I think Jeff Jarvis frames the issue properly (open format vs. walled garden) but it's very early to make a call about Google's intent. I'd say they want to give themselves a headstart in terms of surfacing Google Base content across their services (e.g. Local) but they'll probably expose it to the outside world sooner or later. Not doing it seems not only at odds with their roots but more importantly it would leave them vulnerable to a more open joint effort by Microsoft and Yahoo, not to speak of countless smaller competitors.