In a move to deepen digital tourism and cultural engagement, Google has introduced a new augmented reality feature in Google Maps, allowing users worldwide to explore Paris’s most iconic landmarks interactively. The project, developed in partnership with Rock Paper Reality, Google Arts & Culture, and Google AR/VR, provides immersive 3D experiences of sites such as the Eiffel Tower and the Invalides Bridge, now enhanced with historical overlays and real-time navigation.
“We’re starting with cultural experiences, but we really see the technology’s potential goes beyond that,” explained Jenny Sun, product manager at Google. “We envision entertainment, travel, education, arts, retail, and many more experiences. This is truly an exciting time to be a part of the Google Maps and geospatial AR community.”
Unveiled at Google I/O 2024, the new AR feature leverages Google Maps’ Immersive View to enable users to visualize how these landmarks looked in different eras, an approach that blends modern tourism with digital historical preservation. Remote users can also experience these interactive “time travel” experiences through Google Maps’ Street View.
The collaborative project taps into Rock Paper Reality’s expertise in AR content creation, incorporating historically accurate 3D models developed with Google Arts & Culture and local historians. For instance, in recreating scenes from the 1900 Exposition Universelle, users can digitally explore parts of Paris that retain the look and feel of that era. “These models bring a new level of engagement to the platform,” said Patrick Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Rock, Paper, Reality. “This allows us to provide users with a historical context that’s visually compelling and educational.”
Google highlighted the feature’s rollout in a blog post from Google France, showcasing the collaboration’s impact on digital tourism. A video case study on YouTube demonstrates how the new feature integrates with Google Maps to deliver a high-fidelity AR experience, blending geospatial technology with interactive cultural narratives.
Rock Paper Reality adapted the AR content for Google Maps’ vast user base – more than one billion people worldwide – while ensuring all 16 assets combined stayed under 20MB each for seamless integration and quick load times. Users can navigate Parisian sites either on-site or remotely, creating a dual-access model that ensures accessibility without compromising the quality of experience.
This development also reflects a broader shift in the application of AR technology. By embedding AR content in Google Maps, Google and RPR introduce location-based AR to a mainstream audience, setting a precedent for digital tourism that reaches far beyond Paris. The AR-enhanced landmarks offer a potential blueprint for how other historical sites globally might be experienced virtually, making this a milestone moment for cultural and educational tourism.
“Geospatial technology enables people to anchor text, information, image, audio precisely into the real world, creating a new way for people to engage and interact with their surroundings.” Said Sun. “When you’re on site, you’ll be able to enjoy this through AR. But if you’re home or want to enjoy this remotely, we got you covered. This new feature will let you see the same content on Google Maps Street View remotely anywhere in the world.”
Charlie Fink is the author of the AR-enabled books “Metaverse,” (2017) and “Convergence” (2019). In the early 90s, Fink was EVP & COO of VR pioneer Virtual World Entertainment. He teaches at Chapman University in Orange, CA. Follow him on Twitter or LinkedIn, and check out his website or other work.
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