Mapmania is upon us.

From Google Earth and Google Latitude to the GPS tracking software available through Twitter and Foursquare, mapping software is hot tech, and increasingly relied upon by consumers in the Middle East.

Even I’ve taken advantage of the benefits of mapping software. Last night, I officially tried “Burger King” for the first time since it was 2.1 kilometers away from where I was on the highway, as opposed to my old time favorite “McDonald's”, which unfortunately, came in second on my navigation screen by a 1.8 kilometers difference.

The world has gone map mad. Ever since Google released free, easy-to-use software tools for its smart on-screen maps of streets and satellite images, brands have set off an explosion of creative solutions in an ever growing race to reach consumers within footsteps of wherever they are.

As the Googles, Nokias, MapQuests, Apples and Garmins converge with social media platforms to build the necessary infrastructure, devices and apps to map our world in a user-friendly, interactive format, consumer-focused brands have a variety of tools available to connect consumers to the brand.

Consumers now also have the advantage of quickly accessing information on their favorite brands while on the go—from in-car navigation systems to the GPS applications installed in almost every new mobile phone in the market, the sky is the limit.

The scary thought is this—will consumers soon replace their “brand loyalty” with the concept of “brand proximity”?

Perhaps it’s no wonder brands are taking a closer look at social sharing sites like newcomer, Foursquare to expand their presence among consumers and further build connections to them. Even Facebook is jumping on board with a supposed geolocation “check-in” feature set to debut in the coming weeks, according to recent reports by CNET.

The fact remains, mapping technology continues to gain popularity and its effect on brand loyalty vs. brand proximity remains to be seen.