Google Announces Interactive Maps with HTML

Google maps chartered its path to first place in online maps with the release of embedded, interactive maps. The ability to embed Google maps into any webpage by copying and pasting some html, displaying your business location, the café your blogging from or where in the world your writing AC articles.

Until today you needed to apply for a special key from Google, called an api, then construct a map using JavaScript to display a Google map on the internet. While useful, these maps lack functionality, is aesthetically pleasing as a roll out classroom map and required a computer programmer to make it work.

Now, clicking 'link to this page' at Google Maps gives you the HTML you need, to embed the current map as an iframe in your web page. The embedded map will be fully interactive. You can drag and click or zoom in on a location, and view it in map, satellite, and hybrid mode.

According to the Google Press center "This new functionality enables Google Maps users to share and disseminate geographic information in the same way that YouTube users share videos."

Real world applications of an embedded Google map range from party directions to vacation planning. The average user can have their website visitors find their business from anywhere in the world, pinpoint cool landmarks around their homes, show people where to find fried chicken shacks around aunt molly's house, world is yours (literally) with this new upgrade.

Google Press Release: http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/embed_maps.html