About navigating globes

Globes provide a unique way to view and interact with GIS data. The data is spatially referenced and displayed in its true geodetic location. You can view data covering a global extent and seamlessly zoom in to highly detailed, localized data. Globes allow efficient display and exploration of raster and rasterized vector data.

Global Navigation tools are specifically designed for interacting with the globe. The tools are designed to allow you to see the data from all perspectives. There are two ways to think about globe navigation: one is from the point of view of an observer changing position around the globe, and the other is from the point of view of an observer that is stationary while the globe is rotated to the desired locations.

In one scenario for globe navigation, where the observer changes position, you can envision the observer as having a satellite view of the earth from space. Therefore, as you interact with the globe you are changing the observer position in reference to the globe. You can decrease or increase observer altitude and adjust the view angle vertically and horizontally. In a second scenario, the observer is stationary. As you interact with the globe, you move it toward yourself or tilt and rotate it to get the view you desire.