Google buys Spanish geo-photo company

Google has acquired Panoramio, a community Web site that allows people to "map" their photos on Google Earth. The technology links the exact geographical location of where the photos were taken with that location on the map. Users can also view the photos in Google Earth and search and browse others' photos.

Panoramio has been a default layer in Google Earth since the beginning of this year. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but there is a bit more information at the Official Google Blog. The company will move its operations to Zurich, where Google's European geo unit is headquartered, a Google representative said at the Where 2.0 conference in San Jose, Calif.