Online growth maps a future Media The Australian: "Google Local, which a spokesman says is coming to Australia soon,"

location based services


A MASHUP is what happens when: a) two cars collide, b) a potato truck collides with a milk truck, or c) Heath Ledger is at Sydney's Bronte beach and bumps into a fan, who sends the location, time and a photo of the actor in his Speedos to WeloveHeath.com, to be plotted on a map of global Ledger sightings.
If you guessed c), you've had a glimpse of the way the mashup phenomenon, driven by new technology such as Google Maps and Google Earth, is opening up a new frontier of internet publishing.
Mashups combine information from different websites into an integrated experience. Map-based mashups, which are being created across the world at more than 10 per day, layer information over online maps to create a visual, navigable picture of a particular event or phenomenon - mostly to satisfy a particular not-for-profit interest or community group.
Australia has been slow to join the mashup revolution, but the launch of local mapping technology and growing consumer interest has sparked some mashup momentum, potentially creating a new revenue and information stream for internet publishers and some useful tools for consumers.
The information that can be included in a mashup is limited only by the developer's imagination. It may include satellite imagery, databases of searchable information, advertising links, photographs, comments, video footage and even interactive games.
Local online search directories that can plot businesses on a map apply some of the same principles.
Google Local, which a spokesman says is coming to Australia soon, is generating revenue in markets such as Britain and the US. Companies buy keywords, and information bubbles containing pictures, words and website addresses pop up when people search for those words in a specific geographic area.
When New York gossip website Gawker.com launched its contentious Stalker feature last month, plotting celebrity sightings in near-real time on a Google map of Manhattan, the resulting privacy outcry from celebrities who feared real stalkers introduced mashups to a whole new audience.
That hasn't stopped people from sending in sightings, real or not.
At 4pm on Easter Sunday, Felicity actor Keri Russell was reportedly spotted at a gym on Greenwich Ave at West 13th St and at 11pm coming out of a day spa in SoHo.
Five hours earlier, Uma Thurman apparently walked her dogs around Gramercy Park, while Irish actor Colin Farrell had an early dinner at Del Frisco's Steakhouse at 1221 Avenue of the Americas about 7pm.
TV show fan mashups include Jacktracker, which follows Jack Bauer's movements in each episode of 24; Geography of Seinfeld, which plots New York locations referenced in the sitcom; and Amazing Race 9, which follows the international route contestants travel in the ninth series of the reality show.
For those with an interest in flying saucers, UFO Maps plots sightings across the US. Mibazaar.com makes available news reports, searchable by US postcode. Microsoft, Google and Yahoo have all released mapping tools for markets such as the US, but developers have had limited access to the tools needed to build mashups in Australia.
That will change in the next three months when directories business Sensis, which owns the popular Whereis.com mapping site, will open up its technology for consumer use.
Google is rumoured to be mapping Australia for completion by the middle of the year, while Ninemsn has released a beta version of its local search site MyLocal.ninemsn.com.au utilising Microsoft's map content.
According to internet monitoring company Hitwise, consumer interest in online maps is exploding, with traffic to Australian map websites 44per cent higher in the week to April 8 than it was a year ago.
Hitwise analyst Sandra Hanchard says the growing interest in online maps will put business directory companies in a good position.
"Mashups are one of the fastest- growing areas of web development, offering an experimental platform for combining different types of information," Hanchard says.
"There are significant revenue opportunities for smaller players to offer niche products complementing those of the major players."
According to Sensis's general manager of wireless and location services, Sebastian Baldwin, Whereis.com attracted 1.7 million unique users last month, up 70 per cent from a year ago.
Sensis is already providing commercial mapping services, plotting businesses and places of interest on its maps as Google does in other markets.
"[Some businesses] have advertised to be on it, by postcode, state or nationally," Baldwin says.
He says consumer and commercial needs will dictate where mashups go next.
Sensis plans to launch Whereisgarage in the middle of the year, which will allow people to create their own Australian mashups.
"We've got a large community that uses Whereis.com and there's no doubt they're asking for [mapping tools]," Baldwin says.
"There is a difference between the commercial model and community awareness issues.
"We're not sure if or what they'll charge. It's more about what the charging would look like."
In the US, HousingMaps.com, an early, privately created mashup that plots real estate listings from online classified site Craigslist on to a Google map, opened many companies' eyes to the possible commercial value of the mashup.
News Interactive, part of News Limited, publisher of The Australian, is exploring the possibility of launching mashups that would encourage real estate, entertainment and local business advertising.
But the opportunity is far greater than just commercial use, according to Hugh Martin, the editor of News.com.au, who predicts mashups will become a valuable tool in the development of online journalism. "The mashup thing is a visual way of telling stories that we've not previously been able to tell," Martin says.
Chicago Crime, a mashup that allows people to view crimes by type, number and location on a map of Chicago, is an example of the kind of information-rich mashups that Martin says will become a source of news stories.
"You can ... take a map of London or New York and overlay it with police department or census information or road accidents," Martin says.
"You could look at hospital admissions in certain postcodes and socioeconomic data [and ask] why certain people in some areas have a high incidence of certain illnesses."
In bushfire season, fires could be plotted on maps in near-real time, along with wind conditions, the location of fire crews and the comments of people or reporters on the ground.
"It becomes a public resource and a source of stories," Martin says. "It is a great resource from a storytelling point of view."
Mashups can also tell a marketing story: Tourism Australia has created one that follows the journey of two tourists on a working holiday in Australia and includes audio and animation features. Yachting enthusiasts can follow the positions of particular crews using a mashup for the Volvo Ocean Race Tracker.
The next step, Baldwin says, will be mobile mapping. He gives one example of a tracking application incorporating global positioning technology that would allow parents to see where their children are.
"There are also dating applications. If you're in a certain location you might want to meet somebody in the same group," Baldwin says.
"It's still so early from the perspective of what the users want. You'll see a lot of gimmicks and some good opportunities as well. We're just on the start of a journey."