Today, the Google LatLong Blog announced a new feature that should make Google Maps a better research tool than it already is. Now when users examine a town or city on Google Maps a new exploration option called "Explore this area" will appear on the left hand side of the screen. Click the "Explore this area" link to find more photos, videos, and user created maps related to the area.Applications for Education
The new "Explore this area" option is a great tool for students researching towns and cities around the world. Students can find videos related to significant events or cultural aspects of a city. For example, when I clicked the "Explore this area" on the Portland, ME map I found a video about steam engine in action on a boat in Portland. Clicking "explore this area" on a map of London returned numerous videos and images related to the city. Overall, the "explore this area" option provides great supplements to virtual tours of cities in addition to being a great stand alone resource for student research.
Here is a short video explaining the new "explore this area" feature of Google Maps.