A TechNews (and a number of other news sites) story talks about the directions some of the larger online map providers are heading. With the release of Google Maps, Google Earth, Microsoft’s Live Local and upgrades to other online mapping sites such as Yahoo! Maps all in the past year, the online mapping industry has become very competitive. With many such sites offering a similar product, the key is to differentiate oneself from one’s competitors by offer new information or presenting existing information in a unique manner. States the article: “Microsoft Corp. is working on a mechanism that would have avid mountain bikers, for example, collectively plot good trails. Yahoo Inc. is appealing to its users to add information on local businesses and places of interest. Yahoo even recently bought Upcoming.org, a collaborative calendar of events.”

Interestingly, Mapquest “estimates that driving directions cost [the] company a penny apiece and a static map much less -- expenses recouped through sales of ads displayed at the site.” The article goes on to discuss the online map sites’ different approaches to the problem of determining the right driving directions.