Apple has acquired its second online-mapping related company in a year, according to a report. This year it is Quebec-based Poly9; last year it was PlaceBase.

With the contentious relationship that now exists between Google and Apple, is this just another sign that Apple might want to move to its own mapping application on iOS? Last November, in fact, a clue was placed in a company job listing for someone to take the iPhone's Maps application "to the next level, rethink how users use Maps and change the way people find things. We want to do this in a seamless, highly interactive and enjoyable way. We've only just started."

Currently Apple uses Google Maps.

Reportedly, employees have already been moved to California. Although the Poly9 site is already down on of its past products is Poly9 Globe, which the company described as a "cross-browser, cross-platform 3D globe which does not require any download."