2008 is closing down on us. Unlike what the eighties movies predicted for the future, we are still running cars on gas (even though Prius sales boomed this year), world poverty keeps being the hidden guilt of the rich minority, and we haven’t found an instant cure for a simple cold.

A lot happened on the Web though. The mobile Web is becoming mainstream at a faster pace than we can imagine, thanks in part to the iPhone 3G. The interesting aspect of the iPhone (and other smartphones like the g1) is its geolocation feature. The phone can detect your location and guide you around.

GPS is not a 2008 technology, but associated services related to this feature are opening up new opportunities. Loopt was the most advertised iPhone app heading towards this direction this year. I was personally more impressed by the g1’s zombie run game, even though the features are still pretty basic so far.

Of course, here at Click2map, we are interested to see how Google Maps evolves in this space:

(in 2008) Google Maps continued to increase the coverage for Street View, which is now available in the US, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. You can now get walking directions, car directions enhanced by StreetView, traffic estimations and explore places by looking at geo-tagged photos and videos.(via)

A few days ago, Google Maps launched a translation feature for all Google Maps reviews. The launch of the Google Map Maker also opened the option for anyone to contribute to the effort by bringing their own pieces to the puzzle.

There is a lot going on around geodata. By locating entities, and criss-crossing different positions, the web is making it possible to better connect individuals with other individuals, and with businesses. The question remains: Even though the technology is being developed, are people adopting it? Do people use maps more often? What is the trend for 2009?

Here are a few insights from the Google Search Insights site:

Of course, here at Click2map, we believe that those numbers are not innocuous. For example, we have seen the high demand for driving directions and have responded to it. Those curves are also showing how the pioneer Mapquest has lost its leadership to Google Maps. Finally, it shows how the technical term geoweb is gaining awareness and is pushing curious minds to search for it.

In 2008, we have seen a lot of geolocation features spreading onto widely-used Web applications such as social networks. In 2009, based on this article from the Boston Globe, I think we should expect to have more info delivered to us based on our location.

For a great review of mapping in 2008, read this article: Loci 2008: Matt Cutt’s Important Local Articles of 2008.

Happy New Year!

… Of course it is there. Who can doubt it for a second? The challenge is not to see it coming, but to figure out how it should be rolled out. It takes one hell of a technology to track human beings geographically and offer an interaction based on that geodata.

This week, the GigaOM Mobilize Conference took place, gathering a handful of top execs from the mobile space.

“Big advertisers aren’t interested in location based today,” said Lee Ott, Global Director, Yahoo oneSearch. “They just want to get in front of their customers.” But then he added that “making location an attribute of targeted advertising is on the way.” (via Vator)

That is a good step forward: Geobased advertising is indeed a great targeting feature for advertisers, probably more valuable than demographics-based or social graph-based targeting technologies. Unfortunately, the Conference was mostly about identifying the existing mobile infrastructure issues that create clutter in the deployment of the geo-based Web. Not there yet.

There cannot be too much precipitation into this new geoWeb phenomenon. The technology is not ready yet. Online maps providers do not offer bullet-proof mapping solutions. Maps are the core of the much anticipated geoWeb: At Click2Map, we analyze of lot of different behaviors around map creation and map distribution. Conclusion so far: Online maps’ interfaces are not very user-friendly, and the purpose of interacting with a map is not clear yet for mainstream consumers.

For example, a map search for a Chilean wine will often take you to a wine store based in New Jersey that sells this wine, whereas you as a user was just curious to see the landscape (via Earth) where the wine grew on. The search algorithm for maps does not integrate users’ intentions (intentions as John Battelle defined it). From this standpoint, it would be craziness for advertisers to throw their marketing budgets in such a clunky technology. Not there yet.

Today, the growth of online maps is still nurtured by passionate early-adopters. Mainstream consumers won’t accept going through the clutter of a technology that’s not consumer-ready.

However, video games developers are already starting to run wild with the technology provided by online maps’ juggernaut. As found via Veryspatial, this game below integrates geoWeb technologies to offer a near-real-life experience to its players. Just like Second Life inspired many to consider 3D collaboration spaces (like IBM) as a productivity solution, location-based gaming (Jess of Veryspatial calls it LBG, sounds kind of like LGBT to me, but probably because I live in San Francisco) could be the gateway that will allow the transition to geo-based Web services. At least, let’s hope so.