Google Maps will charge but might be replaced!
The commercial use of the Internet mapping service Google Maps will cost money in the future. Each additional click beyond 25,000 page views per day each will cost between 0.4 and 1.0 U.S. cents. The new charging scheme will be in action no later than 1st of January 2012. Alternatively, Google will also offer a fixed price model for unrestricted usage for an annual fee of at least $ 10,000. However, this does not mean that Google will waive its small advertising logo on the map. For certain cases, Google reserves the right to charge fees already from 2,500 daily visits, raising the question whether the all maps users will ultimately have to pay a fee.
According to our survey, many site operators feel uneasy to be dependant on a single Internet map provider. Fortunately, there are alternatives to Google. For example, the network of volunteers behind Openstreetmap.org has created its own worldwide mapping system. Freelance-Market itself already uses the German based world mapping service www.GetMyPosition.com to display the locations of its registered freelancers. This way, the client can quickly see how far away the contractor is.
GetMyPosition.com will continue to be offered free of charge and can be integrated into any web site. The GetMyPosition service is based on 110,000 integrated maps that cover any point on earth with an accuracy of at least 500 m. The database includes all settlements with at least 2,000 residents from Svalbard to Patagonia (all together 70,000 locations).
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This article was published in the Australia Freelance Market News 69.