Users
of android devices in Ghana can now move or drive about freely and
easily to locations following Google’s introduction and upgrade of maps
application in the country, which now has voice prompt upgrade.
Google
Ghana introduced Google Maps Navigation recently to enable owners of
android devices such as smart phones and iphones have comprehensive,
accurate and easy-to-go maps with built in local search, voice guided
turn-by-turn navigation to all kinds of places.
Mrs Estelle
Akofio-Sowah, Country Manager, Google Ghana said on Wednesday that for a
while now users of Google Maps in Ghana had been able to get direction
whether sitting in their cars or whether walking in Ghana but receiving
the information in text form while driving or walking using their
phones.
But she said: “Now what we have done now is to improve
the safety of that, because you will not be driving and using your phone
at the same time anymore. You now have a voice that tells you in five
meters take a right turn and if you miss that turning it will redirect
you. It is now giving you a voice prompt turn-by-turn navigation to get
to your destinations”.
She said this during an experiential
session with the media, IT experts, representatives from the Fidelity
Bank and the Ghana Tourism Authority; and students from the Valley View
University and Ghana Telecom University, who shared their experiences on
the use of Google Maps.
Mrs Akofio-Sowah said in terms of
content, Google Ghana had improved tremendously in enriching the
information on maps with the support of users. In Ghana, she said, the
maps project started four years ago and that it was important for people
to get more and more interested to make life easy for them.
“There
is pretty much information on every street name in Ghana that is known
now on Google Maps. The efforts we driving now is really to showcase
that people can use Google Maps to tell the world where they are. It is
really simple,” she added.
Jacqueline Rajuai, Programme Manager,
Google Maps, underscored the need to ensure constant updating of
information on the maps with the changing times in order to keep them
fresh always for users.
“Maps are now simple to use and easy to
understand by every single person… Maps bring data to life,” she said
and noted that last year in 2012 globally about one billion Google Maps
applications were downloaded. Again, Rajuai said, Over 800,000 websites
last year had Google Maps embedded in them.
The Greater Accra
Regional Minister Julius Debrah expressed happiness with the development
and introduction of Google Maps Navigation in Ghana and noted that
hitherto people carried all kinds of devices with navigation and
vehicles with navigation screens yet they were not functional and did
not have an idea what benefit they were.
But, he added, today with the effort of Google Ghana, we have solutions to almost all our needs just on a mobile device.
Users
of Google Maps can now discover great places in Ghana to eat, drink,
shop and play. They can search to find addresses, places and businesses
around the country and get voice guided, turn-by-turn driving
directions, and find their ways by train, bus, subway or walking
directions. |
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