Official Google India Blog: September 2018

Next Junction: Explore Indian Railways with Google Arts & Culture

September 28, 2018

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCzEGZxlmjowoJuoUfJ5p_cFLJrSE210e9_mJkX-iMplMpH4fSIrqv6QRBiBU9OzkXKbCvFsjYr7Eh7fi1wEcSPX2UsvxlvvAacd7qjKmGTyyewomP2CUJgiu1lrB3o68qSUeSAvtolQk/s640/image1.png Simon Rein Program Manager Google Arts & Culture

Over 151,000 kilometres of track, 7,000 stations, 1.3 million employees and 160 years of history. Indian Railways is one of the most celebrated railway networks in the world. A few months ago, we celebrated the 400th Indian train station connecting to the internet with Google Station, our public Wi-Fi program. Today, we’re bringing Indian Railways’ heritage and sights to the entire world. The most gorgeous architecture, iconic trains and charismatic personalities of Indian Railways can be found on Google Arts & Culture.

The first rail journey in India, a 14-coach train from Bombay to Thane in 1853 ushered in a new era of an India connected by track, rendering previously remote villages accessible. A century and a half later, just as trains once opened passages across the subcontinent, Google Arts & Culture’s new project “The Railways — Lifeline of a Nation” is making these passages accessible for the world to experience.

Anyone can now explore India’s railways in unprecedented detail with over 100 exhibitions that bring together over 3,000 images, over 150 videos and more than 150 iconic locations captured across India. Zoom into ultra-high resolution images made with our Art Camera, like maps of the East Indian Railways that the British used to connect Calcutta with the North West Provinces; get a 360 degree look around the workshops of cardboard rail model enthusiasts; or take a behind the scenes peek at Darjeeling loco shed.

Discover the architecture of India’s most iconic train stations, including this Victorian Gothic stunner—the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai

Watch how a railway inspired the making of a hit Bollywood movie

Go behind the scenes and watch how Indian Railways employees, like veteran technician Ganey Khawas keep the trains running

We invite everyone to take an online journey with us to see the breathtaking sights of India’s railways on the Google Arts & Culture’s online platform and the free Google Arts & Culture mobile app on iOS or Android.

By Simon Rein, Program Manager, Google Arts & Culture

Improving Search for the next 20 years

September 25, 2018

Growing up in India, there was one good library in my town that I had access to—run by the British Council. It was modest by western standards, and I had to take two buses just to get there. But I was lucky, because for every child like me, there were many more who didn’t have access to the same information that I did. Access to information changed my life, bringing me to the U.S. to study computer science and opening up huge possibilities for me that would not have been available without the education I had.

The British Council Library in my hometown.

When Google started 20 years ago, our mission was to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. That seemed like an incredibly ambitious mission at the time—even considering that in 1998 the web consisted of just 25 million pages (roughly the equivalent of books in a small library).

Fast forward to today, and now we index hundreds of billions of pages in our index—more information than all the libraries in the world could hold. We’ve grown to serve people all over the world, offering Search in more than 150 languages and over 190 countries.

Through all of this, we’ve remained grounded in our mission. In fact, providing greater access to information is as core to our work today as it was when we first started. And while almost everything has changed about technology and the information available to us, the core principles of Search have stayed the same.

As Google marks our 20th anniversary, I wanted to share a first look at the next chapter of Search, and how we’re working to make information more accessible and useful for people everywhere. This next chapter is driven by three fundamental shifts in how we think about Search:

The shift from answers to journeys: To help you resume tasks where you left off and learn new interests and hobbies, we’re bringing new features to Search that help you with ongoing information needs.
The shift from queries to providing a queryless way to get to information: We can surface relevant information related to your interests, even when you don’t have a specific query in mind.
And the shift from text to a more visual way of finding information: We’re bringing more visual content to Search and completely redesigning Google Images to help you find information more easily.

Underpinning each of these are our advancements in AI, improving our ability to understand language in ways that weren’t possible when Google first started. This is incredibly exciting, because over 20 years ago when I studied neural nets at school, they didn’t actually work very well...at all!

But we’ve now reached the point where neural networks can help us take a major leap forward from understanding words to understanding concepts. Neural embeddings, an approach developed in the field of neural networks, allow us to transform words to fuzzier representations of the underlying concepts, and then match the concepts in the query with the concepts in the document. We call this technique neural matching. This can enable us to address queries like: “why does my TV look strange?” to surface the most relevant results for that question, even if the exact words aren’t contained in the page. (By the way, it turns out the reason is called the soap opera effect).

Finding the right information about my TV is helpful in the moment. But AI can have much more profound effects. Whether it’s predicting areas that might be affected in a flood, or helping you identify the best job opportunities for you, AI can dramatically improve our ability to make information more accessible and useful.

I’ve worked on Search at Google since the early days of its existence. One of the things that keeps me so inspired about Search all these years is our mission and how timeless it is. Providing greater access to information is fundamental to what we do, and there are always more ways we can help people access the information they need. That’s what pushes us forward to continue to make Search better for our users. And that’s why our work here is never done.

Posted by Ben Gomes, VP, Search, News and Assistant

Keeping people safe with AI-enabled flood forecasting

September 25, 2018

For 20 years, Google Search has provided people with the information they need, and in times of crisis, access to timely, actionable information is often crucial. Last year we launched SOS Alerts on Search and Maps to make emergency information more accessible. Since then, we’ve activated SOS Alerts in more than 200 crisis situations, in addition to tens of thousands of Google Public Alerts, which have been viewed more than 1.5 billion times.

Floods are devastating natural disasters worldwide—it’s estimated that every year, 250 million people around the world are affected by floods, also costing billions of dollars in damages. Flood forecasting can help individuals and authorities better prepare to keep people safe, but accurate forecasting isn’t currently available in many areas. And the warning systems that do exist can be imprecise and non-actionable, resulting in far too many people being underprepared and under informed before a flood happens.

To help improve awareness of impending floods, we're using AI and significant computational power to create better forecasting models that predict when and where floods will occur, and incorporating that information into Google Public Alerts. A variety of elements—from historical events, to river level readings, to the terrain and elevation of a specific area—feed into our models. From there, we generate maps and run up to hundreds of thousands of simulations in each location. With this information, we’ve created river flood forecasting models that can more accurately predict not only when and where a flood might occur, but the severity of the event as well.

These images depict a flood simulation of a river in Hyderabad, India. The left side uses publicly available data while the right side uses Google data and technology. Our models contain higher resolution, accuracy, and up-to-date information.

We started these flood forecasting efforts in India, where 20 percent of global flood-related fatalities occur. We’re partnering with India’s Central Water Commission to get the data we need to roll out early flood warnings, starting with the Patna region. The first alert went out earlier this month after heavy rains in the region.

Flood alert shown to users in the Patna region.

We’re also looking to expand coverage to more countries, to help more people around the world get access to these early warnings, and help keep them informed and safe.

Posted by Yossi Matias, VP, Engineering

Sigtuple from India shines at Google’s first Demo Day Asia

September 20, 2018

Wins Judges Choice awards for their work in AI to support healthcare systems in India

Six months ago, we announced Demo Day Asia, starting a search for the best startups in the region. We received hundreds of applications from entrepreneurs across Asia-Pacific. It was tough, but 10 outstanding founders were chosen as finalists. This week, we brought them to Shanghai to help hone their presentations about their businesses. Then, we put them on stage before our Demo Day judges and an audience of top international investors, and watched them wow the crowd with their incredible products.

The judges Jenny Lee, Managing Partner at GGV Capital; Zheng Qing Sheng Partner at Sequoia Capital China; Plern Tee Suraphongchai, Partner at Ventura Capital; and Bradley Horowitz, Vice President of Product Management at Google had the hard choice of picking one winner from an outstanding pool of companies.

And the Judges’ Choice Award was given to SigTuple from India for their work in using artificial intelligence to support the healthcare system in India. With less than one doctor for every thousand people in the country, medical practitioners can be very busy! To lighten their load, Apurv Anand and Rohit Pandey founded SigTuple in 2015 to make AI-powered products that help doctors analyze medical data and support diagnoses.

“It's really wonderful to be recognized at the first Google Demo Day Asia! This one is all for our team back home. This award is dedicated to the entire SigTuple family. SigTuple is what it is today because all of us aspired to make a huge social impact. ” Apurv Anand, Co-Founder SigTuple

The audience in Shanghai was also given a chance to vote for their favorite startup. The Audience Choice award went to Marham from Pakistan. Asma Salman Omer established her digital healthcare platform in Pakistan three years ago to help people find doctors and other medical care specialists in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi.

The Demo Day Asia journey isn’t over yet. Every finalist still has a chance for success following their presentations on this global stage. Startups from our past eight Demo Days have raised over $279M since 2014, and startups in our Google for Entrepreneurs network have raised over $1.8B in funding and created 20,000 new jobs globally.

We came to Shanghai to connect the region’s startups with top investors. We left amazed by the world-class quality of its entrepreneurs. These founders are proof that the startup ecosystem is truly alive and thriving in Asia-Pacific, and we’re more motivated than ever before to support more startups here to realize their incredible visions and solve big problems.

Posted by Michael Kim, Partnerships Manager, Google for Entrepreneurs

Google One is coming to India

September 19, 2018

A plan that gives you expanded storage and helps you get more out of Google

More and more, we rely on the internet for ways to safely store the things that matter—making life simpler and less cluttered. Over the years, we’ve provided people with easy, secure ways to create, store and share files online, including 15 GB of free space with every Google Account. Thanks to mobile phones, and new file formats like 4K video and high-res photography, people are storing more than ever before.

Recently, we introduced Google One, a plan that gives you expanded storage and helps you get more out of Google. Users in India will soon be able to enjoy more options to fit their storage needs – whether you’re working, connecting with friends or preserving your memories.

More storage for what matters

Google One gives you more storage across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. With plenty of space, your most important memories and files are stored safely in original quality in the cloud and available on all your devices. We've improved the price of some of our plans and added new plan options, ranging from 100GB to 30TB, you can choose the plan that’s right for you.

More help when you need it

As a Google One member, you can easily get in touch with a team of Google experts to answer your questions—whether you need help recovering a file you accidentally deleted or want to learn how to use Gmail when you're offline.

More benefits for members

With Google One, you’ll also get extra benefits across Google. We’ve started with credits on Google Play and deals on hotels found in Google Search. In the coming months, keep an eye out for additional benefits.

More for your family

You can also share your plan with up to five additional family members. That means simplified storage under one bill, and access to the benefits of Google One.

Coming soon to paid Google Drive plans

If you have a paid Drive storage plan, you’ll be upgraded to Google One automatically over the next few weeks. Look out for an email confirming your upgrade to Google One, where you can manage your storage plan and benefits. The way you use Drive to store and share files doesn’t change.

For everyone else, we’re working to bring Google One to you over the next few weeks. If you’d like to be notified when Google One is available, sign up for an update.

Posted by Larissa Fontaine, Director, Google One

Helping more families set digital ground rules with Family Link

September 19, 2018

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lEeFSQ7Wl71L9R56elxWdlyvyCCmkE--LdVnS70mVe5C77XuPBT2m0cCyg5gDqufwc-6hguJMqTFYSH5SgYrsY7jXI45TPlYaqkx_JA3W5eY-kagtSvWlOXYV50T4RJioOLXWmZY Paulo Golgher Director Kids and Families

Parents constantly tell us that they want their kids to experience the best of what tech has to offer–while also developing a healthy relationship with technology. Giving parents the tools they need to make the choices that are right for their families is critical, and we take our role here very seriously. That’s why we launched the Family Link app last year to help parents stay in the loop while their kids are using Android devices. Family Link helps parents keep an eye on screen time, manage the apps their kids can use, and more.

Today, we’re bringing Family Link to nearly every country around the world, including India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panamá and Perú.

Getting started with Family Link

When you're setting up your kid's Android device (see available devices), Google asks you to create an account. Enter your kid’s birthday, and if they’re under 13 (or the relevant age of consent depending on your region), you’ll be asked to provide consent to create the account. Once that's done, Family Link will automatically be downloaded to your kid's device, and you can choose the apps and settings that you want for your child. Once your kid’s device is setup, download Family Link on your own device, and you can use it to do things like:

Set screen time limits and a bedtime for their child’s device
Remotely lock a device whenever it’s time to take a break
Locate their child when they are carrying their device with them
View activity reports showing how much time their child spends on their favorite apps
Approve or block apps their child wants to download from the Google Play Store

Managing your teen’s Google account and device

Family Link originally launched for kids under-13, but we’ve heard overwhelmingly from parents that the app is still useful as their kids enter their teen years. This week, parents around the world will be able to use Family Link to supervise their teen’s existing Google Account for the first time (see applicable age for a teen in your county). There are some differences when supervising a teen’s account with Family Link. For example, teens are free to turn off supervision if they choose to, but we let parents know. Ultimately, it’s up to each individual family to have a conversation and decide what’s right for them.

If you have questions about setting up an account for your kid or using Family Link, check out our Help Center. With more parents in more places able to use Family Link, we want to hear your thoughts on how we’re doing. If you want to share your ideas with us, just open the Family Link app, click the menu in the top left corner and tap “Help and feedback.”

Posted by Paulo Golgher, Director, Kids and Families

A year already! Time flies when the journey is exciting! And we owe it to you

September 18, 2018

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VjaWsOmprKa_rGROatIDQETHASwn3ZDpGlC0DO15DNDY-LQrAFz2xsR8crMYEnTFwuhDHt_icYKQgdAtchfXSCy6O--NSgV8yt8PIoE-iKqAcjsUBh5sm5wqFkaX0K6SmBcD2yOe Caesar Sengupta Vice President Payments and Next Billion Users

On September 18, 2017, we launched Google Pay in India (then known as Tez). We set out with a mission: make digital payments simple. But this journey would not have been possible without you, the 25 million monthly active Google Pay users and 1.2 million businesses in India, who have responded wholeheartedly and helped us move forward.

From Kanyakumari to Mandvi to Dimapur, you are using Google Pay for your bills, your rent, the chaiwallah, the plumber, and even your bus rides. Or you’re simply sending money home or splitting bills with your friends. Google Pay has enabled over 860 million transactions in the last year — safely and securely. And if you used Tez mode, powered by Google’s Audio QR technology, you sent money without sharing your number or bank account. Google Pay always has users’ privacy in mind, and you will always be in control of your data. We keep you informed about what data we collect, how it’s used, and why. And we build powerful data controls into your Google Account, so you can choose the privacy settings that are right for you.

Security is a key part of Google Pay. Google’s expertise in security and machine learning backs every transaction, and it’s working 24/7 to help detect spam, fraud, prevent hacking, and verify and protect the identity of every user. Your account is also protected by your phone security safeguards such as passcodes or fingerprint IDs, as well as a Google PIN code. And if you ever need help, our customer service team is available all day, every day by phone or chat support.

We owe a big thank you to the banking industry for believing in us, especially our four payment service provider partners, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and the State Bank of India who came on board this journey early on. We made history together by building a first-of-its-kind, multiple payment service providers (MSPs) platform. And of course a huge thank you to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for creating the infrastructure that enabled this. Since the launch of Google Pay, India’s monthly UPI transactions have grown 18X to 312M in August— making India one of the world’s leading innovators in digital payments.

It’s been quite a journey since Prime Minister Modi and IT Minister Shri RS Prasad called on Google to support digital payments and financial inclusion in India and a year since the launch of Tez by the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley. But there is a lot more to be done. Barely a 100 million or so Indians are using digital payments. We have over a billion more Indians to empower. That will take a lot of hard work, deep investment and the best technology and ideas from India and around the world.

We are excited to continue working with the government and industry players to innovate and bring the benefits of a digital India to everyone.

Posted by Caesar Sengupta, Vice President, Payments and Next Billion Users, Google

Neighbourly app adds new features and expands to five more cities

September 12, 2018

Get trusted, neighbourhood answers in Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Mysore, Vizag, and Kota

Which garage do you take your car for repairs?

Is there any one doing high pressure cleaning in the building premises?

Which general physician is the best in our sector?

Any good English and Maths tuition class for a second standard kid?

Questions like these are why we launched Neighbourly -- so neighbours would have a helpful, human and local way to ask and answer questions and keep up with their neighbourhood.

During the last three months, we’ve been excited to see how neighbourhoods, big and small, are using the app across Mumbai and Jaipur. From what we’ve seen, neighbours from different backgrounds and ages are eager to help each other by answering questions. In fact, some of our “Top Neighbours” answer over 100 questions per week!

Neighbours value and want to hear answers based on personal experience. While topics like local shopping, fitness inquires, food recommendations or tuition centers are always popular, we’ve also seen questions that are very local and specific to the neighbourhood or timely in relation to current events, such as the heavy rains in Mumbai or the Rakhi (रक्षाबंधन) festival in Jaipur.

Today, we’re making the app available in every neighbourhood across Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Mysore, Vizag, and Kota.

Speak your question or answer in English or in eight Indian languages.

We’re also releasing a new version of the app with three updates:
Enhanced voice input -- Since 20% of users tap to speak a question, we’ve improved the voice input experience with better controls so you can ask and respond to questions in your spoken language.

Quick replies -- When you ask a question, sometimes you want to clarify something about an answer you received. That’s now possible with our inline reply feature.

Similar answers -- Some neighbours have asked a question and received multiple similar answers. We’ve developed a way to detect and group similar answers so you can find them easier.

The Neighbourly Beta app is available on the Google Play Store for all smartphones running Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) and higher. If Neighbourly isn’t available in your city yet, join our waitlist and invite your neighbours. We’ll be expanding to more neighbourhoods across India soon.

By Ben Fohner, Product Manager, Next Billion Users Initiative

India Blog

Next Junction: Explore Indian Railways with Google Arts & Culture

Improving Search for the next 20 years

Keeping people safe with AI-enabled flood forecasting

Sigtuple from India shines at Google’s first Demo Day Asia

Google One is coming to India

Helping more families set digital ground rules with Family Link

A year already! Time flies when the journey is exciting! And we owe it to you

Neighbourly app adds new features and expands to five more cities

Labels

Archive

More Information

Subscribe via Email