Print this page
Friday, 26 July 2019 05:26

Nigerian accent introduced on Google Maps

Rate this item
(0 votes)

Commuters making their way through Nigeria can now hear travel advice in a local voice on Google Maps under new features aimed at attracting more users in Africa that were unveiled by the company on Wednesday.

The local accents feature, unveiled at an event in the commercial capital Lagos and also available on Google Assistant, is the first move by the U.S. technology giant to offer such a service in Africa.

Rapidly expanding populations, increased mobile phone penetration and crowded cities that are often poorly signposted have led technology firms to identify African countries as potential growth areas.

They are now offering transport features from detailed maps to motorcycle ride-hailing services. Google’s motorcycle directions will also be available in Benin Republic, Ghana, Rwanda, Togo and Uganda from Wednesday, the company said.

The technology behemoth owned by Alphabet Inc said it is aiming to capture new users and expand its appeal beyond just drivers.

“There are 10 million (motorcycles) in Nigeria, it’s hugely popular,” said Ramesh Nagarajan, Google’s director of product management. “We’re going market by market based on popularity.”

In the coming months, the maps feature will also allow users in Lagos to seek directions on what it calls “informal transit” - such as yellow danfo minibuses that ply virtually every road in Lagos, but about which it is difficult for outsiders or even Lagosians traveling to a new neighborhood to find information.

Google partnered with local startup Road Preppers Technologies Ltd to gather data on the different routes available, and aims to tell users the best options available based on traffic, weather and road conditions.

News

Read more

Business

May 02, 2024

Investors on NGX lose N3.57trn on sustained stock sell off in pursuit of higher yields…

in Business News

by Super User

In April, the NGX All-Share Index witnessed a significant downturn, shedding N3.57 trillion in market…
Read more

Politics

May 01, 2024

Overwhelming majority of Nigerians have lost confidence in INEC, survey reveals

in POLITICS

by Super User

Yiaga Africa, a prominent election observation group, reveals in its latest report that only 23…
Read more

Opinion

Read more

Features

April 27, 2024

Adults are sharing the things they are no longer interested in now that they're older

in FEATURES

by Super User

It's natural for our preferences to change as we get older. So when asked, "What…
Read more

Strangely

April 13, 2024

A new camera can undress people almost in real time—to send a message about AI

in Strangely

by Super User

Nuca, a new deepfake camera, is an art project that shows how artificial intelligence can…
Read more

Crime

May 01, 2024

Gunmen abduct 4 residents in fresh attack on Abuja community

in Crime

by Super User

Gunmen struck the Bmuko Community in the Dutse Baupma area of the Bwari Area Council,…
Read more

Wars

May 02, 2024

What to know after Day 798 of Russia-Ukraine war

in WARS

by Super User

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russia hits Ukrainian military HQ – MOD Russia has carried out a strike…

SCIENCE & TECH

May 01, 2024

Wellspring Consulting proposes cybersecurity investment to boost Nigeria's economy

in Science and Technology

by Super User

In a bid to rescue Nigeria from its economic challenges, Wellspring Consulting advocates for significant…
Read more

SPECIAL REPORTS

Read more

Sports

April 30, 2024

Finidi George is new Head Coach for Super Eagles

in Sport

by Super User

Former Nigerian winger Finidi George has been appointed as the head coach of the national…
Read more

VIDEOS

Read more

“What we’re really hoping is for people who might be making a trip to an unfamiliar town, maybe a journey they don’t usually take, to be able to discover the info they need to make that journey,” said Jeff Albertson, a Google senior product manager who worked on the development.

The map will include information on the expected fare, travel time and even photos of the bus stops to help guide commuters. Outside Lagos, Google is expanding street view imagery to Abuja, Benin City, Enugu and Ibadan.

Google has worked hard to expand in West Africa, especially Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country with an estimated 190 million citizens.

Last year it unveiled WiFi hotspots across Lagos, and in 2017 it launched a program to train millions of Africans in tech skills to make them more employable.

Google declined to say what sort of investment it was putting into the new developments.

 

Compiled by Olalekan Adeleye

Standard Digital