Google Indoor Maps Helps Us Navigate CES, Blackjack Tables

Navigating the show floor at CES is like completing a quest in the consumer electronics edition of Fable 4, but a recent update to Google Maps may unlock the door to a virtual cheat code. With a recent update to the omnipresent Google Maps, Android users can now navigate indoor maps for popular Las Vegas locations such as the Las Vegas Convention Center and The Venetian, the two most important locations for CES attendees.

Also included in round one are the MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and The Palazzo, although I’m a bit nervous it might work too well: finding the nearest ATM after you’ve nearly gone bankrupt at the blackjack table could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

For those of you following our CES coverage from home, check out the online demo which should give you an idea how the technology works. As more and more companies and organizations submit their maps, it will be exciting to see how this technology is used and adopted by the public: there are certainly logistical challenges when trying to pinpoint locations indoors.

In addition to the obvious application of indoor navigation, it will be interesting to see how quickly this is leveraged into a gaming environment where FPS and racing games take place on levels based on real-world floor plans. If you’re doubting that this is realistic endeavor, take a look at the Navigation based game coming to Google Games in February:

Give Google Indoor Navigation a test and let us know what you think in the comments. It’s only available in select locations for the time being, but here is the full list of available locations. Do you think the ability to upload indoor maps could eventually lead to privacy concerns if 3rd parties start uploading private residences and other areas that would otherwise be off limits? Any other forseeable negative issues?

United States

Japan

[Thanks iJoe!]

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