What exactly is the Huawei River Map? The authoritative explanation is here!

According to Huawei's chief engineer Luo Wei's microblogging broke the news, the river map currently **** has five core functions, such as AI strong environmental understanding, intuitive information acquisition, accurate positioning recommendations, virtual and real fusion photography, and humanized walking navigation. Definitely the intelligent results of Huawei's HMS ecological construction to replace or surpass Google Maps.

The word "Hetu" is taken from "Hetu Luoshu", which means "river map", a mysterious pattern passed down from the ancient times in China, containing profound astrological codes, meaning a lot of things, and the mystery is endless and profound. Huawei's "River Map" uses a blue icon in the style of the Milky Way, and the slogan is "Intuitive Information Access", which seems to coincide with its classical meaning.

What is a "river map"?

From its name alone, it's easy to think of Hetu as a mapping app. At first glance, "River Map" does look like a map app. From the two "Hetu" startup interface has been published can be seen, "Hetu" has navigation, settings, multiplayer games, intelligent recommendations and search functions. "River Map is indeed a map, but not just any map, as it integrates augmented reality technology.

▲"Cyberverse" startup interface

"Cyberverse" has two meanings, one is Cyber and the other is Universe. Universe (宇宙), Huawei has fused these two words and called it 'digital reality black technology'. According to Huawei's explanation at last year's developer conference, River Map will be an Earth-level virtual reality fusion software.

In real life, there is a figurative earth; in the virtual world, there is a digital earth, digital attributes of physical space, sculpture recognition and holographic explanation, indoor space computing, multiplayer games in 3D real-time scenes, and so on. The role of "Hetu" is to connect the real world with the virtual world, and introduce the traditional map service into the new experience of combining virtual and reality. In short, RiverMap is both a navigation map and an all-encompassing "star map".

Urban Kaleidoscope + AI

Huawei's River Map is not the first of its kind to combine the digital world with the real world. Eight years ago, Nokia, not yet marginalized, launched the Urban Kaleidoscope app.

This technology combines the application of maps, GPS, gravity sensing, electronic compass, and camera to provide a new and unprecedented experience. When the user opens the interface, nearby restaurants, cafes, etc. will appear on the screen and indicate the distance. Then the user moves the phone around, and the feature overlays the best stores, restaurants, and gas stations directly on the display screen, and clicks on them to view the details and get there.

▲City Kaleidoscope

At the time, Nokia's HERE maps were one of the best in the world, with mapping data from nearly 200 countries and fast, accurate positioning without the need for an internet connection. Unfortunately, the main business is not operating well, perennial huge losses, the city kaleidoscope technology has not been large-scale promotion, the cell phone business was acquired by Microsoft. The proud HERE map was also bought by BMW, Audi and Daimler, three major German car manufacturers, in 2015.

The short-lived urban kaleidoscope did not make much of a splash, and Huawei's "river map" is not a simple replica of the urban kaleidoscope. Eight years on, technology is evolving rapidly, and the amount of information in the digital world has increased many times over. The Nokia City Kaleidoscope is essentially a navigation app that makes recommendations based on the scenes it captures and combines them with its positioning.

▲ AI strong environment understanding

"River map" focuses on AI strong environment understanding and accurate positioning recommendations, somewhat similar to the combination of kaleidoscope + AI, open the "River map", you can see the fusion of AI for the shooting of objects. information introduction, 3D walking navigation and so on. For example, in the Forbidden City, can be combined with the starry sky, tell you the building hidden Dipper seven star formation; in Dunhuang, each person on the ground can only visit 3-4 caves, but through the river map can be seen through the walls of the caves to see the contents of the inside. Walking down the street, you can click on a store and see what's inside, the texture of each piece of clothing, the price, and even what the designer is trying to say to the consumer.

HMS Pointman

With the AI-enabled Hetu app, there's almost unlimited room for expansion. In Huawei's promotional video, we can see the character 3D reconstruction, building virtual signage, holographic advertising and user reviews and many other functions. Huawei's "River Map" is much more than a map application. It's the beginning of a digital world that seamlessly connects to reality, and the beginning of an ecosystem that opens up to HMS.

▲HMS ecosystem

As we all know, Huawei's main task this year is to promote the HMS ecosystem overseas, in order to solve the problem of Google GMS is not authorized. The HMS ecosystem is a new way to address the issue of Google's GMS not being authorized, and it's hard to change that since GMS has infiltrated the western lifestyle. Last month, Huawei launched its HMS ecosystem, and many questioned how it would replace Google Maps. Given the strong influence and market share of Google Maps, Huawei wants to make a breakthrough, it must have a bright spot so that it has a chance to replace Google.

Huawei's "river map" is the role of the vanguard, with the city kaleidoscope + AI as the "spear", giving self-developed maps a strong fighting force. The only way to do this is to differentiate the product so that users have the urge to try it out, and then Huawei's HMS will have a chance to replace Google Maps, and Huawei's HMS will have a chance to replace Google's GMS.

▲ "Hetu"

Hetu will have a chance to replace Google Maps, and Huawei HMS will have a chance to replace Google GMS. Dragon horse out of the river. As for what a river map is, there is no need to rush to define it for the time being. It's all-encompassing and all-encompassing, covering technologies related to digitization, virtual reality, big data, and artificial intelligence. It will carry the future of Huawei's HMS ecosystem and IoT strategy, and together they will turn the legend into reality ......