Elsevier brings Google Maps functionality to online articles

Elsevier is enhancing its web-based scientific journals through the addition of Google Maps functionality.

The publisher is introducing the interactive maps to seven journals on SciVerse ScienceDirect in a pilot scheme, focusing on the life science, earth science and social science areas.

It is one of the first publishers to introduce this feature, allowing authors to enrich their articles by including additional research data that is visualised on a map, which can be adapted to meet the needs of specific scientific disciplines.

IJsbrand Jan Aalbersberg, vice-president of content innovation at Elsevier, said this will make it easier for users to interact with the scientific content in its journals.

"The introduction of Google Maps on SciVerse ScienceDirect is another milestone in our ongoing partnership with researchers, aimed at creating optimal capabilities for exchanging research results and effectively digesting scientific information," he explained.

This comes after Elsevier began delivering content from its various scientific journals via Google's eBooks service at the end of last year.