Emergency alerts have now been subtly added to Google Maps, and are now live across the United States. Never again will you have to navigate from page to page looking for specific information on flood warnings, earthquakes, or even snowstorms. Maps will now show all the specifics: from the warning duration, to even how severe it may be.
Google uses more than one source to gather this new information. Warnings are provided by the National Weather Service, US Geological Survey, and US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. If you are curious as to what the latest alerts are, navigate here to see areas under watch around the US. As you can see, the rest of the world has been left out. But after Google adds more services from other countries, it will easily populate imminent disasters around the globe.
Story Timeline
- Google Maps gets 3D on the web with WebGL on Oct 13th 2011
- Google Maps lets Street View users view some business interiors on Oct 27th 2011
- Google Maps goes indoors on Nov 29th 2011
- Google Maps create 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami archive on Dec 13th 2011
- Google Maps brings indoor mapping to CES on Jan 8th 2012
- Google Maps app adds more floorplans; Google+ geo-game previewed on Jan 11th 2012
It seems natural to add these warnings to Google Maps, and hopefully it sees mobile devices soon as well. It could prove to be very useful on long trips to avoid entering some nasty weather. You will likely start seeing alerts for your immediate area when using their other services like standard Google Web Search too. After all, who wouldn’t want to know of about an impending disaster before it actually happens?
[via Electronista]
Google Maps now displays emergency alerts is written by Sam Koutroulakis & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.