No, the same tile sets are used in iPhoto for OS X (part of the iLife suite) and some people claim they're used in Aperture (another photo editor but I've not used it).

Where they have used it, they used it as hint as to where a photo was taken. The more detailed info panes still use google's maps.

It has come to prominence due to software released in the last few days, yes. But it was also used in other software.