- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP
- Date added: July 02, 2008
- Total Downloads: 616,702
- Downloads last week: 275
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 151 votes
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CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
NASA being the big name that it is, we expected its 3D global-imaging program to be made of sterner stuff. Unfortunately, it fell flatter than a collapsed playing-card house.
Less cluttered than Google Earth, with a simple toolbar array of clickable icons that enlarge when you mouse over them, World Wind's promising interface belied too many problems. More than half of those toolbar functions did not work, or were taking so long to render that we had to move on to other things--like sleep. No combination of settings could get the real-time weather maps to show up, nor did the Astrobiology Field Guide do anything at all, despite the cool name.
The Lewis & Clark Trail feature worked, as did the Landmark toggle, the switch from orthographic to topographic renderings, and the Zoom function, so there is hope. You can also look beyond Earth to other planets in the solar system. Some of the app's 3D renderings are very highly detailed, but only for a short list of specific places, like Death Valley.
At this point, though, we can't recommend bothering with World Wind when there are better functioning, more customizable global-mapping programs out there.
Publisher's description
From NASA :World Wind lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth. Leveraging Landsat satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data, World Wind lets you experience Earth terrain in visually rich 3D, as if you were really there. Virtually visit any place in the world. Look across the Andes, into the Grand Canyon, over the Alps, or along the African Sahara.
Version 1.4 adds GPS Tracker and widget support.
What's new in this version:
Version 1.4 adds GPS Tracker and widget support.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 0 stars Not yet available
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1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: World Wind 1.4.0
Pros: with this software i can get more and actually knowledge
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0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: World Wind 1.4.0
"Not for looking up Martian mailing addresses"
Pros: 1) Good for general geography
2) Great layers for globally tracking almost anything and everything from weather to satellites
3) Shows 3d imagery of Earth (and other planets)Cons: 1) Does not plot streets or addresses
2) Does not produce close up details
3) A memory hog (much like Google Earth)Summary: It is clear if you have tried Google Earth that this is nothing like it. You may have been expecting NASA to let you plot a route over the river and through the woods to Grandma, but that is not the design of this program. NASA World Wind is meant f... read more >>
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0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: World Wind 1.4.0
Pros: Information
Cons: Information
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