The new MSN Local Search service will be offered in beta, or test, mode, and will also place query listings on a map from the company's MapPoint Web Service, according to a Microsoft official.
MSN Local Search also will feature aerial images plucked from the company's TerraServer-USA database when they are available, said Erik Jorgensen, general manager of MSN Local Search and Maps.
In addition to listings, the local service will also deliver relevant Web pages, chosen using an existing MSN technology called Near Me that identifies pages in the search engine's general index with location-specific tags, he said.
