Very often such virtual globes aim to provide as true a representation of the world as is possible, with worldwide coverage up to a very detailed level. Those wishing to portray a visually accurate representation of the Earth often use satellite image servers and are capable not only of rotation but also zooming and sometimes horizon tilting. Virtual globes may be used for study or navigation (by connecting to a GPS device) and their design varies considerably according to their purpose. The first widely publicized online virtual globes were NASA WorldWind (released in mid-2004) and Google Earth (mid-2005). On November 20, 1997, Microsoft released an offline virtual globe in the form of Encarta Virtual Globe 98, followed by Cosmi's 3D World Atlas in 1999. These views may be of geographical features, man-made features such as roads and buildings, or abstract representations of demographic quantities such as population. Compared to a conventional globe, virtual globes have the additional capability of representing many different views of the surface of Earth. A virtual globe provides the user with the ability to freely move around in the virtual environment by changing the viewing angle and position. NASA WorldWind, an open-source virtual globe with stars and advanced atmosphere & sunlight effectsĪ virtual globe is a three-dimensional (3D) software model or representation of Earth or another world.
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