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Google today unveiled Google Maps Australia, an online mapping service providing Australian business listings and driving directions that are accessible from a PC or mobile phone.

Until now, the website simply provided flat street maps and satellite images, but the upgrade today means it now offers virtually identical functionality to its US counterpart.

For example, entering a keyword such as "electrician", followed by a suburb, returns a list of nearby electricians.

Alternatively, users can search for specific businesses, and their locations are then displayed on a map that can be overlayed with driving directions from any given point.

Carl Sjogreen, a senior product manager at Google, said that, in addition to basic contact information and street addresses, the business listings also included "richer information that we get from the web", such as hours of operations, the types of payment the business accepts and even whether or not there is a wireless hotspot on the premises.

All of the information can be accessed from either a PC or a mobile phone, provided the latter is equipped with the free Google Maps Mobile application.

Google is providing the service at no cost to either businesses or users, but business owners looking to add or modify their own listings must first verify themselves with Google.

"We send a postcard to the business address with a little number on it and you just type that number in on our website," said Mr Sjogreen when describing the verification process.

He added that, even though the service was free, Google planned to earn revenue from it by including "sponsored links" next to search results, as it does with its regular search engine.

But Google's expansion of its online mapping service into Australia appears to be belated, as Microsoft has offered similar functionality through its Live Local website for about a year, according to Microsoft Australia online services manager Harvey Sanchez.

Google will also compete with the online version of the Yellow Pages run by Testra's Sensis arm, which offers business listings and driving directions using maps provided by sister service WhereIs.com.

from smh