World Wind for Windows

By NASA
Free
User Rating

Used World Wind for Windows? Share your experience and help other users.

Editors’ Review

Download.com staffOctober 20, 2016

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.

What’s new in version 1.4.0

Version 1.4 adds GPS Tracker and widget support.

World Wind for Windows

By NASA
Free
User Rating

Used World Wind for Windows? Share your experience and help other users.

Explore More

Full Specifications

GENERAL

Release: July 2, 2008

Latest update: October 20, 2016

Version: 1.4.0

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Platform: Windows

Operating System

Windows XP
Windows 10
Windows 2000

Additional Requirements: Windows 2000/XP, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, DirectX 9.0c drivers

POPULARITY

Total Downloads: 648,552

Downloads Last Week: 2

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Last Updated

User Reviews

3.1/5

121 User Votes

i like it's abilities
wazbaJanuary 28, 2012
Pros
with this software i do alot of stuffs
Cons
information
Summary
Not for looking up Martian mailing addresses
JonnyabcJanuary 25, 2009
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 for the astronomer, geologist, geographer and meteorologist. But don't be fooled, this is still a great find. You can explore some of our solar system's planets, view the heavens and even take a spectacular look at our own planet from different views in time and space. I likely would not put this program at the top of my list of choices for 3d world rendering software, but I certainly would consider it.
Information
garciacampSeptember 15, 2008
Pros
Information
Cons
Information
Summary
add my knowledge
lysnJuly 10, 2008
Pros
with this software i can get more and actually knowledge
Cons
Summary
April 26, 2008
Pros
Cons
Summary
4 stars...
MiguelnonameNovember 7, 2007
Pros
very seemed with google...
Cons
Summary
I like it
KaplaniteJuly 11, 2007
Pros
I like being able to view other planets besides Earth.I was able to use it <p>easily but it took awhile to get used to the features.
Cons
Occasionally it bumps you off.
Summary
Crap - needed to repeat the download and still doesn't run!
Levine555July 6, 2007
Pros
Absolutely nothing....
Cons
The time it will take me to uninstall what I do have!
Summary
Only some of it works, And the rest is to slow, to respond.
aquila92June 29, 2007
Pros
Cons
Summary
The quality of this program is very good
M90HQDJune 25, 2007
Pros
3D & Graphic of this program is better from google Earth & maps of Moon & Mars is Very good...
Cons
Runing this program & progress of that get speed of system to low...
Summary

Developer’s Description

Visit virtually any place in the world.

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.