World Wind is a virtual globe developed by NASA for use on personal computers running Microsoft Windows. It overlays NASA and USGS imagery over 3D models of the Earth, and recently Mars.

The user can interact with the selected planet by rotating it and zooming in and out. An overlay of placenames and political boundaries is available. The software also contains a package to browse maps and other imagery on the internet using the OpenGIS Web Mapping Service.

Datasets available

Low resolution Blue marble datasets are included with the initial download; as a user zooms in to certain areas, additional high resolution data is downloaded from the NASA servers.

Additional layers

Additional data that can be projected onto the globe includes country borders, place names, and lines of latitude and longitude.

One of these layers, Wikipedia, available as an add-on, gives points of interest, with click-through links connected to Wikipedia. This example shows the Washington DC National Mall, with each ring representing a link to an article:

See also

• Google Maps
• TerraServer-USA

External links

• NASA World Wind homepage
• World Wind Central
• World Wind Wiki
• Wikipedia points of interest layer from WikiProject Geographical coordinates