From 2007.igem.org

We need an extension that allows a user to place a marker on a centralized google map from an arbitrary page. The goal is to enable the communities of iGEM and OWW to collectively add their location and a brief introduction to a common google map visible on or close to the sites' front page. See google's [http://code.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=69906&useful=1&show_useful=1 Using PHP and MySQL to create KML] for a great tutorial to help get started. Also see the [http://openwetware.org/wiki/OpenWetWare:Map openwetware map page] and the [http://fab.cba.mit.edu/ fablab map page].

Syntax

The syntax of the extension needs to be simple. It could be based on [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Extending_wiki_markup XML-style tags or like a psuedo-template]:

 {{#LabMap
 |Name= iGEM HQ
 |Lat= 42.360621
 |Lon= -71.089911
 |Picture= http://...
 |Description= iGEM headquarters is currently located at MIT in the lab of Tom Knight...
 }}

Or perhaps more freeform pure html (with consistent divs or css that styles common selectors)

<LabMap lat="=42.360621" lon="-71.089911">

The benefit of the pseudo-template syntax based on the parser function is that it's use would be familiar to those who have used templates before and possibly simpler than using pure html, and it would result in marker infoboxes that were much more uniform in presentation.

Distributed Use, Centralized Result

However the syntax is done, it must allow a user to embed this in an arbitrary page and have a new marker show up on the google map which is on the main page.

Perhaps the extension could just copy the content to a hidden part of the map page (how would it deal with revisions?).

Perhaps it could update a database which would be somehow connected to the google map.