A mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool. While most college students seem to be enamored with mashup technology in the music world, I surprisingly found it most interesting in the context of a more dull field. One of the most ground breaking uses of this technology has been the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data, creating a new and distinct web service that was not originally provided by either source. As you can see in this case, the collaboration of both Google maps and actual real-estate data is what ultimately creates the mashup here.
This is by far my favorite mashup technology. After doing some extensive research, I was able to find several map-mashup websites to play around with and find some informative data. Upon researching several of these mashups sites, I was fortunate enough to discover "mapsmashups" (found at: http://www.mapsmashupmapsmashup.com/). This site essentially served as a mashup site set from a satellite areal angle overlooking a map of the world, showing you several global locations of other maps mashups. This served as a great starting point because I was able to find several other mashup links allowing me to preview and test out this new state of the art technology.
From here, I was able to find googles maps mania. This website was far and away my favorite due to its accommodatingly accessible features provided. With just one click of the button, maps mania provides a 3 dimensional experience allowing you to zoom in and out of various metropolitan areas from both satellite and street views. Whether it be for recreational, directional, or real-estate use, this innovative technology has provided its users with an opportunity to navigate the country from the confines of their very own homes. As somebody in the process of studying for their real-estate license, I found this particular mashup technology extremely informative and accomodating. I will be certain to use this in my daily field upon becoming a real-estate sales agent, and am glad that I took the time to do some research on the topic.
