Google has acquired portions of a Swiss company called Endoxon in order to improve the European maps in its Google Earth PC application and Google Maps online search service.Online maps have become extremely popular, as millions of people use them every day to obtain driving directions, find local businesses, read customer reviews, see high-definition aerial images of places and even check real-time traffic information. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL are all working feverishly to continually update and improve their online mapping services, which have become an essential part of local search Web sites, whose advertising revenue is expected to grow from US$3.4 billion in 2005 to $13 billion in 2010, according to The Kelsey Group.While Google and its rivals have focused their initial efforts mostly on the U.S., they all want to provide comprehensive maps and local-business information globally, and Europe is certainly a priority region for them. Endoxon, a developer of Internet mapping technology based in Lucerne, Switzerland, gives Google “a dedicated team in Europe” working on online mapping, wrote John Hanke, director of Google Earth & Maps, on Monday in the company’s official blog.Google, which plans to use Endoxon’s technology to enhance Google Earth and Google Maps, bought the Swiss company’s Internet, mapping and data processing business units, according to Endoxon’s website. Endoxon develops AJAX (asynchronous Javascript and XML) mapping technologies for integrating and processing geo-referenced data and high-resolution aerial and satellite images for dynamic Internet and mobile services, according to the company’s site.Now that it is part of Google, Endoxon will stop selling its products and services, but it will fulfill its contractual obligations and commitments to existing clients. The Endoxon units that Google didn’t acquire will continue to operate as part of a new company called Mappuls. Google did not disclose what it paid for the parts of Endoxon that it bought.-Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service (Miami Bureau)Related Links: Google Earth Software Gets Enhancements Google Adds Overlay Features to Mobile Maps Google Earth Adds Images, Other FeaturesCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content opinion Website spoofing: risks, threats, and mitigation strategies for CIOs In this article, we take a look at how CIOs can tackle website spoofing attacks and the best ways to prevent them. By Yash Mehta Dec 01, 2023 5 mins CIO Cyberattacks Security brandpost Sponsored by Catchpoint Systems Inc. Gain full visibility across the Internet Stack with IPM (Internet Performance Monitoring) Today’s IT systems have more points of failure than ever before. Internet Performance Monitoring provides visibility over external networks and services to mitigate outages. By Neal Weinberg Dec 01, 2023 3 mins IT Operations brandpost Sponsored by Zscaler How customers can save money during periods of economic uncertainty Now is the time to overcome the challenges of perimeter-based architectures and reduce costs with zero trust. By Zscaler Dec 01, 2023 4 mins Security feature LexisNexis rises to the generative AI challenge With generative AI, the legal information services giant faces its most formidable disruptor yet. That’s why CTO Jeff Reihl is embracing and enhancing the technology swiftly to keep in front of the competition. By Paula Rooney Dec 01, 2023 6 mins Generative AI Digital Transformation Cloud Computing Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe