More than 100 million consumers are accessing Google Maps for mobile each month, according to the search titan.

Google Maps for mobile has grown since its launch five years ago by offering a variety of map-based features such as mobile navigation and location-based search. In a mobile world abuzz about the prospects of hyper-local marketing, Google Maps for mobile has distinguished itself as an ubiquitous location-based service.

?Google?s mission is to organize the world?s information and make it universally accessible and useful, and Google Maps for mobile is part of that mission,? said Randall Sarafa, spokesman for Google, Mountain View, CA.

?Making the best Google Maps experience and its wide array of data available to more users across several platforms makes the 100-million milestone significant,? he said.

How Google did it
Google Maps technology is a key piece in Google?s strategy to position itself as the leader in the mobile search sector (see story).

The future of mobile is hyper-local, according to Rob Woodbridge, founder of Untether.tv, Ottawa, Canada (see story).

Even as national brands look to target consumers with highly relevant, location-based content and promotions, Google Maps? 100 million monthly mobile users make it a formidable force in the hyper-local marketing ecosystem.

Google Maps is available on all Web-enabled handhelds via a mobile-optimized Web site, located at http://m.google.com/maps.

The service is also available as an application on certain platforms, including iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Nokia 560 and Windows Mobile.

In addition, Google Maps application comes preinstalled on many Android devices, giving Google Maps even greater reach.

Furthermore, the Google leverages its mapping technology through an API that lets developers integrate Google Maps into their mobile applications.

Cartography on steroids
Google Maps for mobile has spun off a number of complementary services since its inception five years ago, such as:

? My Location, which uses cellular tower information and GPS technology, where available, to pinpoint mobile users? location on a map

? Latitude, which lets mobile users view their friends on Google Maps

? Navigation, which helps drivers navigate by providing turn-by-turn voice guidance, automatic rerouting and street-view imagery

? Places Pages, which lets mobile users find nearby business by sorting through categories, ratings and reviews within the Google Maps application on Android and BlackBerry phones.

?Over the past five years, Maps for mobile has changed quite a bit, adding more ways to help you explore the world around you,? Mr. Sarafa said. ?These new features have allowed you to explore the world right from your phone.

?We?ve been able to make Maps for mobile available to as many people as possible by offering it on several mobile platforms, helping us to achieve this significant milestone,? he said.

What all these features amount to is a powerful business engine that Google has been able to use to drive advertising revenue from both PC and mobile Web sources.

?Location is a signal that's used when Google determines the ads it shows to users, whether they're on desktop or on mobile, and we place these ads on Android, Blackberry, iPhone, and other mobile devices,? Mr. Sarafa said.

?On a limited number of phones such as those that use Google's ?My Location? feature, we may serve ads based on more precise location signals derived from cell tower ID, WiFi or GPS where the user has consented to the use of their location information,? he said. ?Users can turn off My Location at any time.?

Google said it will continue to refine its mobile map services as the medium continues to grow.

?[We will be] continuing Google?s mission and providing the best possible Google Maps experience on phones,? Mr. Sarafa said.

?We?re constantly working on improving Maps for mobile by adding to existing features and developing new ones, and we believe that Maps for mobile will continue to help people get from point A to point B, find nearby places and more," he said.

Final Take
Peter Finocchiaro, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York

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