I used to use the NASA open-source digital globe WorldWind a lot when it first came out, back when you had to pay to use Keyhole. But after Google bought Keyhole and released a free version of it as Google Earth, my WorldWind use dropped dramatically. Despite WorldWind’s strengths in some areas, I found Google Earth easier to use and create data for, and the larger user base meant that more content was being developed for it.
When WorldWind announced that it it was suspending development of the original version in favor of a Java version, I wasn’t really sure where they were going with that, apart from multi-platform. But after seeing this page of WorldWind demo apps, I had a major “Now I get it!” moment. I don’t think that WorldWind ever had a chance in its original format of being competitive with Google Earth as a general digital globe, but as an open-source application-driven geographic interface, it has a lot to offer. I look forward to what people will be doing with it in the future, especially when it graduates from its preview releases. Caution: you’ll need a 3D graphics card with updated drivers to make it work.
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