The nice thing about Google properties is that they often allow developers to create applications that use their resources. For instance, FloridaSexualPredator.com uses Google Maps along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement database to graphically show where sexual predators reside. The result is a system that is much more intuitive and informative than the straight database.

That map could easily be on a newspaper website graphically showing where news is happening, each story a pinpoint on a map, allowing the user to browse news by location. Again, I'll beat the drum by restating just how important it is that newspapers start tagging their news content with GPS coordinates.

Eventually, clicking an article in a news/Google Map hybrid might zoom in to a 3D model of the area where an automatic pop-up starts playing a slideshow with pictures of the scene or streaming video along with the text news content. Imagine integrating Google Maps into your classifieds so readers could search for jobs based on what is close to their house. The possibilities are endless.