Apple eyes new 3D-mapping features in latest patents

Apple Maps has come a long way since its disastrous launch back in 2012, but the Cupertino company still has plenty of room to improve. Three Apple patents published recently show how the firm continues to work on its mapping app, and hints at a few features that might be in development.

The first patent describes a system for rendering 3D maps in data-less areas. Apple says it can achieve this by pulling data from nearby areas to create a detailed 3D map. A second patent dives into how the company could create 3D models by combining multiple data sets. For example, Apple Maps would use the 2D footprints of buildings along with3D data for their heights to create an accurate rendering.

Finally, a third patent shows how Apple Maps could combine satellite maps with additional data for a “hybrid” view. The app’s current satellite view already layers on some data, but this version could include even more information. Apple lists points-of-interest and road indicators as potential new features, along with current options like the names for street, cities, states and bodies of water.

All three of these patents are at least a few years old, and it’s likely Apple’s already integrated many of these ideas into Maps and abandoned other concepts entirely. Still, it’s interesting to see how the company has continued to improve Apple Maps since it first launched along with some of the ways the app could continue to advance moving forward.

Source : TechBuffalo