NASA World Wind: Another manner of scanning the Earth

Google Earth, even if its quality is undeniable, is not the only free virtual terrestrial sphere. Its "competitor" is called NASA World Wind and even if it shows a light delay on certain points vis-a-vis Google Earth, it is far from being uninteresting and has some specific qualities, in particular a more scientific approach. On the other hand, contrary to Google Earth, NASA Worldwind does not have vocation to be a total urban guide allowing to find its way or the pizzeria nearest. Contrary to Google Earth, it is of more available only for Windows.



The interface of NASA World Wind is rather different from that of Google Earth: one does not find panels multiple, but a bar of icons in top of the window. It gives access quickly the posting (or not) of the multiple layers of information suggested by the software: satellite images, charts topographic, meridian, borders, flags of the countries or monuments.



As for Google Earth, the most detailed information and sights relate to only the United States, in particular the sight USGS Urban Area which provides very precise representations of the urban zones (but in black and white and without building in 3d contrary with Google Earth). Returned relief is comparable so that Google Earth proposes. The management of the relief is effective for the mountains, but NASA World Wind has the annoying tendency to plate an artificial relief on the cities, which causes somewhat hazardous results.

Europe is even more badly parcelled out in World Wind and it is useless to seek there such precise sights of large French cities. Even Paris is much less detailed there.

The volcano of theSaint-Helene Mount with NASA World Wind



The volcano of theSaint-Helene Mount with Google Earth



Which is then the interest of NASA World Wind compared to Google Earth, more especially as it is definitely bulkier? The answer lies in the excellent module Scientific Visualisation Studio.

This module, accessible since a pressure on the F1 key, gives access to you many animations which are superimposed on the surface of the sphere. Those Ci describe scientific phenomena classified by categories: climatic changes, natural disasters, evolution of the vegetation... Each animation is accompanied by a description (in English) of the phenomenon. Google Earth, through the many files made available by the community, also proposes a certain number of animations of this type, but they are not centralized in a module of the software, which concentrates rather on practical information.

Another interesting possibility of NASA World Wind, in addition to the Earth, the software also proposes a visualization 3d of the Moon. Google proposes these charts in the form of service Web, but not of three-dimensional version.

With final, the two software is relatively complementary. NASA World Wind is ended a little less graphically and does not have the dynamic community of Google Earth, but it remains a very good tool.

Services Web: Earth since its navigator

Google Earth or NASA World Wind has beautiful being of the applications of quality, they require a relatively powerful configuration all the same to function in a fluid way. The more modest users of machines can nevertheless turn to services Web proposing of the functionalities similar, but based on cards in 2d.

Google is obviously present in this field with Google Local (in the past Google Maps) which uses the same satellite images as Google Earth. Unfortunately, just like Google Earth, the service has of real interest only for the Americans, the aspect "guides proximity" being completely ineffective for the other countries, of which ours. Useless thus to seek a pizzeria in Bordeaux or Marseilles. On the other hand, not of problems for New-yorkais.

The war that Google and Microsoft are delivered on the Web obviously led this last to propose its own alternative to Google Local, Windows Live Local . As for Local Google, it is based at the same time on charts and images satellite, resulting from NASA.

The service proposes rather interesting functionalities. By taking again our search for pizzeria on New York, the service allowed us zoomer until an air sight of the street of the required pizzeria! For us other French, Windows Live Local is on the other hand of an interest even more limited, the French cities, including Paris, being locked on a level of very insufficient zoom.

Microsoft also gives access to beta of an interesting technology which consists in exploring a city through a series of multiple photographs in subjective sight, in particular effective to represent a route visually.