Google Maps Now Has AI to Zap Clouds and Haze

Google Maps and Google Earth are getting a handful of updates, including more imagery across popular and less visited locations, and fewer clouds and haze in satellite pictures -- thanks to artificial intelligence. 

In a blog post this week, Google said it's adding newer imagery to Street View in 80 countries, including Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa and Uruguay. It's also bringing Street View to four additional countries for the first time: Bosnia and Herzegovina; Namibia; Liechtenstein; and Paraguay.

The company said its newer portable 15-pound camera, which launched two years ago and is mountable on any car, will make it even easier to capture more down the line.

Satellite imagery is also getting sharper across Google Earth and Maps with help from a cloud-removal AI tool that takes out clouds, cloud shadows, haze and mist from pictures. The company said its "Cloud Score Plus" AI model is trained on millions of images. While it eliminates clouds and other elements that may obstruct the view, it leaves real-world weather patterns, such as ice, snow and mountain shadows, visible to give a clearer, more accurate look at the Earth, the company said.

And for users who want to see how the Earth has changed over time, a new historical imagery tool will allow them to sift through satellite and aerial imagery dating as far back as 80 years. The company said the feature will "soon" come to desktop and on mobile.