Google Earth API
The demos here at Google I/O today made me seriously think about installing Windows on my Mac for the very first time. The reason: Google Earth API. Putting Google Earth into your browser just like Google Maps, with full hardware acceleration. Only on Windows (FF2+, IE6/7) for now, Mac and Linux are announced to be out in August.
This beast is based on a browser plugin (hence the OS-dependence), and it has all the cool stuff you (as a user) know from Google Earth, plus all the cool stuff you (as a developer) know from Google Maps. Just like Google Maps, it is controlled via its JavaScript API – which means that you can even add it (with a single line of code) to existing Google Maps sites. You will get an additional button for the map type selection on the top right and once a user clicks on it (labeled Earth), the plugin will load in exactly the same place where your Google Map used to be, with all the layovers and markers you created on it – just in 3D.
If I had some time right now, I would develop a new version of our ArgooMap (which is now a SourceForge project; check out the demo) based on that. Maybe later.
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