Google has announced two new features for Google

Google has announced two new features for Google Maps that mimic
features in Google Earth, begging the question: is Google Earth on
borrowed time?

The first new feature is the additional of terrain in Google Maps. The terrain fly over feature
has long been available in Google Earth, but now you can fly over a map
and see the contours of the land, all without the need to download
Google Earth.

The second new feature mimics the community contribution feature of Google Earth. “Our Maps”
brings wiki-style collaboration to Google Maps, with users able to
annotate places and share those notes with friends or the greater
public.

Google acquired Keyhole in October 2004
and it was immediately obvious as to why: Google wanted the satellite
imagery to support their move into serious mapping. Keyhole provided
Google Earth, a downloadable program that gave a then unprecedented
view of the earth through the use of satellite imagery, but Google
isn’t a software company, Picasa and a few small efforts aside.
Google has integrated many of the functions from Keyhole into Google
Maps whilst continuing to sustain Google Earth, but for how much
longer? As Google Maps takes on more and more of the functionality of
Google Earth the appeal of Earth must diminish. It also makes sense
that Google would rather grow and sustain a web product over a software
download. Google Earth will still be with us for some time to come, but
how long is now up to Google, and I’m betting that Google is
already looking at ending support sometime in the next year or two as
Google Maps becomes everything Google Earth now is, but online and
without the download.

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