If you’re wondering where the next wave of great location applications will come from, look toward Redmond. Microsoft awarded 21 academic researchers $1.1 million today for their work on geographic information visualization techniques and location-based Web searching.

Winners were chosen from more than 140 university applicants worldwide in response to Microsoft Research's parallel SensorMap and Virtual Earth requests for proposals.

Microsoft is encouraging researchers to examine potential for combining data from tiny sensors, the Internet and a variety of other sources with map information and geographic imagery such as that provided by Microsoft Virtual Earth. The university research teams’ goal is to study and map the physical world in real time, to push the technological boundaries of local search, and to understand the potential societal impact of these kinds of geographic technologies.

The application of this research could range from solutions for business location services helping scientists understand changes in the ecology of biological systems under the threat of climate change.

Though unrestricted, the awards are expected to help researchers bring in additional resources, software and data for experimentation, provide access to top researchers at Microsoft, and collaborate with the broader, global research community. Award winners for the Sensor Map RFP also will have access to Microsoft's SensorMap geographic sensor-data publishing platform, enabling them to integrate and publish searchable data through a map interface. The Virtual Earth RFP winners will receive some of Microsoft's Web-based geographic imagery, which they can combine with the Virtual Earth software development kit to explore potential applications for location-based Web searches.

The award dollars came form Microsoft’s External Research & Programs group, which engages and collaborates with top researchers from the worldwide academic community to explore emerging areas of research and technology.

For more details and for those interested in applied research, a feature story on Microsoft’s Web site is worth reading.