Earth3D - real-time 3D Earth visualization

Here's a linux alternative to Microsoft Visual Earth.

Earth3D is a linux application for visualizing the earth in realtime 3D view. Earth3D displays the recent satellite images and map data into your display screen live via data streaming using data servers from NASA, USGS, the CIA and the city of Osnabrück. This Earth3D application is available from many OS platforms like Linux, MacOS X and Windows and is under the GPL license.

Earth3d Main Features:
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* viewing the earth globe as a whole
* zooming with selected countries like Germany for now
* embedding external data like current earthquake positions or cloud data


Hardware Requirements:
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Earth3D application uses OpenGL and QT to view the earth globe map. Earth3D downloads the texture and heightfield data on demand over the internet. You need at least DSL speed (about 768kbit) to use it. Earth3D was was tested from Athlon 850Mhz with an Nvidia Geforce 2 MX and from my Intel-based motherboard with built-in Intel-based display adapter/controller.


EARTH3D INSTALLATION:
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As of this writing, the only available rpm package of Earth3D for Fedora distro is designed for Fedora Core 2. To install Earth3D in Fedora 7 using this version, you can download the rpm package for Fedora Core 2 from here.

# wget -c "http://newrpms.sunsite.dk/apt/redhat/en/i386/fc2/RPMS.newrpms/earth3d-1.0.1-1.rhfc2.nr.i386.rpm"

I have installed the FC2 rpm package successfully into my Fedora 7 without any issues. You've been warned that the binary rpm package was designed for Fedora Core 2. To install it into Fedora 7, simply

# rpm -ivh earth3d-1.0.1-1.rhfc2.nr.i386.rpm


If you want to see more download package for other linux distros, check the link from here.


BINARY EXECUTION:
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Ctrl+F2, earth3d


Here's a sample screenshot that I had after installing Earth3D.




For FAQS and further readings, see more from here.

HTH

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