Google Indoor Maps: If you've ever lost your Android phone, you may have used Google's Find My Device service to see the last position of your phone on a map.
Find My Device improves as Google Maps improves with the latest mapping technology. With the last update however, Google added internal mapping support to Find My Device.
Google Maps already has well-mapped areas, so internal mapping seems to be the company's next big goal.
For internal mapping, one should upload a floor plan in Google Maps and then create some sort of internal positioning system. Google's external maps use satellite imagery and photos from Street View cars.
However, these techniques can not be used for internal mapping. For mapping an indoor space, every building owner is required to provide data to the company.
Today there are internal maps mainly for airports, shopping centers, stadiums and other large companies (an example). So if you lose your device somewhere, and the internal location system works, you will now be able to locate the exact location of the device with the Find My Device service.
This can also work on home you one day. Google added 802.11mc, or Wi-Fi Round Trip Time (RTT) support in Android 9 Pie, which allows Android devices to natively support accurate indoor location as well as indoor navigation.
But you will need a router that is compatible with the Wi-Fi RTT, which is not currently available on the market. However, Google has promised to see Wi-Fi RTT support on the GoGle Wi-Fi Router before the end of 2018.
At the moment, does anyone want to upload a map of their home to Google Maps?
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