I’ve always wanted to do something like this for years (proof right here), and now MyFoxChicago.com is the first to make it happen. On AirFoxLive.com, not only do they stream their chopper live whenever it’s flying, but they also track it in real-time on an interactive Google Map.
As you can see, a bubble gives the current speed, altitude and heading. The player in the upper right displays one of the chopper’s three live cameras. “This also plugs right into Google Earth for on-air use,” says MyFoxChicago.com’s Steve Baron (who also runs LiveNewsCameras.com). How cool is that? I think this is a natural extension for a TV site, and the primary reason why nobody’s done this to date is the age-old concern that you’re tipping off your competition. But as Lost Remote readers know, that old-model, TV-driven thinking should not restrict innovation online.