Maps and Whereness - Ubiquitous Positioning - page 146

becomes intertwined with the real world, the resulting Geoweb has many uses.” It
covers a host of current Web 2.0 applications useful to people and businesses and
tricky issues such as individual spatial privacy. It concludes with a vision of
“extrasensory information awareness” where mapping personal information is
taken to extremes and looks to the next stage of the Web (which is covered in the
next chapter). Perhaps it is noteworthy that Whereness as a concept is now
mainstream to the extent that it is featured in a conservative business journal.
8.4.2 Google Maps and Hacks
Google has made the biggest impact to date with its global mapping coverage and
easy interface. Commercial versions are appearing embedded within other
commercial systems as Google's business model expands from an advertising-
based model to a license-based one. Simple tools are available to personalize
maps with extra information (e.g., photographs).
Perhaps the most exciting aspect for anyone technically minded is the ease by
which new applications can be made via the API. Several topics are available that
give worked examples of applications. For example, [20] shows how to
incorporate Google Maps within a personal Web site, shows various tracking and
transport applications, dealing with pictures, creating a geo-blog, adding custom
maps, and all manner of mashups.
Associated with Google Maps is Google Earth, which is a more visually
compelling Web 2.0 application that has stitched together thousands of digital
aerial photographs or images (taken from aircraft and from space). In certain built
environments (e.g., New York City) it includes a 3D model of the buildings too.
Virtual tourism is thus possible from any browser with a broadband connection.
Unlike Google Maps, which is an AJAX system, Google Earth requires a local
application to be installed that is required to process the imagery (a task currently
beyond the relatively limited capabilities of Javascript).
At some time in the future it seems likely that this application or something
similar will start to include real-time imagery, sensing, and positioning
technology.
8.4.3 3D Building Models and Virtual Worlds
Google has provided Sketch Up, which is a toolkit PC drawing application for
people to produce 3D models of buildings (or anything else) that can be added to
Google Earth. This may be the way that mapping gets extended into the areas not
currently mapped. Building plans could be used as a starting point for the creation
of the Sketch Up models that can be made to scale and that tessellate with outdoor
mapping.
3D modeling is used extensively in computer games and now also in other
more sociable Web 2.0 systems such as Linden Lab's Second Life , where people
can participate in an artificial collaborative virtual world and also create new