谷歌地圖潛入室內

????谷歌（Google）通過將室內地圖融入Android版谷歌地圖服務目前已經在利用兩大流行趨勢中拔得頭籌：一是移動通信市場的飛速發展，二是公共空間的日益私人化。畢竟，在商場里尋找洗手間的難度可不亞于在一座陌生城市里找到一處確切的地址。

????更為重要的是，此舉將進一步鞏固谷歌對美國在線（AOL）MapQuest的優勢。多年以來，谷歌工程師一直在奮力追趕MapQuest?，F在，谷歌這個位于加州山景城的科技巨頭又在不遺余力地強化其領先地位。

????目前為止，谷歌只收錄了一部分室內場館，包括：布魯明代爾百貨（Bloomingdale's）、梅西百貨（Macy's）和家得寶（Home Depot）等商店；芝加哥、亞特蘭大和舊金山等地的機場；日本的一些交通樞紐中心及其它場所；還有位于明尼阿波利斯郊外的美國商城（Mall of America）等商場?！久绹坛堑氖珍涀屓祟H為意外，因為它在安全方面有過不少非常奇怪的舉動。（美國商城曾將多位顧客當作恐怖分子處理?！g注）】

????谷歌將按照有意入駐室內地圖的場館提供的方案來顯示室內樓面分布圖。這項功能的基礎是谷歌近來發布的360度商業圖片服務，用戶利用該服務可以遠程觀看商業建筑的內部全景圖。谷歌派遣攝影師進入店中，然后這些照片就會出現在該商鋪的谷歌地方信息（Google Places）頁面中。

????一旦室內服務形成氣候并與谷歌地方信息和谷歌錢包（Google Wallet）結合起來，谷歌就能從中賺取收益。

????許多用戶都力挺MapQuest，認為它與谷歌地圖不相上下。雖然MapQuest最近進步不小，但美國在線仍與谷歌相距甚遠。MapQuest為Android發布了一款全方位導航移動應用程序。與此同時，它還宣稱其移動網站每月能吸引到860萬用戶。不過，今年2月，尼爾森（Nielsen）發布報告指出，谷歌地圖僅次于Facebook和氣象頻道（Weather Channel）應用程序，成為所有智能手機平臺上第三受歡迎的應用，當然，也遙遙領先于MapQuest。在Android平臺，谷歌地圖是當之無愧的老大，高達67%的用戶每月至少要訪問谷歌地圖一次。在iPhone平臺，它也僅僅屈居iTunes之后，排名第二。

????尼爾森還指出，就互聯網網站流量而言，谷歌地圖2月份的獨立訪問人數為6,730萬，而MapQuest僅為2,470萬。雅虎本地資訊（Yahoo Local）排名第三，為1,310萬。

????早在互聯網被發明前，MapQuest就統治著整個在線地圖領域（MapQuest于1967年創建，當時是作為一款商業性制圖軟件。美國在線于2000年收購了該公司。）。2009年，該服務在每月訪問量上首次落后于谷歌地圖，考慮到幾年前其產品性能就大大落后于谷歌地圖，這一成績已經相當不錯。盡管美國在線憑借相對有限的資源苦苦追趕，但其在整個網絡的裝機量優勢仍在不斷削弱。MapQuest的主要問題似乎在于它的東家是美國在線。

????谷歌室內地圖服務面臨的難題是手機信號問題，建筑物的厚墻和天花板導致手機信號減弱，更不要說像東京地鐵系統這樣的地下建筑了。定位精度可以米計，在大多數情況下這樣的精度已經足夠了。谷歌目前并未明確表示這項新功能何時甚至是否會登陸iPhone——不過假如谷歌希望繼續保持領跑位置，登陸iPhone將是毋庸置疑的選擇。

????譯者：項航

????By including indoor spaces to the Android version of its Maps service, Google is positioning itself to take advantage of two concurrent trends: the spread of mobile communications and the increasing privatization of public space. After all, it can be just as hard to find the restroom in a mall as it is to find an address in an unfamiliar city.

????What's more, the move further solidifies Google's (GOOG) lead over AOL's (AOL) MapQuest. For years, Google engineers struggled to catch up to MapQuest. Now, the Mountain View, California-based giant is intent on not squandering its lead.

????So far, only a handful of indoor venues are included: stores such as Bloomingdale's, Macy's (M) and Home Depot (HD); airports in Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco; transit centers and other spaces in Japan; and malls including the Mall of America outside Minneapolis. (This latter spot comes as something of a surprise, considering the mall's history of bizarre behavior when it comes to security.)

????Google will accept floor plans from any indoor venue that wants to be included. The feature comes on top of the recent rollout of 360-degree Business Photos, a service that gives customers a remote, panoramic view of the insides of businesses. Google sends a photographer to a store, and the photos are posted on the store's Google Places page.

????Once the indoor service achieves scale, Google will be able generate revenues by tying it in with Google Places and Google Wallet.

????Despite recent improvements to MapQuest that by many accounts put it on a par with Google Maps, AOL is having a tough time competing. In February, MapQuest introduced a turn-by-turn mobile app for Android. At the same time, it reported that its mobile Web site was drawing 8.6 million users per month. Also in February, Nielsen (NLSN) reported that Google Maps was just behind Facebook and The Weather Channel's app in popularity among all smartphone platforms, far ahead of MapQuest. On Android phones, Google Maps was the No. 1 app, with 67 percent of all users accessing it at least once that month. On the iPhone, it was just behind iTunes at No. 2.

????On the Web, Google Maps drew 67.3 million unique views in February, according to Nielsen, while MapQuest tallied 24.7 million. Yahoo Local (YHOO) was third at 13.1 million.

????MapQuest, which had owned the online mapping space since before the Web was invented (MapQuest was created in 1967 as commercial cartography software; AOL purchased the company in 2000), first fell behind Google Maps in 2009 in terms of monthly visitors -- which is pretty good considering how vastly superior Google Maps had been for several years before that. AOL's advantage of having an installed base on sites across the Web eroded even as AOL, with its relatively limited resources, worked hard to catch up. MapQuest's main problem seems to be that it's owned by AOL.

????One issue Google had to overcome with indoor mapping is that it's hard for a phone to get accurate signals in buildings with thick walls and ceilings --- not to mention underground spaces such as the Tokyo subway system. The accuracy is down to a several yards, which should work well enough in most situations. Google hasn't said when or even if the new feature will be made available for the iPhone -- but maintain its lead will no doubt require it.