It's just a UI element, you get info by clicking on stuff on the map.
Oh I totally do! I knew I saw info being displayed there the first time I played so when I came back for another round and there was nothing there I got confused.
I had thought I had clicked on Data the first time through but I had also had a couple beers. Oh well, I had better play again to make sure it definitely works. :D
Edit: Here's my current map, just because I'm having way too much fun with this: http://imgur.com/lvnDZir