As I’ve written at Search Engine Land, Google is adding more multimedia content to Maps (e.g., photos, video) and gradually bringing Earth and Maps together. They share the same platform and KML files are being indexed and are discoverable via search and Maps.
Specifically, Google Maps will have more and more video, including local video from third-party partners, over time. Google Maps, like Earth, is a destination and a platform for user-generated content and third-party content distribution. In many ways, Maps is a much more interesting product than search.
