Google Maps Is Changing the Way We See the World, from Wired’s July issue, is a far-reaching state-of-the-topic article that looks at Google’s mapmaking ventures and the tremendous amount of amateur mapmaking it’s stimulated. Covers all the bases. Noteworthy: “Today, the number of mashed-up Google Maps exceeds 50,000. (Google Maps itself is now the second-most-trafficked mapping site, after MapQuest.)” I haven’t seen map traffic data in years, I think.

The article’s story largely follows the road from Keyhole to Google Earth and the creation of the mashup ecosystem; some might find the laser-like focus on Google a little unfair to its competitors, but Google, for whatever reason, is at the centre of the mashup phenomenon. I imagine that some might also take issue with calling mashups “mapmaking,” since the terrain, streets and other data come ready-made — me, I see neogeography as essentially an exercise in annotation. (Richard quibbles about one of the sidebar items, the one on geotagging.)

Also in July’s issue of Wired: Dispatches from the Hyperlocal Future, a story by Bruce Sterling that imagines a blogger ten years from now in a world where everything is geotagged.

Via All Points Blog: 1, 2; Peter gave us a heads-up earlier this week.