Earth3D
Encyclopedia
Earth3D was developed as part of a diploma thesis of Dominique Andre Gunia at
Braunschweig University of Technology to display a virtual globe of the earth. It was developed before Google bought Keyhole, Inc
and changed their product into Google Earth
. Earth3D downloads its data (satellite imagery and height data) from a server while the user navigates around. The data itself is saved in a Quadtree
. It uses data from NASA
, USGS, the CIA and the city of Osnabrück
.
One of the strengths of Earth3D is the capacity of showing metereological phenomena, like Low-pressure areas, anticylones, etc in near-real time.
The original version of Earth3D was developed using Trolltech's QT
framework. Later a version built with Java and JOGL was developed. But the demand for a Java based version was very little. This may be because NASA's WorldWind also has an open source Java version. So most people wanted to use a C++ based globe in their applications. That was the reason why a minimalized version, the Earth3dlib was developed. It contains only the most necessary functions to display the earth itself and to add own visualizations to it.
All these three projects can be retrieved from Sourceforge's CVS (C++) or Subversion (Java) repository.
Braunschweig University of Technology to display a virtual globe of the earth. It was developed before Google bought Keyhole, Inc
Keyhole, Inc
Keyhole, Inc., founded in 2001, was a pioneering software development company specializing in geospatial data visualization applications and was acquired by Google in 2004...
and changed their product into Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
. Earth3D downloads its data (satellite imagery and height data) from a server while the user navigates around. The data itself is saved in a Quadtree
Quadtree
A quadtree is a tree data structure in which each internal node has exactly four children. Quadtrees are most often used to partition a two dimensional space by recursively subdividing it into four quadrants or regions. The regions may be square or rectangular, or may have arbitrary shapes. This...
. It uses data from NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, USGS, the CIA and the city of Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
.
One of the strengths of Earth3D is the capacity of showing metereological phenomena, like Low-pressure areas, anticylones, etc in near-real time.
The original version of Earth3D was developed using Trolltech's QT
Qt (toolkit)
Qt is a cross-platform application framework that is widely used for developing application software with a graphical user interface , and also used for developing non-GUI programs such as command-line tools and consoles for servers...
framework. Later a version built with Java and JOGL was developed. But the demand for a Java based version was very little. This may be because NASA's WorldWind also has an open source Java version. So most people wanted to use a C++ based globe in their applications. That was the reason why a minimalized version, the Earth3dlib was developed. It contains only the most necessary functions to display the earth itself and to add own visualizations to it.
All these three projects can be retrieved from Sourceforge's CVS (C++) or Subversion (Java) repository.
See also
- MarbleMarble (KDE)Marble is a virtual globe that allows the user to choose among the Earth, the Moon, Venus, Mars and other planets. It is free software under the terms of the GNU LGPL, developed by KDE and the free-software / open-source communities for use on personal computers running a Qt4-compatible operating...
, a free softwareFree softwareFree software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
of a virtual globeVirtual globeA virtual globe is a 3D software model or representation of the Earth or another world. A virtual globe provides the user with the ability to freely move around in the virtual environment by changing the viewing angle and position. Compared to a conventional globe, virtual globes have the...
that allows the user to choose among the Earth, the Moon, Venus, Mars and other planets. - World WindNASA World WindWorld Wind is an open-source virtual globe developed by NASA and the open source community for use on personal computers. Old versions need Microsoft Windows but the more recent Java version, , is cross platform and provides a suite of . The World Wind Java version was awarded in November 2009...
, virtual Earth globe open sourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
developed by NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. - OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. Two major driving forces behind the establishment and growth of OSM have been restrictions on use or availability of map information across much of the world and the advent of inexpensive portable GPS devices.The...
, collaborative project to create free and editable maps. - Comparison of web map servicesComparison of Web Map Services- See also :* Navteq* Traffic Message Channel * Online virtual globes, with more web map services:Category:Street view services-Sources:**********...
- NeogeographyNeogeographyNeogeography literally means "new geography" , and is commonly applied to the usage of geographical techniques and tools used for personal and community activities or for utilization by a non-expert group of users...