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Google Maps discovers Australia - here be dragons no more

by Adam Turner

Tuesday, 06 February 2007

Now that Google Maps has discovered Australia it opens up a new world of possibilities in both the office and the lounge room.

First came Google Earth, which is to satellite imaging as trashy magazines are to literature. You tell yourself you're there for the informative articles but it's really the candid celebrity snapshots that keep you coming back. It's the ultimate voyeuristic tool, letting your peer into every corner of the earth, and floating across the face of the planet in search of interesting sites can become addictive.

A few Australian businesses were quick to recognise Google Earth's commercial potential. Adelaide real estate agent Toop and Toop allows you to superimpose available houses over a map of the city, while maritime charting and navigation company HSA Systems uses it to deliver near real-time information to ships operating in the Great Barrier Reef. Such services are also perfect for traffic reports and racing, with Google Earth used to keep track of competitors in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Add the power of Google Maps and you've got something you can really build on. What could you do with Google Maps at home? You could impress your friends by recreating your round the world trip, flying from place to place and overlaying links to your happy snaps in the exact location they were taken. The growing number of GPS adapters for digital cameras should make this easy, such Sony's GPS-CS1K.

How about business uses? Google Maps Australia includes business listings, driving directions and support for Google Maps for mobile. The possibilities are limitless and without doubt someone will hit the jackpot with one of those "why didn't I think of that?" ideas. "Where's my nearest ...?" "Where's the cheapest ...?" "Take me on a virtual tour of ..." Google has built the infrastructure, you just need to use your imagination.

Here's an idea - you could set up an online service where people email you the holiday photos with GPS data and you turn it into a fly through for them. It's very web 2.0, would be easy to do and it's something people would pay for - plus you could cram in some ads. When you make your first million on this idea, remember where you read it first.

That's just one idea, but there are plenty more. Perhaps something combining Google Maps with YouTube? A tie-in with Skype so you can see your friends on the map? The world is your oyster and, thanks to Google Maps, it's at your fingertips.{moscomment}

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