To aid customers during the Coronavirus pandemic Yandex Maps have launched a new feature allowing partners (stores) to provide (sort of) real-time information around how busy the stores are, and how long the lines are to get in – to help people better maintain social distancing and plan their trips.
Currently available on desktop only, the feature is expected to be rolled out to the mobile Maps application and Yandex.Navigator soon.
The data shows whether or not…
- There is no line at all
- There is a small line
- There is a line, and it is large
Currently, 169 supermarkets, “Alphabet of Taste”, and 55 – “Crossroads” in Moscow and St. Petersburg are connected to the project, and in the near future, Alfa-Bank will join with 400 branches throughout Russia.
Yandex.Maps invite everyone who wants to help customers choose the best moment to visit to join the project – an application can be made through this page.
Actual data on the number of visitors are transmitted by the partners themselves online. They obtain the data using their own internal services, such as automatic door sensors, or queue control systems.
This data is also important for pharmacies and other socially significant organizations, where a large number of people can accumulate. Organizations that transmit queue data will soon be highlighted on maps with a special icon and appear in the recently added Coronavirus section.