Monster mashup: get the latest on the programmable Web | Social Signal

One of the most powerful aspects of the new web (some people say it's the defining aspect) is how so many web sites are actually applications that can share data with each other. One simple example is a blog, which can share its content with other blogs or with news aggregators.

The natural outcome is the site that synthesizes data from two or more sources (usually, other sites): the mashup. Some mashups include Flood Maps (combining Google Maps with elevation data to show what would happen to coastal communities if sea levels rose by a few metres), Bashr (combining Wikipedia entries with Flickr photos) and Diggdot.us (bringing together top hits from Slashdot, Digg and del.icio.us). As you can guess, they range from the completely frivolous to the very useful.

Now you can check out the latest in mashups thanks to the Web 2.0 Mashup Matrix, compiled by the mashup-tracking site ProgrammableWeb. The site maps nearly 600 mashups by plotting 78 Web 2.0 sites against each other (kind of like one of those distance finders you see on a road map). It's incredibly addictive... and an inspirational snapshot of some of the innovative energy out there on the new web.

(Link found at Evan Leeson's blog, blurt.info)