Nothing beats that intuitive sense that says, “I know exactly where I’m going.” Unfortunately, we just aren’t programmable like robots are. We can’t just download directions into our brain to store them forever, so we rely on maps. Over the years, cartography has become much more than just street maps and road atlas functions. Today we use online maps to advise us on local businesses, news, weather, traffic and more.

Google Maps has become the template of choice for various local food maps. In Menurequest, you can plot restaurants on a map of your city, as well as read/write reviews, make reservations, and get driving directions. In Philadelphia, Communitywalk is an amazing resource for local event planners who want to solicit multiple nearby restaurants to participate.

At Toeat, you’ll find a number of dining options in your neighborhood. In major cities like New York, Paris, Bangkok, and Chicago, you’ll find baked goods at Yummybaguette. Or you may need to get your burrito fix at Burritophile. Drinkers may appreciate Wineandtimes, which helps plan a winery tour, as well as Drinktown, which lets you learn about all the specialty local spirits.

Google Maps isn’t the only “mashup creator” on the block, of course. Various non-Google apps have appeared to serve a wide variety of functions. For example, if you live on a fault line, visit Lerdorf as you can appreciate the “Real Time Earthquake Map”. If you’re looking for nearby bloggers, movie times, gas prices, or driving directions, you can check out “Atlas” (based on MSN’s Virtual Earth platform) at Atlas Freshlogicstudios.

One of the most popular mapping sites is Flickr, where hobbyist photographers can share their images and create maps of their favorite places, people, and things. Readers have raved about Gutenkarte, where book lovers can read entire books chapter by chapter (like Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days) while looking at a map of the places covered in the book. If you prefer news to fiction, check out local and world news on Mappedup or Poly9 Viavirtualearth (where MSNBC news is plotted on a map!)

You can find directions on your computer, on your GPS device, or even on your cell phone. The trend is that developers are finding ways to bring maps online to you, no matter where you are. For example, if you find yourself lost somewhere with little time to recover, fear not: Loki can track your location via satellite and send you a map to your next location on your mobile phone. Various phones, from the iPhone to the Android G1, are making the technology of MapQuest, Google Maps and Yahoo Maps available to you when you’re on the go.