And as a local, the areas of interest offer me a chance to view Houston with new eyes as well and draw me to places I’ve never been. No more hunting out a specific restaurant highlighted on Google. No more wandering around aimlessly hoping to happen upon a clutch of options. Where should we go for food? Just zoom in on an area of interest and check out the options. The orange bubbles pull us toward these hubs.įor visitors to the city, such a feature is hugely useful. That the redesign is tied to improving Google’s bottom line demonstrates the biases inherent in every map.īut beyond making money for Google, the redesign acts as an activity guide to the city for users - both visitor and resident alike. Google clearly expects the move to help raise advertising revenue by creating a more helpful consumer experience and attracting more users. The boundaries are edited with “a human touch,” then highlighted in an orange hue on Google Maps. The newly designated places are not bounded by hard lines rather they are algorithmically determined concentrations of businesses, restaurants, shops, and bars. But equally intriguing is Google’s definition of what makes a place interesting. What the new designations shows about patterns of commercial development in Houston and elsewhere is fascinating. Probably not, but according to the newly redesigned Google Maps, each of those is an “area of interest,” or a spot worth highlighting due to its retail and dining options. What about East Little York Road? Or Highway 290 and Tidwell? Do those spots jump out to you?
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