Definition
While data visualization is widely used for exploring and visually comprehending the data, virtual reality (VR) takes it to a higher level of immersive experience. VR provides an artificially simulated environment in which the user can be part of the environment and interact with it, as permitted by the VR application. VR has been used as an extension to several graphical user interface (GUI) applications, but one of the most relevant applications is representing the three-dimensional (3D) model of the planet Earth itself. This 3D representation of the Earth extends to a four-dimensional (4D) one whenever spatiotemporal data is used. Such an application allows the user to explore and experience the environment and to edit the data loaded to visualize the world, representing the natural and man-made artifacts. Such a VR application is referred to as the virtual world (Yu and Gong 2012). An example of a virtual globe that has popularized this technology in recent times is the...
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Bernardin T, Cowgill E, Kreylos O, Bowles C, Gold P, Hamann B, Kellogg L (2011) Crusta: a new virtual globe for real-time visualization of sub-meter digital topography at planetary scales. Comput Geosci 37(1):75–85
Coetzee S, Ivánová I, Mitasova H, Brovelli MA (2020) Open geospatial software and data: a review of the current state and a perspective into the future. ISPRS Int J Geo Inf 9(2):90
De Roo B, Bourgeois J, De Maeyer P (2017) Usability assessment of a virtual globe-based 4D archaeological GIS. In: Advances in 3D geoinformation. Springer, pp 323–335
Havenith HB, Cerfontaine P, Mreyen AS (2019) How virtual reality can help visualise and assess geohazards. Int J Digital Earth 12(2):173–189
Käser DP, Parker E, Glazier A, Podwal M, Seegmiller M, Wang CP, Karlsson P, Ashkenazi N, Kim J, Le A et al (2017) The making of Google Earth VR. In: ACM SIGGRAPH 2017 talks, ACM, pp 1–2
Pirotti F, Brovelli MA, Prestifilippo G, Zamboni G, Kilsedar CE, Piragnolo M, Hogan P (2017) An open source virtual globe rendering engine for 3D applications: NASA WorldWind. Open Geospat Data Softw Stand 2(1):1–14
Shakirova N, Said N, Konyushenko S (2020) The use of virtual reality in geo-education. Int J Emerg Technol Learn 15(20):59–70
Wu H, He Z, Gong J (2010) A virtual globe-based 3D visualization and interactive framework for public participation in urban planning processes. Comput Environ Urban Syst 34(4):291–298
Yang Y, Jenny B, Dwyer T, Marriott K, Chen H, Cordeil M (2018) Maps and globes in virtual reality. Comput Graph Forum 37:427–438
Yu L, Gong P (2012) Google Earth as a virtual globe tool for earth science applications at the global scale: progress and perspectives. Int J Remote Sens 33(12):3966–3986
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Sreevalsan-Nair, J. (2023). Virtual Globe. In: Daya Sagar, B.S., Cheng, Q., McKinley, J., Agterberg, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Mathematical Geosciences. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85040-1_346
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85040-1_346
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-85039-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-85040-1
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences