Thanks to the free mapping APIs from big companies like Google and Yahoo, smaller companies and individual developers are able to mash up maps to information in ways not possible before. Previously if you wanted to use high quality maps on your web site, you might be force to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to companies like ESRI or Navteq to get access to their mapping data.

This ability to link maps with new applications is really growing. One of the best signs is the membership of free Meetup groups like the Web 2.0 Mapping group. I attended my first meeting last month and was very impressed by the number of people in the room. It was literally standing room only. The meeting leaders were expecting 40 people and over 80 showed!

This group is growing fast, and I hoping that the meeting next Tuesday, Aug. 19, will be even more packed. Why? Because Geogad has been selected as one of the companies that will present. It should be a really great meeting. Not only is Geogad presenting but so is Geotrax and Loopt, which has been a really hot startup in the mobile social networking space.

Be sure and join us at Google next week. But come early since over 70 people have already confirmed that they will be at the event.

Tags: mapping, Meetup, speaking event, Web 2.0

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 1:11 am and is filed under Business Lessons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.