Platial is shutting down; the site may go dark as early as tomorrow. Instructions on exporting data hosted by Platial have been posted, but the data will be archived at Geocommons. Di-Ann Eisnor explains:

We are retiring the site because we just can’t afford to keep it up any longer. The team has been volunteering for 18 months. However, it will morph into something more extraordinary, more efficient and more in line with the possibilities and technology of 2010 and beyond. We don’t have the full picture yet, but we will let you know once we have a realistic picture.

James and Leszek have some thoughts.

Update, Mar. 2: ReadWriteWeb looks at Platial’s legacy.