What will happen if Google and Microsoft leave the mapping world?
With Google and Microsoft dropping emphasis on the burgeoning geospatial market, who will take on the mantel?
*** The burgeoning geospatial industry is a sector that is worth up to $270 billion per year. The change of direction and emphasis by Microsoft and Google will have a broad impact on this market, with customers scrambling to find equivalent solutions to those they have been relying on. How seamlessly these migrations play-out, and the extent to which customers are satisfied with their new partners, will be fascinating to watch. ***
Microsoft and Google are getting out of the mapping game. That is the view of many, but the main thrust of their recent moves is to ditch their desktop and server products, while retaining and building upon their advertisement driven mapping models. Google Maps and Google Earth will remain, but even the future of the flagship desktop Google Earth is uncertain, with no new features for two years coupled with the departure of Brian McClendon and the conversion to freeware of Goggle Earth Pro.
