MSN Launches Local Search Beta

MSN today released a beta version of a new Local Search service, enabling consumers to quickly retrieve local results from business, residential or local Web sites, often accompanied by informative maps and aerial images.

This initial beta release is the first step by MSN Search toward delivering a broad local search vision, which encompasses geo-local search, mapping technologies, mobile search, local business and residential databases, and local Instant Answers related to news, events, movie times, weather and more.

MSN also announced that the Virtual Earth™ team will join MSN Search, bringing over 10 years of mapping and geo-location experience, allowing MSN to provide an immersive experience that enables consumers to search, navigate, explore and discover local information through the next wave of local search technology.

“We are deeply investing in developing world-leading local search services that precisely deliver the local information consumers care about,” said Christopher Payne, corporate vice president for MSN Search at Microsoft Corp.

Starting today, consumers in the United States will see a new Local category added to the MSN Search options on MSN.com. When consumers search for local information, they will receive results from city- and region-specific White Pages and Yellow Pages directory information.

Each local search result is shown as a numbered pin on a corresponding map provided through Microsoft® MapPoint® Web Service, and digital aerial images are supplied by TerraServer-USA when available for a given search result.

MSN Virtual Earth, developed by the MapPoint team, will soon offer consumers a deeply immersive local search experience, including the ability to layer multiple search results onto a single map, weather and traffic data, and even aerial photographs of some locations taken at a 45-degree angle from airplanes.

MSN Search and MSN Virtual Earth teams will allow for enhanced development efforts and provide greater synergies, because mapping technologies are a strategic cornerstone to the MSN Search vision.

MSN attracts more than 400 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 41 markets and 20 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide.