IP Democracy: An Explosion of Google Maps Mash-Ups

The NYT’s Damon Darlin writes about the expansion of Google Maps-powered mash-ups. Among the projects/sites he mentions are FBOweb.com (flight information), Homepricerecords.com (home sale data), Trulia.com (real estate listings) and Google Maps Mania, which attempts to track the growing ranks of Google map mash-ups and reportedly adds about a dozen new sites each day to its listings.

Darlin quotes Jef Poskanzer, an independent Google Map developer as saying that “It still takes a programmer to write these kinds of Google maps, but it is easier because you can go to another site and copy the code.” And, says Darlin:

It just got a lot easier. A company started by Marc Andreessen, a co-founder of Netscape, hopes to democratize map mash-ups even more. He created Ning.com, which automates the tools needed to create a Google-based map so almost anyone can make one.

Once you have registered for “developer status,” the site copies the code behind a particular Web site you want to imitate, allowing you tweak it and make it your own. In less than five minutes, you could have the Mung Bean Salad Restaurant site up and running.

Darlin also considers Google’s strategy in making its Google Maps API widely available.

Google recognized while developing the mapping feature that it would not have the time or the desire to create a host of special interest maps. Yet having numerous mash-ups would serve Google’s strategy of becoming the ubiquitous organizer of the world’s information - hence its openness…

…Google’s openness to the use of its maps does have limits, though. Once a mash-up turns into a large-scale commercial enterprise, Google looks to share in the revenue. That is happening at Trulia; Google lawyers are trying to negotiate a royalty agreement. “At the moment it is free,” Mr. Flint said, “and we are taking advantage of it.”

Posted by Mitch Shapiro on October 20, 2005 2:37 PM to IP Democracy