Maps in its present form is basically the fusion of an acquired startup (Where 2) and an internal project (Google Local, done by Bret Taylor and Jim Norris, later of FriendFeed and FaceBook fame).
As I understand it, the original Where 2 product was a desktop app, much like what became Google Earth, and not all that groundbreaking because satellite-imagery desktop mapping apps have been around since the mid-1990s. Google Local, meanwhile, was a search product, much like the current Local Universal search experience.
When Where2 was acquired, there was a flurry of interest in how to get that beautiful satellite imagery and user experience onto the Web, where the rest of Google's products were, and that's how Google Maps was born.
As I understand it, the original Where 2 product was a desktop app, much like what became Google Earth, and not all that groundbreaking because satellite-imagery desktop mapping apps have been around since the mid-1990s. Google Local, meanwhile, was a search product, much like the current Local Universal search experience.
When Where2 was acquired, there was a flurry of interest in how to get that beautiful satellite imagery and user experience onto the Web, where the rest of Google's products were, and that's how Google Maps was born.