I am reminded by a laudatory post on inter alia about Google Maps.
Until now, I have frequently found maps on the web a frustrating experience because I could not easily shift the view to see adjacent pieces of the map. (Somewhat along the lines of when using a book of maps, why does it seem that the route I need is always obscured by the binding of the book!)
With Google maps, it is very easy to move the view by clicking on the map and dragging. With amazing response time (based on Ajax), you can drag the map to see “beyond the edge,” just where you want to look.
I am impressed enough by this and other features that I rate this as an important personal productivity tool. Until Google maps, I often had to pull the atlas off my shelf or dig through drawers for a fold-out map. There are still times when printed maps are great, but Google Maps has made navigating both known and unknown parts much easier.