21

Under the heading '˜'˜geoweb'', several concepts and software products are developing integrating more semantics into Internet-based geographic applications. Previously geographic searches aimed to find data concerning a particular point within a geographic database, whereas today the paradigm is to look for information concerning this point across the Internet. Thus geographic retrieval from Internet pages is based on toponymical sources. In addition, geobrowsers enable access to information from positioning on the earth's surface, mash-ups enable any user to create simple geographic programs, and new 3D city models allow novel applications. The aim of this paper is to analyze these new trends and to show how they are likely to bring about a reappraisal of certain practices.