We’ve written before about D.C.-related Google Maps hacks, including several excellent efforts to represent the Metro system. It looked like so much fun that we decided to give it a shot ourselves.

So today we’re happy to announce DCist Maps, our very own Google Maps application. As you can see from the graphic, we’ve programmed an overlay of the Metro system over Google’s map of the region. Our map also lets you plot addresses, find directions and — this is the part we get excited about — makes it easy to create your own Metro-enabled Google Maps, all from within your web browser.

Once you’ve made a custom map, you can link to it using a simple URL. For example, here’s a custom map showing the location of the White House. If you need a custom Google Map for your own organization but don’t feel like learning Javascript, it doesn’t get much easier than this.

We think this has a lot of potential, and we’re going to keep working on it (adding more detailed station exits is the biggest item on our list). But we’d appreciate your help: what features would you like to see? What parts give you trouble? Let us know in the comments.