On the right track.

Google Earth, a stand-alone application, seems to have the right idea, though I'm not sure to what extent it will be able to pull it off.

At first glance Google Earth seems to be a souped-up version of Google Maps, which even at second glance it still seems to be. (I've got my guesses about the what the third - or maybe it really is the first - glance entails.) But there really is more. That more includes impressive graphics that give you the impression you're flying from address to address, and occasionally 3D views of cities and mountain ranges. But what I find most interesting is actually something much simpler - layering. Sometimes this layering is nothing more than a way of providing a link to a National Geographic web page or movie. That's nice, but not necessarily something to get excited about. As with other applications of this sort, seeing a spot on a map that serves as a link doesn't in itself generate for us a different means of relating to, or understanding, the information being served up - though quantity can certainly sometimes be an important component of quality. Africa in Google Earth is covered with National Geographic links - to "flyovers", to articles and photographs about the spots pinpointed, and more. We may not need Google Earth for this, but it's impressive.

But Google Earth doesn't only present a platform for National Geographic (which is probably the result of a mutually lucrative deal between the two). It also allows something called "Dynamic Data Layers". I admit that I don't yet understand how this is done, or who runs it, but it seems clear that end-users can rather easily upload different groups of information to Google Earth. The Keyhole Community BBS seems to be a clearing house for information on how this is done, and they have an impressive explanation of the importance of the Dynamic Data Layers:.
Probably the greatest technological advance in Google Earth is the patent pending Network Link(TM) mechanisms described by Google's Keyhole Markup Language(TM) specification. These Network Links allow individuals, businesses, governments, and other organizations to easily publish dynamic geospatial data layers and have them seamlessly integrated into the unified Google Earth environment where it will be seen by millions of users as they search the globe.
As we view a neighborhood we can encounter icons that tell us that information on a wide variety of subjects is available at particular spots - historic occurrences (most of those I've found are, for some reason, related to famous crimes), historical landmarks, sports events ... the possibilities are already numerous, and just about anything is possible. And of course we can mix and match - and precisely the ability to do just that is what can make an application of this sort different than just clicking on a link on a map.


Go to: It's all just data, or
Go to: Taking to the streets