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According to various reports from the recent Google Developer Day event, the search giant is getting ready to integrate their advertising platform with their map service enabling third parties to profit from their development efforts through ads placed in push-pin graphics used on the maps site. A new feature called “Mapplets” will allow web developers to build applications and display content within Google Maps.

Mapplets can be used show content, such as a description of a building or landmark, and a specific photo and display those in a pop-up window when a push-pin graphic is passed over on Maps. Around those customized locations on the map, other paid-for points could be marked. Eland showed an example of a hotel advertisement that had its own icon rather than a push-pin.

When the icon is passed over, information appears in the pop-up window. If the link is followed by a user on the Mapplet, "you receive a share of the revenue," giving Web site developers another way to make money for their sites, said Andrew Eland, a Google software developer based in Zurich.
Google Maps based "mashups" have become increasingly popular and Google keeps finding ways to monetize their various search services through their advertising strategy. A release date was not revealed, however Bo Majewski, a Google software engineer said it was coming "very shortly".