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And so it starts – Google Local (maps) get’s blue pins

Spot the blue pins..

David Galbraith has spotted the arrival of blue pin markers on google local maps representing sponsored hotel locations, as well as the usual red ones.

This was always going to happen, all that mapping data from Teleatlas, Digitalglobe, Navteq etc costs money…I predicted this back in June of last year, and to their credit Google seem to be approaching this is a restrained way so far.. please lets hope we don’t end up with little “Golden Arches” at every McDonalds.

Written and submitted from home, using my home 802.11 network.

2 replies on “And so it starts – Google Local (maps) get’s blue pins”

As you say Ed, it was always going to happen, But the bottom line is always that things have to pay. GIS, Wi-Fi, they cost, and it isn’t small beer either. GIS data and the power to manipulate it brings massive oppertunities, but they need the customer base to make them pay. Contrast the costs of supplying the core system and data with the freebe use that can be made of the data by any kid with a broadband link. Your own ‘Where’s Ed’ map is an example. Google have done the investment – you have the fun. The rise of sites like mapbuilder.net (http://www.mapbuilder.net/) make exploytation of freebe mapping easy enough for even the likes of me to manipulate and publish. How do Google get income from these hacks, or are we going to see the blue pins being made persistent in Google maps – users being unable to turn them off as Google take the sponsership cash they bring? It would be a shame. Simes (wish I could spell…)

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