The Important Part: Since May 14, you can click on the “More” link at the top of a Google Maps location to see photos (via Panoramio.com) and explanations (via Wikipedia) of points of interest. For example, here is a map of Nashville with the “More” features selected.

The Take Away: Users of Google Earth will recognize the “More” feature as a pathway to the “layer-fication” of Google Maps. It is also a great example of a “nonlinear” approach to presenting information (or, as the engineering-types say, “data points”). I predict that before long, the “More” tab will include a check-box that has the word “News” on it. It will provide a geographical mash-up view of stories indexed by Google News. That’s not much of a long-shot prediction, however, as the news-layer feature was added to Google Earth last week.

Update: A mere 24 hours later, and Google has another announcement - that Google Earth can be viewed via a new browser plug-in. This isn’t going to replace Google Maps, just make Google Earth a little more accessible and capable of being integrated with third-party applications. Unfortunately, I can’t give the plug-in a review since currently, it’s only available for Windows users.

Google Maps users (including those who use it via the iPhone) probably know the service provides real-time traffic data for 30 U.S. cities, including my hometown, Nashville, where there appear to be a few fender-benders today. For a view of some nightmare traffic, here is the other city I spend lots of time in, Washington, D.C..

Now, if you click on the “change” link while the Traffic layer is visible, you can view a predictive version of the Map that, as in the example below, suggests what the traffic will be like at 4:30 this afternoon. The predictions are based on historical data.

(via: Google Operating System blog.)

Bonus link: A recent post on Search Engine Land compares traffic data on several mapping services, including some impressive new features on Microsoft Live maps [or Nashville traffic view].

Longtime readers of this blog know I’m a Google Maps fan boy (and an even bigger fan of Google Earth, the greatest software on my computer). On Super Tuesday, I embedded a cool Google Maps mashup that animated Twitter posts. Tonight, an even more impressive feature was introduced: A Google Maps map that displays real-time results of the Republican and Democratic Presidential Primaries. It’s the kind of maps you see on cable news coverage. Now it’s available here on the tiny screen. And by the way, that Super Tuesday Map I embedded used the same URL as the new map so therefore all the Twitter/Google mashup maps were transitioned to the new “Decision 08″ map.:

At Hammock.com, we have a map mash-up where people with whom we work (our clients, free-lance network of contributors, vendors and other friends — even several folks who follow me on Twitter joined in when I invited them to participate with a Christmas Day tweet) are posting photos of themselves wearing a T-shirt we’ve mailed to them. “Every T-shirt has a story” is the theme of this year’s version of our annual tradition. For each five shirt photos added, we’re donating funds for a computer to the One Laptop Per Child Foundation (up to 20 computers). Today, the incredible photo above (larger version) was posted on the map by a Bay-area photographer we work with regularly, Eric Millette. It was such an interesting photo, I emailed Eric to find out more about how he came up with the idea and captured the image. I thought some of my photographry-blogging friends might find interesting the short Q&A I’ve posted on our company’s Custom Media Craft blog.

Technorati Tags: hammockinc, maps, photography

Okay, it’s already established that I’m a Google Maps “My Maps” fan-boy. For example, here is the first “My Map” I created, a trail map of a Greenway near my home. Today, the Google Maps team announced they’ve added a collaborative feature to My Maps. I’m trying out the new feature on the map embedded below. If you’d like to add something to the map, click here and see what you can do. I believe you have to have a Google ID and be logged-in to edit it. I think I set it where anyone can edit it — however that’s one of the things I’m testing.

I’ve replaced the map I originally embedded below with a community map of East Nashville that Jackson Miller started. It’s not only a cool way to see what a collaborative map can be, it is also something that could be helpful to lots of people. Cool stuff, Jackson.

The Google Maps & Google Earth blog (LatLong) has a post about a community-wide effort in McMinnville, Tenn., (about 80 miles southeast of Nashville) to develop a 3D model of the town in Google Earth — the first of its kind in Tennessee.

Quote:

“The project, dubbed 3D Downtown, is being led by a non-profit organization called Main Street McMinnville and includes volunteers from the State Department of Economic and Community Development, the City Planning office, the Chamber of Commerce, the local College and Technology Center, and a host of local businesses.”

The project kicks off with volunteer modelers receiving training on how to use the free modeling tool, Google SketchUp and Google Earth. In addition to being cool, having a 3D model of a historic downtown will help McMinnville residents have a clearer understanding of how future development projects will impact on historic preservation.

Chris Silver Smith posted a photo of a set of buildings that when viewed from a satellite, forms the shape of a swastika. It turned out that the buildings were part of a 40-year old Navy barracks complex. To change the appearance of the buildings on Google Maps, the Navy has approved $600,000 to modify walkways, landscaping and rooftop solar panels. According to the AP, “the Navy decided to alter the buildings’ shape following requests this year by Anti-Defamation League regional director Morris Casuto and U.S. Rep. Susan Davis.”

via: Search Engine Land.