Make Your Own Map Mashup

07Apr07

Less than 6 months ago, I wrot an article about creating your own map mashup. The article appeared in Digital Life section of Singapore’s national newspapers, The Straits Times. Anyone who has read it can just forget about everything I said because Google has just launched My Maps.

My Maps allows the lay person with no technical knowledge to create mashups. Plus, you can “marge” your map with another friend’s map. Yeap, that takes collaboration to a whole new level.

Map mashups are very web 2.0. Map mashups you can merge is cutting-edge. There was nothing quite like it during the first dot com boom. Google My Maps also allows you to draw lines and shapes on your maps so you can show your friends how to get to your home, your favourite hangout or the local library.

The APIs really make the possibilities endless. Can’t wait to see what the web community is going to create out of these new functionalities!

There are other similar mashups-for-dummies-type services, notably Platial, dubbed “The Peoples’ Atlas,” and Microsoft’s Live Search Maps Collection Hub. But neither service offers “the same extent and visibility” as Google’s My Maps, Sterling said, particularly since My Maps offers inclusion in the Google search index, which millions of people use every day.

Google makes mashups easy, even for me, CNET

Neat Stuff

• Draw lines and shapes on your map
• Mash your map up with other maps
• Super easy to create your map and mark out places of interest
• API brings endless possibilities

Filed under: Mashups, Web 2.0   |  Leave a Comment