( WIRED ) -- Google 's Maps team has made fantastic advances in surveying and mapping seemingly every square inch of navigable ground on the planet . But for mobile users , those maps have always stopped just short of indoor spaces -- until now . Google Maps 6.0 for Android launched Tuesday with a bold initiative : indoor mapping . Partnering at launch with a selection of businesses and public service structures , the new mobile Maps version allows users to see the entire layout of a mapped building , switch between floor plans if the structure has multiple levels , and locate indoor points of interest like retail stores , bathrooms and ATMs . Obviously , indoor mapping is only useful when the building you 're navigating is big enough to warrant it . To this end , Google has partnered with more than 25 major businesses that handle large crowds on a regular basis -- major travel sites like San Francisco International and Chicago 's O'Hare airports , as well as giant retailers like Macy 's and Bloomingdale 's . Considering the layers of thick concrete and steel holding up some of these buildings , it 's been difficult for Google to get its location-aware technology up to snuff . `` GPS is unreliable and does n't work well indoors , '' said Maps project manager Steve Lee in an interview . `` We used similar information to how we 've implemented the navigation 'blue dot ' feature in the past , and we 've been able to improve the accuracy indoors , at an accuracy of about 5 to 10 meters . '' While half of the initiative begins in U.S. structures , Google is simultaneously launching in Japan , covering Tokyo 's massive underground subway network and retail shopping centers ( an area where new visitors definitely need a map ) . While version 6.0 is n't covering U.S. transit , Lee says the Japanese transit coverage `` can give us a sense for what 's in store for the future . '' While it 's just a beginning , Google has also launched a beta tool that allows businesses to upload their own floor plans to the Maps database . Slowly but surely , Google hopes to entice more businesses and major indoor areas of interest -- both small and large -- to opt in for indoor mapping . Of course , these are private spaces , not freely accessible public roads , so it 's an initiative for the long haul . The update is currently available in the Android Market for phones and tablets running Android version 2.1 and up . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2011 Wired.com .
Google Map app for Android every Tuesday with indoor mapping . New mobile Maps version allows users to view the entire interior of a building . Google has partnered with more than 25 major businesses .