Maurice Tamman, of the Herald Tribune, Sarasota, Fl, posts to the NICAR (National Institute of Computer-Assisted Reporting) listserv:

“In recent months we’ve been experimenting with Google
Maps APIs to bring dynamic maps to our coverage. (Last month we used it to
illustrate how Florida
property tax system creates crazy inequities: www.heraldtribune.com/saveourhomes/)

“Late last week, we slammed together a hurricane damage entry
and reporting system for the six Southwest Florida counties, from the Keys to Manatee County. Users can zoom to a neighborhood
and either view reported damage or report damage. (www.heraldtribune.com/damages/)

“I’m not sure how much use it’ll get because the
storm stayed so south of us. Still, I think it illustrates the flexibility of
the Google system over more expensive GIS server solutions, especially for
smaller papers.”

Good job in seeking to employ a creative application of existing tools.