Microsoft's new software, Photosynth, may very well change the way we look at the world of photography.  Or the world itself.

Imagine you are on a trip to Rome, and stop by the Vatican City.  You take a few pictures of your friends standing in front of St. Peters Basilica, and then probably forget about it until a month later, when you upload your photos.  But imagine a program that takes your photos, and assigns them a place in time and space, and incorporates them into a massive 3D interactive map of the world.  Not only can you walk around Vatican City, but you can go forewards or backwards in time, as long as there are pictures that correspond in the database.  More importantly is the fact that this map is only limited by the amount of content it contains - the possibilities are endless. 

Microsoft's Tech Preview of San Marco Square is amazing.  The user has a God-like view of evreything, able to fly around in any direction and zoom in and out.  You can even see what cameras were used!  Photosynth even allows you to tag information, creating a 3D encyclopedia and journal of sorts.

What do you think?  Do you have any interesting ways you think this software could be used?  Could this eventually turn into a fully fledged, 3D virtual reality program?