There are a large number of geoexploration tools or digital Earths, and these seem to grow regularly. Google Earth is the dominant player, with Microsoft Virtual Earth, Skyline Globe, NASA’s WorldWind, ArcGIS Explorer and others. At InterGeo I learned of a new and interesting upstart called GeoVirtual that is being developed in Spain. I’m certain more will follow.

There are also immersive environments such as Second Life and There that model reality, not aiming for realism but for interaction among users. These environments are typically called a Metaverse, and there’s even an Open Source Metaverse Project that’s working to create an open and configurable platform.

With all this said, the answer is clearly in favor of multiple parallel digital worlds, in fact the trend seems to be moving toward greater and greater customization of these environments. Perhaps we’ll each have our own customized digital Earth, with shared components of course.

The various tools for geographic exploration is reminiscent of the Internet browser wars. Each player works hard to add more content and differentiate itself from the competition by offering unique capabilities. The stakes are high for the leaders as it’s likely that there will be one dominant player for the masses. Google and Microsoft have the deep pockets to duke it out on the content side, adding greater realism and accuracy in their maps as well as richer feature sets.

There’s currently ample opportunity for niche players in this space, but the gap between the leaders and others is rapidly expanding to the point that it will be a chasm where vast amounts of investment will be required to catch up.

The original concept of the Digital Earth from Al Gore’s speech in 1989, revolved around scientific exploration and discovery. The speech outlined a ‘collaboratory’ approach for research scientists working to understand the complex interaction between humanity and our environment. It also discussed a deep temporal capability that allowed for interaction with past events.

These two elements, scientific interaction and historical exploration, are clearly missing from today’s model. Harnessing the commercial opportunity was part of Gore’s speech, and it clearly at the forethought of current development. Given the private funding of these efforts, it’s clearly understandable why this is the initial goal. I believe these other elements will follow, given a degree of openness and a division for non-commercial use that warrants investment from our public institutions.

To date we have several compelling interfaces that scratch the surface of the original concept. The breadth and scope of the original vision is daunting, yet certainly attainable in the long run. I worry about the inefficiency of these parallel efforts and a free market approach for a cause that clearly should rest in the public domain. Parallel digital Earths are a reality, yet let’s ensure the democratic access to the data.

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