Google Maps was and is a good idea. In large part it is what caused people to say “Whoa! Cool.” and first take notice of Ajax on a broad scale. The OpenSurvey project aims to give that power to the rest of us. Built using OO Javascript, Prototype and the Rico library, it provides a similar UI and API to Google Maps. It’s purpose, however, is not to be a google clone. To quote from the project page:
As a framework, OpenLayers is intended to separate map tools from map data so that all the tools can operate on all the data sources. This separation breaks the proprietary silos that earlier GIS revolutions have taught civilization to avoid. The mapping revolution on the public Web should benefit from the experience of history.
In essence, if you have a campus map or a detailed map of some other area, you can roll your own Google Maps like interface.
