One of the key aspects of a real-world metaverse is location-based data that’s geo-anchored to activate digital experiences where and when relevant. Google is primed for this evolution given 20+ years as the world’s search engine. We hear directly from the company about its vision.

Key Takeaways

Here are a few key messages or insights that we gleaned from this session.

• The real-world metaverse will start with things like gaming (e.g., Pokémon Go). But like the web and previous technologies, the killer apps will be utilities.
• These utilities will include visual search, such as pointing your smartphone camera at a real-world item to identify and contextualize it. Similarly, 3D walking directions will be an important step.
• Google will have an inside track for all the above given its image database (Google Images), and 3D navigation (Street View). This will position Google to power real-world metaverse experiences and future-proof its core search business for a visual era.
• More broadly speaking, this positions Google in a leading position in a sort of “Internet of Places” as it indexes the physical world just as it started building immense value indexing the web 20+ years ago.

Mapping: The Center of the Real-World Metaverse

Reducing consumer friction and increasing engagement through personalized conversations is the next frontier in digital commerce. We’ll dig into the practicality of implementing the technology and structures necessary to achieve a frictionless future.

Mohit Moondra, Google