Editing NASA WorldWind

{{Short description|Open-source virtual globe}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2019}}

{{Infobox software
| logo                 = 
| screenshot           = Worldwind.png
| caption              = Screenshot of WorldWind showing Blue Marble Next Generation layer
| developer            = [[Ames Research Center]] ([[NASA]])
| released             = 2003
| programming language = [[JavaScript]] (Web), [[Java (programming language)|Java]] (Android, Desktop Java SE, and Server), [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]] (obsolete Windows/.NET)
| operating system     = [[Cross-platform software|Cross-platform]]; see above
| language             = [[English language|English]]
| genre                = [[Virtual globe]] [[software development kit]]
| license              = [[NASA Open Source Agreement]] v1.3
| website              = {{URL|https://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/}}
}}

[[File:Sun anim.gif|thumb|Animation showing atmosphere and shading effects in v1.4]]
[[File:NASA World Wind.jpg|thumb|USGS Urban Ortho-Imagery of Huntington Beach, California in older version of WorldWind (1.2)]]
[[File:Katrina 2005-08-26 1843Z.jpg|thumb|Rapid Fire MODIS – [[Hurricane Katrina]]]]
[[File:Unknown Cyclone.png|thumb|A cyclone moving across the Indian Ocean (on normal cloud cover – not Rapid Fire MODIS)]]
[[File:moon worldwind.jpg|thumb|Moon – [[Hypsometric tints|Hypsometric]] Map layer]]
[[File:ww mars olympus.jpg|thumb|Mars (THEMIS layer) – [[Olympus Mons]]]]
[[File:Hurricane Dean in NASA World Wind.png|thumb|[[Hurricane Dean]] in NASA WorldWind]]
[[File:WW washington.png|thumb|Washington DC, Wikipedia point layer – icons link to Wikipedia articles]]

'''NASA WorldWind''' is an [[open-source software|open-source]] (released under the [[NASA Open Source Agreement|NOSA]] license and the Apache 2.0 license) [[virtual globe]]. According to the website, "WorldWind is an open source virtual globe API. WorldWind allows developers to quickly and easily create interactive visualizations of 3D globe, map and geographical information. Organizations around the world use WorldWind to monitor weather patterns, visualize cities and terrain, track vehicle movement, analyze geospatial data and educate humanity about the Earth." It was first developed by [[NASA]] in 2003 for use on [[personal computer]]s and then further developed in concert with the [[free software movement|open source community]] since 2004. {{As of|2017|post=,}} a web-based version of WorldWind is available online.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explorer.worldwind.earth/|website=explorer.worldwind.earth|title=World Wind Explorer}}</ref> An [[Android (operating system)|Android]] version is also available.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/NASAWorldWind/WorldWindAndroid|title=WorldWindAndroid github repository|website=[[GitHub]] |date=15 May 2020}}</ref>

The original version relied on [[.NET Framework]], which ran only on [[Microsoft Windows]]. The more recent [[Java (programming language)|Java]] version, WorldWind Java, is cross platform, a [[software development kit]] (SDK) aimed at [[Software developer|developers]] and, unlike the old .NET version, not a standalone [[virtual globe]] [[Application software|application]] in the style of [[Google Earth]]. The WorldWind Java version was awarded NASA Software of the Year in November 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/icb/winners/soy/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611044435/http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/icb/winners/soy/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 11, 2013 |website=nasa.gov |date=December 24, 2009 |volume= 2 |title=Software of the Year Award, WorldWind Java|issue=12 }}</ref> The program overlays NASA and [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] [[satellite imagery]], [[aerial photography]], [[topographic maps]], [[Keyhole Markup Language]] (KML) and [[Collada]] files.

==Overview==
Though widely available since 2003, WorldWind was released with the NASA Open Source Agreement license in 2004. The latest Java-based version (2.1.0), was released in December 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/NASAWorldWind/WorldWindJava/releases/tag/v2.1.0 |title=v2.1.0 |website=[[GitHub]] | access-date= April 25, 2017}}</ref> As of 2015 a web based version of WorldWind is under development<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/NASAWorldWind/WebWorldWind |title= NASA WorldWind in JavaScript for HTML5 |website= [[GitHub]] | access-date= April 25, 2017}}</ref> and available online.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explorer.worldwind.earth/|title=World Wind Explorer|first=Bruce|last=Schubert|website=explorer.worldwind.earth}}</ref> An [[Android (operating system)|Android]] version is also available.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/NASAWorldWind/WorldWindAndroid/releases/tag/v0.1.0 |title=NASAWorldWind/WorldWindAndroid |website=[[GitHub]] | access-date= April 25, 2017}}</ref>

The previous .NET-based version was an application with an extensive suite of plugins. Apart from the Earth there are several worlds: [[Moon]], [[Mars]], [[Venus]],  [[Jupiter]] (with the four [[Galilean moons]] of [[Io (moon)|Io]], [[Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede]], [[Europa (moon)|Europa]] and [[Callisto (moon)|Callisto]]) and [[Sloan Digital Sky Survey|SDSS]] (imagery of stars and galaxies).

Users could interact with the selected planet by rotating it, tilting the view, and zooming in and out. Five million place names, political boundaries, latitude/longitude lines, and other data can be displayed. WorldWind.NET provided the ability to browse maps and [[geospatial]] data on the internet using the [[Open Geospatial Consortium|OGC]]'s [[Web Map Service|WMS]] servers (version 1.4 also uses [[Web Feature Service|WFS]] for downloading place names), import [[ESRI shapefiles]] and [[Keyhole Markup Language|kml/kmz]] files. This is an example of how WorldWind allows anyone to deliver their data.

Other features of WorldWind.NET included support for .X ([[DirectX]] 3D polygon mesh) models and advanced visual effects such as atmospheric [[scattering]] or [[shaded relief|sun shading]].

The resolution inside the US is high enough to clearly discern individual buildings, houses, cars (USGS Digital Ortho layer) and even the shadows of people (metropolitan areas in USGS Urban Ortho layer). The resolution outside the US is at least 15 meters per pixel.

[[Microsoft]] has allowed WorldWind to incorporate [[Virtual Earth]] high resolution data for [[non-commercial]] use.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Virtual_Earth|title=Virtual Earth|work=worldwindcentral.com}}</ref>

WorldWind uses [[digital elevation model]] (DEM) data collected by NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), [[National Elevation Dataset]] (NED) and [[Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer]] (ASTER). This means one can view topographic features such as the Grand Canyon or Mount Everest in three dimensions. In addition, WW has [[bathymetry]] data which allows users to see ocean features, such as [[Oceanic trench|trenches]] and [[Mid-ocean ridge|ridges]], in 3D.

Many people using the applications are adding their own data and are making them available through various sources, such as the WorldWind Central or blogs mentioned in the link section below.

All images and movies created with WorldWind using Blue Marble, Landsat, or USGS [[public domain]] data can be freely modified, re-distributed, and used on web sites, even for commercial purposes.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/World_Wind_FAQ#Are_images_on_World_Wind_copyrighted.3F |work= worldwindcentral.com |title= World Wind FAQ - Are images on World Wind copyrighted? |access-date= 2024-11-01 |quote= The Landsat Global Mosaic (except for i-3 visible layer), Blue Marble, and the USGS raster maps and images are all Public Domain}}</ref>

==Add-ons and plugins==
WorldWind can be expanded by using one of many add-ons - small extensions that add new functionality to the program.<br>
Possible types of add-ons:
* Point layers: simple [[XML]] files displaying placemarks (point of interest) as icons
* Trail layers: paths (routes, boundaries)
* Line features: XML with a list of points visualized as a line or wall
* Polygon features: XML with a list of points visualized as a filled [[polygon]] (flat or [[extrusion|extruded]])
* Model features: XML used to load 3D textured meshes
* Place names: specific points (such as cities, hills and buildings) that are assigned text labels
* Image layers: high resolution imagery for various places in the world
* Scripts: files that control camera movement
Plugins are small programs written in [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]], [[Visual Basic|VB]] or [[J Sharp|J#]] which are loaded and compiled by WorldWind at startup. Plug-in developers can add features to WorldWind without changing the program's source code.

==WorldWind Java==
The original recipe for WorldWind was restricted to Windows, relying on the [[Microsoft .NET|.NET]] libraries and [[DirectX]]. A new [[Software development kit|SDK]] version has been developed in [[Java (programming language)|Java]] with [[Java OpenGL|JOGL]] referred to as WorldWind Java. The latest version (2.2.0) was released in August 2020.

This new version has an [[API]]-centric architecture with functionalities 'off-loaded' to modular components, leaving the API at the core. This makes WorldWind itself a plugin, so that it can be used as interchangeably as possible (for example via [[Python (programming language)|Python]]). This refactoring exercise allows WorldWind to be accessed via a browser as a Java Applet. A preview of the WorldWind Java SDK<ref>{{cite web|url=http://goworldwind.org/demos/|title=Demos|work=goworldwind.org|access-date=2011-08-26|archive-date=2011-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016052433/http://goworldwind.org/demos/|url-status=dead}}</ref> was released on May 11, 2007 during Sun Microsystem's annual [[JavaOne]] conference.

Since WWj is an SDK, there is no single application; instead there are any number of applications using WWj, each with different functionalities, created by government agencies and commercial developers from around the world. These applications include simple virtual globe viewers, satellite tracker, [[GIS]] platforms, photo editor, F-16 simulator, mission planning software and many more.

=== Android and the Web ===
NASA has since released WorldWind Android and Web WorldWind, two SDKs for the [[Android OS]] and the JavaScript-based [[web app]]s. Like WWj, there is no single application for the versions.

==Tutorials==
* '''NASA WorldWind SDK Tutorial''':[https://web.archive.org/web/20121224015417/http://ifgi.uni-muenster.de/worldwind-tutorial/] This Tutorial was developed by the Institute for Geoinformatics from the [[University of Münster]], Germany. It contains tutorials from setting up an Eclipse environment with the WorldWind API to building polygons from [[Linked Open Data]] geographic datasets. It contains important tips from beginners to advanced developers.

==Forks and clones==
* '''WorldWind Earth'''<ref>{{cite web |title=WorldWind Earth |url=https://worldwind.earth/ |website=WorldWind Earth |publisher=GitHub Pages}}</ref> is a community that maintains friendly [[Fork (software development)|fork]]s of the three current WorldWind SDK releases. They fork provide a release channel for builds based on the latest fixes and features from WebWorldWind's develop branch plus several "cherry-picked" enhancements from the WorldWind community. The WorldWindJS project is available on [[GitHub]] and releases are available on [[Npm (software)|NPM]].
* '''Geoforge project'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geoforge.org/|title=Geoforge - home|author=Geoforge project|work=geoforge.org|access-date=2012-06-13|archive-date=2011-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319220629/http://www.geoforge.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref> contains a [[Fork (software development)|fork]] of the NASA WorldWind project. Geoforge provides open source software. It leads in a platform<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geoforge.org/prt/software_platform.html|title=Geoforge - software platform|author=Geoforge project|work=geoforge.org|access-date=2012-06-13|archive-date=2012-06-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629120413/http://www.geoforge.org/prt/software_platform.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> that manages geosciences data and uses WorldWind features to provide a display of geo-localised geosciences objects.
* '''Dapple'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dapple.geosoft.com/|title=Dapple Earth Explorer: Map and View the Earth|work=geosoft.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813000458/http://dapple.geosoft.com/|archive-date=2006-08-13}}</ref> is a [[Fork (software development)|fork]] of the NASA WorldWind project, it is an Open Source project created by developers at [[Geosoft]]. Dapple is aimed at [[geoscience]] professionals, and has features aimed at them, such as easy addition of WMS servers and a simpler [[user interface|UI]] very similar to Google Earth's.
* '''SERVIR-VIZ'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iagt.org/servir/servir_viz/|title=Downloads - IAGT, The Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology, Auburn, New York|work=iagt.org|access-date=2007-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108060533/http://www.iagt.org/servir/servir_viz/|archive-date=2008-11-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> is a customized version of WorldWind developed by IAGT for the SERVIR project.
* '''WW2D'''<ref>{{SourceForge|ww2d|WW2D}}</ref> was a cross-platform, free and open-source application based on [[Java platform|Java]] and [[OpenGL]] technologies and can be run on Microsoft Windows, [[Mac OS X]], [[Linux]] ([[x86]] and [[x86-64]]) and [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]] on [[SPARC]]. WW2D uses images from WorldWind's servers.
** WW2D Plus One - an update to WW2D providing a 3D view.
* Punt was a [[Fork (software development)|fork]] of the .NET NASA WorldWind project, and was started by two members of the [[free software community]] who had made contributions to WorldWind. Punt was based on the code in WorldWind 1.3.2, but its initial release has features not found in WorldWind 1.3.2 or 1.3.3 (such as support for multiple languages). Currently, Punt is only available for Windows, but long-term goals include a desire to move to a cross-platform solution.

==Datasets available==
Low resolution Blue Marble datasets are included with the initial [[download]]; as a user zooms into certain areas, additional high resolution data is downloaded from the NASA [[Server (computing)|server]]s. The size of all currently available data sets is about 4.6 [[terabytes]].

=== Earth ===
==== Animated data layers ====
* [[Scientific Visualization Studio]]
* [[Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer|MODIS]]
* [[GLOBE program|GLOBE]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/GLOBE|title=GLOBE|work=worldwindcentral.com}}</ref>
* [[United States Naval Research Laboratory|NRL]] Real-Time Weather

==== Image/terrain datasets ====
* [[The Blue Marble|Blue Marble]] Next Generation imagery
* [[Landsat 7]] imagery
** NLT Landsat ([[Visible spectrum|Visible]] & [[false-color|Pseudo]] Color)
** [[GeoCover|Geocover]] 1990 & 2000 (pseudo; ''1990'' layer was produced from Landsat 4 & 5 images)
** OnEarth (visible & pseudo)
** i-cubed (visible)
* [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] imagery
** Digital Ortho (DOQ - scanned black and white aerial image)s<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eros.usgs.gov/products/aerial/doq.html |title = Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center {{!}} U.S. Geological Survey}}</ref>
** Urban Area Ortho (montaged color aerial photography of many major US metropolitan areas)
** [[Topographic map]]s
* Zoomit! imagery (community produced layer)
** LINZ<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linz.govt.nz/|title=Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)}}</ref> (montaged color aerial photography of New Zealand)
** GSWA<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doir.wa.gov.au/GSWA/ |title=Department of Industry and Resources - Geological Survey of Western Australia |access-date=2007-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208102722/http://www.doir.wa.gov.au/GSWA/ |archive-date=2007-02-08 }}</ref> (Topographic and geological maps of Western Australia)
** South Africa (colour satellite and aerial imagery)
** US imagery (montaged color aerial photography of many major US metropolitan areas)
* [[Shuttle Radar Topography Mission|SRTM]] (SRTM30Plus<ref>{{cite web|url=http://topex.ucsd.edu/WWW_html/srtm30_plus.html|title=Satellite Geodesy, IGPP, SIO, UCSD - Global Topography - SRTM30, Multibeam, & predicted|author=David Sandwell |work=ucsd.edu}}</ref>/SRTMv2/USGS NED) terrain data (includes [[bathymetry]])

=== Extraterrestrial datasets ===
==== Moon ====
* [[Clementine mission|Clementine]] (40xx - Colour, 30xx - Greyscale)
* [[Hypsometric tints|Hypsometric Map]]

==== Mars ====
* MOC ([[Mars Global Surveyor]] – Mars Orbiter Camera)
* MOLA (MGS – Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter hypsometric map)
* THEMIS ([[Mars Odyssey]] – [[Thermal Emission Imaging System]])
* MDIM ([[Viking program|Viking]] – Mars Digital Image Model)

==== Venus ====
* [[Magellan probe|Magellan]] Imaging Radar (color and grayscale)
* Hypsometric Map

==== Jupiter ====
* Jupiter
* Callisto
* Europa
* Ganymede
* Io

==== Sloan Digital Sky Survey ====
===== Survey Imagery =====
* [[Sloan Digital Sky Survey|SDSS]] Server
* [[Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe|WMAP]] Image Server

===== Footprint Imagery =====
* SDSS Footprint
* FIRST (Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sundog.stsci.edu/|title=The VLA FIRST Survey|work=stsci.edu}}</ref> Footprint

=== Specifications ===

==== Baseline resolutions ====
* 500 m (Blue Marble Next Generation)
* 15 m (Landsat imagery; except for polar areas)

==== Typical high resolutions ====
* U.S.
** USGS Digital Ortho: 1&nbsp;m (grayscale; near full coverage)
** USGS Urban Area Ortho: 0.25&nbsp;m<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/USGS_Urban_Areas|title=USGS Urban Areas|work=worldwindcentral.com}}</ref>
** Zoomit!: 0.15 m to 1 m<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/Add-on:ZoomIt%21|title=Add-on:ZoomIt!|work=worldwindcentral.com}}</ref>
* New Zealand
** Zoomit! (from LINZ data): 2.5&nbsp;m (color and grayscale)
* Western Australia
** Zoomit! (from GSWA): 250K surface geology mosaic, 250K topographic data, Magnetic Intensity, Bouger Gravity
* South Africa
** Zoomit!: Spot5 10&nbsp;m<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.madmappers.com/htm/za_spot5.html|title=Spot5 Imagery|work=madmappers.com}}</ref> (colour near full coverage), Robben Island 0.5 m, Johannesburg 2.5 m

==== Altitude resolution ====
* U.S.: 30&nbsp;m (1 [[arcsecond]]; USGS NED)
* Global: 90&nbsp;m (3 arcseconds; SRTM)
* Oceans: 2&nbsp;[[arcminute]]s and better

==== Age ====
* Some USGS aerial images were taken in the early 1990s.
* Landsat 7 images are all taken after 1999 (except for Geocover 1990).

== See also ==
{{Div col|small=no}}
* [[Bhuvan]]
* [[Bing Maps]]
* [[Géoportail]]
* [[GeoServer]]
* [[Geoweb]]
* [[Google Maps]]
* [[List of observatory software]]
* [[Marble (software)]]
* [[Microsoft Research Maps]]
* [[Planetarium software]]
* [[Space flight simulation game]]
** [[List of space flight simulation games]]
* [[Web mapping]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|NASA World Wind}}
* {{Official website|https://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/}}
* [https://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/web NASA Web WorldWind]
* [https://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/java/ NASA WorldWind Java] 
* https://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/android/get-started/
* https://jitpack.io/p/NASAWorldWind/WorldWindAndroid
* https://github.com/WorldWindEarth/WorldWindJava/blob/develop/README.md
* https://github.com/WorldWindEarth/WorldWindJava/wiki
* [https://github.com/WorldWindEarth/WorldWindAndroid WorldWind Android "Community Edition" SDK]
* [http://sourceforge.net/projects/nasa-exp/ NASA WorldWind.NET (legacy)] at [[SourceForge]]
* [https://worldwind.earth/ worldwind.earth], personal projects of Bruce Schubert, a software engineer on the NASA WorldWind team

{{Astronomy software}}
{{Earth}}
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[[Category:2004 software]]
[[Category:Earth sciences graphics software]]
[[Category:Java (programming language) software]]
[[Category:Graphic software in meteorology]]
[[Category:Keyhole Markup Language]]
[[Category:Internet software for Linux]]
[[Category:Linux programming tools]]
[[Category:MacOS programming tools]]
[[Category:NASA online]]
[[Category:Planetarium software for Linux]]
[[Category:Programming tools for Windows]]
[[Category:Satellite imagery]]
[[Category:Science education software]]
[[Category:Virtual globes]]