It's hard to imagine a time when we didn't have instant access to Google Maps when we were on the move, but it's easy to forget that Google Maps isn't perfect. That's why we look forward to this latest update.

Google Maps now offers more street detail, better representation of how the street actually looks, and easier navigation. The downside is that it is currently only available in four locations: New York, San Francisco, central London, and central Tokyo.

These features were first announced last year and some details were posted on Google Maps Beta in early December. While the details at the time included only small things like crosswalks and traffic lights, today Google has added much more useful things like roadside vegetation, more accurate road geometry, pedestrian islands, and other small features.

But the benefits go beyond simple visual cues. Wheelchair and stroller access is also indicated on the map, as are obstacles such as stairs.

In short, pedestrians navigating these four cities now have much more useful information to help them get around easily and efficiently, whatever their situation.

Note that these details are not available everywhere right now. For example, signals are not displayed in London or Tokyo. This is undoubtedly because Google does not have enough information at the time of writing, just as the entire update is limited to a very few cities.

The update relies on Google collecting enough relevant information from each city. Therefore, due to its sheer size, it cannot be expected that these details will be available everywhere at the same time.

However, if you were to stay in any of these four cities, having this information on your cell phone screen would be very useful. The more you know about your surroundings, the less stressful it will be to navigate areas you are completely unfamiliar with.

The best part is that this is a server-side update. Just load the version of Google Maps you want to use, and all the news is already there.