Messing Around with Maps

What is Google up to with maps?

this from today's Google blog

We realize that you know your neighborhood best. So to provide the most accurate maps possible, Google Maps is open to user edits. People have moved markers of their homes and businesses all around the U.S. and Australia, making Maps work even better.

And so we thought: Why stop there? Moving placemarks is just scratching the surface. After all, when a new place opens in your neighborhood or an old favorite changes its location, wouldn't be nice to have that change reflected on Maps immediately?

Now in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, you can log into your Google account to edit a place on the map. You can even mark that a business has closed to save someone an extra trip. Of course, we've taken steps to help protect accuracy -- for example, you'll still be able to see the original listing information along with the history of changes made.

Not sure that the commercial world will take lightly to this....mark your competition as out of business, or may be the Tibetan monks can create a new country without having all that hassle with Beijing. Can see this feature being misused very quickly.