Google Maps Mashups

The association between geography and the internet may at first seem unlikely, but their collaboratory efforts have given rise to many intriguing new applications.

A particularly useful selection from the plethora of these was;

• Starbucks Coffee Finder
• HeadlineMap
• Racetrackinginternational


Many of these innovations are inherently simple in nature, Starbucks Coffee Finder is little different. This site basically does exactly what it says on the tin, mapping the entirety of outlets across a region or city. While the product, coffee, may not hold global significance the concept may have far reaching effects regarding the way a company markets its service.

Linking information of a firms output to a designated position enhances its value for the casual browser. The potential relevance of a passing snippet can be assessed and therefore given more thought, etching the image of company firmly in the consumers mind. Were you interested in the product but found out that it was too far away to warrant further enquiry or it turned out to be just around the corner and thus worth checking out? Either way this tool offers a very cost effective way for businesses to both promote and observe their dominance within an area.

HeadlineMap “combines current stories from many world news sources with a mapping interface.” Contrary to the traditional news protocol the user first encounters a map where they can select the news items of specific locations. For businesses to react appropriately to emerging threats such as; natural disaster, new investment proposals, changes in legislation or even a local fair they must first be fully aware of their presence. Through the use of this site this monitoring process could be centralised for the entire organisation exploiting cost advantages. It may also be exercised by managers or investors who desire grounding in the external environment impacting upon the range of operations. Personally, it allowed me to research the on goings of an area where one of my friends was serving.

A more flippant map was found at racetrackinginternational.com which charted the progress of the Baja 1000, an off road race held in Mexico. For the avid fan, how else could they retrieve almost real time (maps are refreshed every five minutes) and continuous commentary which could be accessed at any point throughout the entire event? The relative standings of each competitor is portrayed by icons on the map displaying a comprehensive summary of the race.

The scope and diversity of mashups is immense with every additional creation re-asserting Google’s unrivalled power within the virtual world.

References;

http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/
http://www.findbyclick.com/coffee_s.html
http://www.headlinemap.com/
http://racetrackinginternational.com/tracking/