Some days back I was searching Google Maps and noticed the “Explore this Area” link. I guess I was too busy or something to fully digest the implications of this. Then, I notice the “More” layer appear next to “Map”. Photos from Panoramio?

Then on Tuesday, my favorite Google Map gossip site announced the arrival of Wikipedia entries. Now they got my attention BIG TIME. Watch out Mapquest, Google is about to knock you off the top spot.

I mentioned this to Dave P. from Google yesterday, but it kind of seemed like news to him as well. Question: What is Google doing with the layers? What layers are coming next?

I just answered one of my own burning questions. And the answer is Yes. Google is entering into vertical search across their platforms and more. Holy Crap!

While we were blabbing, the Real Estate layer was added. And News is coming next week.

Explore by location. Map layers by category. Geotagged webpages, video, images, blogs, hotels, attractions.

Will this eliminate the need for user created maps? Or will the human filter again rise to the top?