Google has just launched “My Maps,” an impressively simple tool within Google Maps that allows users to create personal “mashups” and save or share those with friends or the world at large. A range of formatting options enables the maps to be highly customized and include images or video. Maps can be created “manually” by dropping placemarks on the map or through one-click saving of selected search results. Click to continue reading…

The Google Blog has responded to the concerns about showing pre-Katrina images for New Orleans. In short, Google said they changed the imagery back in September 2006 to provide higher resolution images of the city, even though views were from before Hurricane Katrina caused widespread damage. Now those pre-Katrina images have been replaced with high resolution photos shot in 2006, done on an expedited basis, the company said. More from the post:

Google goes back to pre-Katrina maps from USA Today reports that Google Maps has changed their satellite imagery of New Orleans to show pre-Katrina images, getting some local residents angry and wondering if there’s some type of cover-up in the works. However, it’s unclear if these are pre-Katrina images or not — and the situation’s just as confusing with mapping services from other search engines.
USA Today writes: Google’s popular ma

In January, Google announced a contest in which US and Canadian students were invited to generate their college campuses in 3D, using Google Sketchup. A few individuals or teams whose works are judged to be the best will be flown to Google headquarters in Mountain View for a special workshop with 3D modelling experts in the company and tour of the Googleplex campus. All submissions belong to Google of course, making it yet another innovative ap

Garett Rogers at Googling Google has
reported that a search on Google Maps for microsoft has returned an anti-Microsoft image within the Microsoft listing, as shown to the left. The image was originally on a
Yelp.com page and automatically inserted into the Google Maps result. It appears to now have been removed, but Garett has a screen capture showing it was there just a day or so ago. So how did this happen?
Barry Schwartz and I dived

Matt McGee’s 10 Likely Elements of Google’s Local Search Algorithm explores what makes Google Local different from Google.com algorithmically. Here they are in summary:

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Mike Blumenthal reports that Google has added an easier way to report inaccurate data found within Google Maps. For any unverified business listing, Google will show a link that reads “report incorrect data” that takes you to a page to easily notify Google of the problem. For example, currently this business listing shows the link, when clicked, you are taken to this form.
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I was thrilled to
hear Google was offering
Google Maps For Windows Mobile recently.
I’m a big Windows Mobile
user, and I’ve often felt abandoned by Google on my device. But actually
finding that app using my Windows Mobile device turned out to be an incredible
challenge. The same was true trying to find Microsoft’s corresponding app,
Windows Live
Search For Mobile

This Google sticker (on Flickr) was spotted in London. While it’s in some ways unremarkable and like any number of similar stickers (Michelin, Mobile Travel Guides, Citysearch, Zagat, etc.), it represents something of a shift for Google and a bit of a traditional marketing push.

To my knowledge nobody has spotted something like this in the U.S. but perhaps soon.

Send for the search party, Google gives a bum steer at the Sydney Morning Herald reports that Google’s new Google Australia Maps (official Google post) may take you the long way to get to your destination. One example search from Shelbourne Hotel at 200 Sussex Street to Google’s Sydney at 201 Sussex Street, which is across the street (i.e. 30 second walk) takes you over a toll bridge, and back, taking you 18 minutes to get to the same location.
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Brad Geddes has spotted Google Local ads within Google Earth. We know Google has tested local ads within Google Maps in the past, more than just once. But I have never seen reports of Google Local ads within Google Earth, Google’s desktop based mapping system.
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Google isn’t taking chances in mobile. The company is making sure that you can access Maps and local information if you text, use a WAP/mobile browser or prefer a rich mobile application, previously available only for Java phones. But now Google has introduced its Maps application for Windows Mobile phones.
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The Google Blog also announced that now when you conduct searches at Google.com for local specific information, you may get local reviews and business comparisons. For example a search on pizza 10010 returns three results, all with five stars, from pizza restaurants in NYC. Here is a screen capture:

Click to continue reading…

Since the advent of the Google and Yahoo (and more recently Virtual Earth) mapping APIs there are hundreds of developers and entrepreneurs who have built interesting and useful mashups. But how does one find them? Of course you could search on Google, Yahoo or Microsoft Live or look at some of the worthy blogs devoted to mapping such as Google Maps Mania or The Map Room

Search Engine Land got an email this morning from Another Blogger alerting us to the apparent fact that Google had removed links to Yahoo and MapQuest maps.

Previously, a search for “541 Lexington Avenue New York” (W Hotel), for example, would have yielded a choice among Google Maps, Yahoo and MapQuest. Here’s the search result today.

Spotted via Good Morning Silicon Valley, a site called Geo Greeting lets you create greeting messages that are displayed using buildings or other objects that resemble the alphabet from images found on Google Maps. It’s a fun and cool service that lets “geeks show they care.” See an example here.

Cartographers hit the road to bring updated online maps by the ST. Louis Post-Dispatch tells the story behind the individuals who draw the maps we use in our GPS devices or via our favorite online mapping software. NAVTEQ is the company that MapQuest, Google, Yahoo and others use for their mapping database

Philipp Lenssen reports that Google Maps has added a very useful feature to Google Maps. You can now plot multiple destinations for your trip. For example, I plotted a trip from my office, to a 100 Broadway, NY, NY and then to 14 Avenue R, Brooklyn, NY. Small feature, but very useful feature, that almost all mapping products have already. To work this yourself, after you set a destination from point A to point B, click on the “add destination” link to add more points to the map.

Search engine marketer Mike Blumenthal on his blog, “Understanding Google Maps & Yahoo Local,” has been doing an interesting investigation to try and understand the Google Maps and Local algorithm(s) and what factors influence those rankings. As a basic matter, Google uses different algorithms for general and local search results