Google Maps: New “What’s Here” Feature

Not too long ago maps were used simply to find locations and get from one point to another. But over recent years digital mapping has pushed the boundaries; adding new and innovative features with Google leading the way. Yesterday was no different; Google announced a new feature called “What’s here?” A very intuitive implementation that works by simply selecting a point on their map and choosing “What’s here?” Google then presents what they feel is “the most relevant result representing that location”

For example, say you’re working with a homeowner moving to the Marina District in San Francisco California. They’ve been asking lots of questions about local attractions, so you sit down with them and search the area using Google Maps. Right mouse click the general area, and select “What’s Here?”  You’ll see a green arrow display like this:

Now look to the left-hand side of the screen, you should see the geographic name and a link to “Explore this area.” Based off the zoom level, Google will serve up the “most appropriate geographical entity at that point.”

Once selected the maps should fill with photos from the surrounding area.  To see more, select the “More photos” link on the left-hand side and all available photos quickly populate the map, something like this:

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This new feature is super cool and will certainly come in handy for anyone looking to investigate an area further.  To get the most complete mashup available, try clicking the “more” link located at the top right corner of the map.  From there you can add videos, Wikipedia, webcams, and transit information to the current view. If you want to take your search experience from Google Maps into Google Earth, you’ll aslo see a button included.

For those of you that want to participate in the user generated content, try Panoramio.