Google have recently come up with some fabulous mapping innovations, including google maps, which has more intuitive scroll and zoom functions than the now clunky looking multimap and streetmap. Even more exciting is Google Earth, an application you download onto your desk top which allows you to view the world as a globe as if from space, and zoom in via satellite pictures to any place on earth. Try it and see how fun it is to locate your own house.
Another site is offering geographical tracking of your web site’s visitors using Google’s mapping technology. Of course, this geographical analysis is included in most web stats packages, but it’s great seeing it like this. The link for my blog is here, so now you can see who is visiting me. It only updates once an hour though, so no point in checking back too often.
This global (excuse the pun) domination may seem a far cry from the friendly search engine which launched just a few years ago. But check out this excellent video, which forecasts a brave new world for the world’s media. At eight minutes, it’s long, but well made and worth watching through to the end.