be hard to pinpoint where they are. If your loved one has chosen to share their location with you, you can use augmented reality in Live View to see where and how far away they are–with overlaid arrows and directions that help you know where to go.

 

Save time so you can spend more time enjoying the festivities

 

  • Easily find a local restaurant offering take-away: If you’re taking a low-key approach to festivities this year and opting to order in instead of going out or cooking an elaborate meal, Google Maps can help. When searching on your phone for restaurants nearby, you can easily sort by places that offer takeaway or delivery and place your order directly from Google Maps.

Ride easy with new biking features in Google Maps #Cycling #GoogleMaps #BikeShare

Summer is in full swing and people across the world are opting to hop on their bikes. Coming in at no. 22, Ireland ranks among the top 30 countries in the world in terms of biking directions usage in Google Maps.  Since February, requests for cycling directions in Google Maps have jumped by 69 percent—hitting an all-time high last month.

In Ireland, Google Maps have seen requests for cycling directions increase by 76% and search interest for “bike repair near me” more than doubled over the past year. Whether people are hitting the road to get their heart pumping or commute safely during COVID-19, Google Maps is making it easier for cyclists everywhere to get on their own bike or a shared one.

Ten years ago, Google introduced biking directions in Google Maps. Now it’s available in nearly 30 countries around the world and millions of people use it every day. As biking habits change, especially as things evolve with COVID-19, we’re constantly updating this information to help you uncover the most reliable bike route.

 

Raise the (handle)bar on biking routes

 

To give you the most up-to-date bike route, Google Maps uses a combination of machine learning, complex algorithms and an understanding of real-world conditions based on imagery and data from government authorities and community contributions. Google Maps also consider various forms of bike lanes and nearby streets that might be less friendly for your two wheels (like tunnels, stairs and poor surface conditions) so you can have the best and smoothest biking route. You can also see how flat or steep your route will be, so you’ll know if you’re in for an easy breezy ride or one that will really get the heart pumping.

 

However, the best route can always change and we are hard at work to reflect new information. For instance, due to COVID-19, many cities are adding and widening bike lanes to encourage cycling and accommodate more riders. Google Maps is already working to integrate hundreds of thousands of new bike lanes in the coming months. Local government agencies can provide this data through the Geo Data Upload tool to have their latest bike lane information reflected in Google Maps.

 

Gear up for new docked bikeshare directions in 10 cities

 

As more people choose to cycle, they’re buying new bikes, fixing up old ones and turning to bike sharing options. In fact, worldwide search interest for “bike repair near me” hit an all-time high this month—more than double what it was last year.

 

For riders opting to use bike sharing, Google Maps is rolling out more detailed information. Over the last several years, Google have launched a dockless bike and scooter integration with Lime in more than 100 cities and introduced real-time docked bikeshare information to help travellers in select cities locate bike sharing stations and real-time availability. With bikeshare providers seeing sharp increases in usage during COVID-19, it’s even more important to quickly and easily check how many bikes are available at the station you’re headed toward and if there are docks available to drop off your bike near your destination.

 

Starting today, when you look up biking directions, you’ll see end-to-end directions that include docked bikeshare information. Steps will include detailed walking directions to bikeshare stations near your starting point along with live bike availability, turn-by-turn cycling directions to the bikeshare station closest to your destination with live dock availability, and, finally, walking directions from there to your final destination. And, for some cities, Maps will show you links to open the relevant bikeshare app to book and unlock the bike.

Rediscover the beauty of Ireland with Google Maps. #Ireland #Maps #Google

As we journey into Phase 3, people are ready to escape their back gardens and are looking for a holiday. As Government advice continues to advise against all non-essential foreign travel now is the time to plan a staycation and rediscover everything Ireland has to offer.  Whether you’re planning a staycation at home with day trips to local sights or  going further afield for a longer trip, Google Maps is on hand to help staycationers rediscover the best of Ireland.

 

From isolated beaches to breathtaking mountains Ireland has some of the most spectacular scenery in the world and our cities, towns and villages are filled with museums and attractions that can keep all the family occupied for days. Google Maps has everything you need to plan the ultimate road trip at your fingertips, with Local Guides advice on hand along the way to help find the best route, best view and best place to have dinner and drink after a long day of sightseeing. Google Maps is the ultimate travel companion whether you’re driving across world famous routes like The Ring of Kerry, discovering the soaring Cliffs of Moher, braving the Wild Atlantic Way, uncovering the history of Newgrange or spending a day delving into Irish history through the many museums in the Capital.

 

These Google Maps features will help people have a staycation to remember this summer:

Create lists so you can keep track of your favorite places and share them with friends.

 

Find hidden gems: Use the Explore tab find the best restaurants, sights and events happening in the area.Find things to do and places to eat based on your unique interests and preferences.

 

Go Handsfree Keep your focus on the road by using voice commands on Google Maps. Just say “OK Google, find petrol stations” or “ Show alternate routes” to get the information you need, hands free.

 

Offline maps: No data? No problem. You can still find your way even if you have spotty reception or an expensive data plans. You don’t need data on a road trip, you can download a map of an area so you can see directions and use turn by turn navigation even when you can’t get online.

 

Plan activities as a group: With group lists in Google Maps, planning travel with others is simple and efficient, giving you the ability to create an itinerary together by adding places to go and things to do as a group.

 

Plan ahead: Look for restaurants doing takeaway, dine-in or delivery. COVID-19 has forced many restaurants to change their operating models or even temporarily close, which makes planning ahead even more important. With Google Maps you can look for local restaurants around you that are open, offering takeaway, delivery, or no-contact delivery.

 

Remember where you parked: After navigating somewhere, use Google Maps to save your parking location so you never forget where you parked again.

 

Add detours to your route: With Google Maps you can easily search for places along your route while in navigation mode, so you can find the nearest store and get back on the road as quickly as possible.

 

Explore more: Maximize the Google Maps search bar and Explore tab. Use the search bar in Google Maps to look for specific things like “scenic spots”  or “trailhead.”

 

 Find your nearest Petrol Station: Running low on petrol or just need a break? Use Google Maps to find your nearest stop so you can rest and refuel during a long drive. You can also use Google Maps to search for nearby Petrol prices to get the best deal.

 

Don’t get lost: If you’re exploring on foot, a beta feature called Live View can help you figure out which way to walk with arrows and directions clearly overlaid on the map. Live View allows you to use augmented reality (AR) to better see which way to walk. Arrows and directions are placed in the real world to guide your way.

 

Control your music and podcasts without ever leaving Google Maps: No road trip is complete without music. With Google Maps, you can access Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music while in navigation mode so you can keep your focus on the road.

 

Never miss your stop again: Don’t want to drive? No problem. Use Google Maps to get transport navigation times, ETAs and a notification that tells you when to transfer or get off your bus or train, so you can stop worrying about missing your stop and start enjoying the sights.

 

Make ordering at restaurants a snap: It’s not always easy to decide what to order when you’re in a new place and you’re less familiar with the menu. With the popular dishes feature, you can quickly find out what the must-try items on the menu are.