Genetic mapping is a project that has been undertaken by the American government in conjunction with private labs.  How can a project have a future if it has a logical ending point?  While the project itself will be complete, the information gleaned and the technology developed will be in use long after the project is complete.

Medicine
        Many scientists see the first mainstream applications of genetic mapping to be in the field of medicine, specifically, predicting disease susceptibilities and drug allergies.  Each patient's genetic code is different, each with different strengths and weaknesses.  If a genetic map reveals to a doctor that a a specific disease is likely, the doctor and patient can attempt to prevent the disease -- susceptibility to heart disease can be countered by a healthy diet, for instance.
        A young man was recovering from surgery for an ear infection.  He was taking antibiotics, but he began to feel very bad, and the doctors feared that another surgery would be necessary.  However, his friend recognized his symptoms and reported that one of her relatives had the same symptoms, which were eventually traced to a rare allergy to the antibiotic that she was taking.  The young man was taking the same antibiotic.  When the drug was replaced, he began to feel better and eventually recover.  He later learned that he might have died from continued use of the antibiotic.  If genetic testing were available, it could have prevented his problems.  This sort of genetic test may be available in the relatively near future.

Identification
        The Human Genome project is not only developing a map of the genome, but also new technology to speed sequencing and analysis.  If sequencing technology continues to develop at its current rate, it may be possible in the future to perform a genetic identity test in minutes; some predict that this test may even be performed with a hand-held device.  Of course, this would require a database with portions of everyone's genetic code.  This advance may be prevented if people refuse to be cataloged.

Genetic Engineering
        Genetic sequence maps will show what sequences of DNA create what proteins and what those proteins do.  This knowledge, when cataloged, will allow genetic engineers to find and insert combinations of DNA sequences into organisms, giving the new organisms desirable traits.  Genetic maps will allow these scientists to predict more accurately how traits will interact and allow for more radical changes of the organisms.