Google has acquired a travel based image recognition start-up Jetpac for an undisclosed sum. The firm has created an app that pulls specific items out of publicly available Facebook and Instagram photos to generate city guides.
As a result of the acquisition, the iOS app will be pulled from the App Store in coming days, and support for the service will be discontinued on September 15. Jetpac’s technology offers insights to city locales by analyzing pictures of food, decor and people. It automatically scans users’ photos to detect local points of interest like coffee shops or “hipster hangouts.” The app offers customized geographic information as per users needs. The service featured data for over 6,000 cities, according to the App Store description.
Google is expected to use the acquisition by integrating its technology into Google Maps or Google Now to offer enhanced recommendations. Earlier this month, Google acquired smartphone-messaging application Emu and video-creation service Directr Inc., bolstering its mobile and advertising capabilities.
via:Tech Crunch