Having pored over the terms of service for all major mapping platforms I knew this was coming. In fact I sat in a meeting not 3 months ago and spoke of this exact eventuality. We are in the process of geo-coding the planet and we are just starting to see what all can be done with all this information based upon geographical proximity so it would make absolute sense or Adsense if you will for Google who brought us all this shinny new ajaxian mapping solution to cover every grid square with ads based upon GIS info.
My new driving directions
1. Head south from Starbucks – go 0.5mi
2. Turn left at McDonalds – go 3.4mi
3. Turn right at Coca-Cola Billboard – go 2.1mi
4. Turn left into Shenanigans parking lot — (try our new Shenani Burger feast) go 0.1mi
New Google Local Ads Being Tested; Coffee Icons Within Google Maps; GeoAds?