Barney writes about Google Maps and the applications built out of the API (see also the AP article).
First, I expect to see many more applications of maps + data on the internet. It won't be long before anything that has geographical information will be so tagged and will be usable within search and other applications. The Geographical Information System (GIS) revolution is going to be big.
As for the GIS revolution - what is interesting is that GIS is not new, it's not even new in terms of a web/net based application (keyhole, terra-server, etc.). What is interesting is that with APIs like Google's, certain types of map based applications are being explored and developed with little cost. As I mentioned in my post on backstage, if you're not quite sure what to do with something, set it free and let others figure it out for you. So this suggests that Google isn't really sure of a strategy here beyond mapping and eye candy.
When considering GIS data, the big problem/cost is normalization and integration (perhaps why Goolge sent a S&D to a site that took advantage of the value in Google's stiched image data). Secondly, the real power of GIS comes not from horizontal data delivered in the platform (e.g. the maps that Google makes available), but from the viewing/analysis/interactions of first and second party data. Thirdly, beyond simple interfaces like maps and directions, a true GIS client would offer a level of complexity far beyond what the web-public can handle (remember, we are still using lists for search results!) So I'm guessing that the the applications that will make it are all going to be of the 'tag it and map it' variety, not of the true GIS variety.
What I see as being the potential for a big leap when it comes to these simple applications is the separation of the information searchers are interested in from the page in which it is found (something which local search combined with mapping is already offering). Thus, 'find me a hotel near a pool' actually talks about a hotel, not a page with information about that hotel. Anything that helps with that shift is good in my books as it means we are finally searching for information, not html.
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