Google has added a new element to its search interface that will let others' websites use geographically linked information.

The company has opened up outside access to its Geo Search API (application programming interface), said John Hanke, head of Google Earth and Google Maps, at the Where 2.0 conference in Burlingame, California on Tuesday. That means other sites incorporating Google Maps will be able to find geographic features that are in Google's database but that previously were visible only through Google's own map site.

Separately, Google added a new feature to Google Maps that can show the presence of geotagged information stored in the Wikipedia collaborative online encyclopedia. The map shows a "W" link for entries associated with a specific location, as the Google Maps Mania site observed on Tuesday.

Google Geo Search API Opened Up [zdnet.com.au]