Machine learning meets African agriculture
November 13th, 2019
In 2016, a crop-destroying caterpillar, Fall Armyworm (FAW) was first detected in Africa. The crop pest has since devastated agriculture by infecting millions of cornfields, which threatens food security on the continent. Farmers who rely on harvests for food need to combat the pest, which has now spread to India and China. That’s where Nazirini…
Speak easy while traveling with Google Maps
November 13th, 2019
Google Maps has made travel easier than ever before. You can scout out a neighborhood before booking a hotel, get directions on the go and even see what nearby restaurants the locals recommend thanks to auto-translated reviews. But when you’re in a foreign country where you don’t speak or read the language, getting around can…
Google Classroom accessibility empowers inclusive learning
November 13th, 2019
Grace is a 5th grader at Village Elementary School near San Diego, CA. As a student who is blind, she’s used to using multiple pieces of equipment or having an aide support her. But when she started using Google Classroom with a screen reader, “it opened up a whole world for her,” according to Grace’s…
6 steps to being a smart searcher
November 12th, 2019
Search has been around for more than 20 years and we see billions of queries every day. Today I’ve already used Search to check this Sunday’s Giants’ score against the Jets, look up lyrics to Coldplay’s new song, and find out when daylight savings starts next year. But with so much information online today, the…
2019 holiday checklist: help shoppers find local stores
November 12th, 2019
The holidays are a critical time of year for your stores, as shoppers stop in to get an item quickly or see it in person. Online research to find local stores continues to surge—search interest in local shops hit a record high last year, and we’re seeing 350 times more search interest in “local” +…
CallJoy’s new agent helps small businesses answer calls
November 12th, 2019
If you own or have ever worked in a small business, you know how stressful it can be to juggle day-to-day tasks while also managing the ever-ringing phone line. According to research we conducted, nearly half of calls to local businesses go unanswered. And when calls do get picked up, conversations are often rushed, and…
Map out Thanksgiving with these tips from Google Maps
November 12th, 2019
For Americans, Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching–which means a time of food, family, and fun. As we kick off this holiday season, feast your eyes on our best Google Maps trends and tips to help you save time, reduce stress and navigate the festivities with ease. Ditch the traffic Thanksgiving road trips can be special (extended…
How my time in the Air Force prepared me for life at Google
November 11th, 2019
In 1996, I was a young senior airman at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. We were controlling an air training mission and had just safely led fighter jets to the training airspace. But in a split second, we got a radio call from a pilot telling us one of his engines went out. Just…
Talking strategy (and eating churros) with startups in Spain
November 11th, 2019
This past spring, I sat with 12 fellow Googlers on beanbag chairs in the basement of Google for Startups Campus in Madrid. The area was outfitted as a part conference room, part social gathering space. We took turns going around in a circle, talking about our arrival in Spain the previous day. We’d felt unsure…
Here’s the lineup of games coming to Stadia
November 11th, 2019
We’ve told you a lot about Stadia this year, how it’ll change the way you play games on your TVs, laptops, desktops and select phones and tablets. In our Stadia Connect videos, we’ve previewed some of the games that are coming to Stadia, and now we’re happy to share which games you’ll be able to…