UrtheCast

Free
Proprietary
SaaS

UrtheCast Alternatives

12
Options
Considered
2022-01-13
Last
Updated

#1 Flash Earth

Free
Proprietary
Online

Flash Earth is one of the world’s largest Flash Earth websites, with over five times as many data sources and coverage areas as any other major Flash Earth site. A popular feature of this site is the ability to run a ‘warped’ view of the world, which allows users to see an oblique view of a particular location, or a straight top-down view of a location on a globe. It is a Flash-based, zoomable map of the world using satellite and aerial imagery from several mapping websites.

As an experiment, this Flash Earth also works with Earth Plug-in and has been featured on news stations such as CNN International, France 24, Die Zeit Online, and many others. It works with multiple satellite providers, including Planet and DigitalGlobe, supports custom projects for government, NGOs, and commercial organizations; the goal is to make imagery accessible to everyone.

#2 Spectator

Free
Proprietary
Windows
Online

Spectator is one of the great map services that deliver the best of the world’s satellite imagery to anyone on any device. It provides fast, uncluttered access to a diverse range of high-quality imagery, including imagery from NASA, ESA, DigitalGlobe, and Mapbox. Using cutting-edge cloud technologies and a high-performance interface make it simple to interpret and intuitively explore the world from space.

Spectator simplifies access to satellite imagery from NASA, ESA, and other providers. It’s a desktop application that renders high-resolution imagery on your computer. It connects to online image databases and downloads the right image tiles for your location and zoom level. It also connects to map providers such as Maps or OpenStreetMap. Together with Mapbox Studio, you can then turn the images into beautiful maps and web visualizations.

#3 NASA World Wind

Free
Open Source
Mac
Windows
Github
Online

NASA World Wind is one of the popular software that lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth and view or study it in three dimensions. It lets you fly over Earth using realistic imaging of cloud cover, oceans, vegetation, topography, and cities. It can be used to learn about Earth systems science, weather forecasting, climate change, geography and geology, astronomy and space science, ecology, and environmental issues. Using two-dimensional and three-dimensional maps, you can see how terrain relates to ecosystems or how the ocean flows around islands.

You can use viewshed analysis to visualize line-of-sight paths between locations or determine regions that are easiest to observe or track activities. Astronauts and students can visualize the Earth from space, measure the height of an oil platform or track their own footprints. Other function of this platform includes you can fly anywhere on Earth at any time in history, exploring the surface of Mars and Venus, experiencing the surface of Earth as it was before humans existed, or after civilization has collapsed, looking for oil and gas fields in your neighborhood or around the world and many others.

#4 Marble

Free
Open Source
Linux
Mac
Windows
Online
Portableapps.com

Marble is a Virtual Globe and World Atlas that you can use to learn more about Earth. It lets you interact with a beautiful 3D globe and explore topographic information, satellite images, 3D buildings around the world, and even historical imagery. You can zoom in and out on the Earth and spin it to different angles by dragging it with your finger to explore what’s around you.

It provides you to see all of the continents as 3D maps for the first time ever. You can now visualize the continents on a 2D map but also explore them in 3D and rotate them from side to side. It aids you to experience a historical change in satellite imagery with the all-new Historical Imagery feature. Use the slider at the bottom of any of your photos to move from present-day Earth back through time to see how it has changed over the years.

#5 MapSphere

Free
Proprietary
Windows
Online

MapSphere is revolutionary mapping software for Windows that downloads maps and satellite images from different sources. It allows the user to have a vector, 3D, topographic, and road maps on his computer and to look at them with any other software that uses the Windows GDI. The maps can be used in GIS software like ESRI ArcGIS or QGIS to perform geocoding, routing, measuring, etc. It uses OpenStreetMap data and offers a much more detailed level than Earth/Maps.

MapSphere allows to create, edit and manage maps with several layers in addition to providing weather forecast, GPS track export, and several more features. The key feature of this platform includes you can determine how far to the nearest storm drain or fire hydrant, seeing where you left your car from space, simulating a hurricane landfall, understanding how different snow and rain amounts affect flooding and erosion, and many others.

#6 SAS.Planet

Free
Open Source
Windows
Online

SAS.Planet is one of the classical software that allows you to work with any maps service if you can describe getting the picture by longitude, latitude, altitude format. It enables you to work with many maps services at the same time, so you do not need to switch from Apple, from OpenStreetMap to Yandex, etc. The Geocoding service ensures you get a name of a place by its coordinates like longitude or latitude using cartography.

You can obtain the name of a city, street, address, and many others. The Reverse geocoding service allows you to get coordinates of any place using its name. You can obtain the longitude/latitude coordinate of a state or city center. Route service persuades you to draw a map route between 2 points.

#7 Quikmaps

Free
Open Source
Online

Quikmaps is one of the leading online resources for travel industry executives from around the world that provides members with travel industry news, events, and networking opportunities. It creates a network of professionals who share a commitment to a culture of integrity and excellence in business practice. The main goal is to provide members with relevant and timely information on the current and future state of the travel industry worldwide, to bring together key decision-makers in the travel industry, and to provide a professional platform for interaction among industry members through various conferences and seminars.

As an organization, it strives to support individuals within the travel industry through cooperation, partnership, and mentorship. Quikmaps helps its members succeed by providing access to travel industry experts, facilitating strategic partnerships, and creating opportunities for personal and professional development. It connects audiences with travel or tourism executives and experts through its travel industry directory, its personalized video platform, and its news and events business.

#8 Wikimapia

Free
Proprietary
Android
iPhone
Tablet
iPad
Online

Wikimapia is an online editable map that allows users to create and edit street maps for most countries on Earth, including 3D buildings and terrain. The topography and relief are shown in very great detail. The maps can be used directly in mobile applications or as a base for further development. The API can be integrated into any custom-made web or mobile application with the help of JavaScript or RESTful API.

The contributions of users can be displayed on the map and used in other applications, including in mobile apps. Users are rewarded for their contributions to the system by accumulating points, which may later be redeemed for cool prizes. It allows you to create your own maps, add objects, describe places, and share them with others. It is a trusted source for travel information from a network of more than 16,000 member companies, including destination management companies, attractions, airlines, hotel chains, cruise lines, tour operators, and travel wholesalers.

#9 Earth Browser

Paid
Proprietary
Mac
Online

Earth Browser is a new innovative way to browse the Earth, learn about any location you like, find upcoming travel destinations, and monitor weather conditions before you travel. It’s an earth simulator that combines an easy-to-navigate three-dimensional globe with real-time weather conditions and seven-day forecasts for thousands of locations worldwide. It is a web app, which means it can be accessed from any device that has an internet browser and decent internet connection, whether that be your desktop, phone, or tablet.

It is all about beautifully displaying the Earth as we know it, using data from the OpenStreetMap project and other sources. You can explore all countries from up close or take a journey across the globe. Each country has information in popups such as a flag, capital city, population, continent, and more. You can view the weather in all cities of that country and add them to a list of favorites. It gives you amazing access to the power of our global satellite network that provides cutting-edge information on space weather events, solar flares, and sunspot activity.

#10 Earth View from Google Earth

Free
Proprietary
Windows
Chrome
Online

Earth View from Google Earth is a software that displays a beautiful landscape from Earth every time you open a new tab in your browser. Each image is canonical, and you can download each image and set it as wallpaper for your device. It displays the same stunning landscapes that let you travel to faraway places without leaving the comfort of your home. It has worked with some of the world’s best photographers to bring you these beautiful images of Earth’s natural wonders.

It is a great tool to learn about the world and explore places you have never been before. But it can be slow, complex, and sometimes confusing for new users. By opening a new tab, it does all this work for you, giving you an engaging, colorful, and wonderful view of the planet. With just the touch of a finger, explore the full planet with an interactive new design or go deeper with a sophisticated map and weather experience that maximizes your device’s GPS capabilities. It has all the tools you need for planning trips abroad or viewing your local weather conditions.

#11 Zoom Earth

Free
Proprietary
SaaS

Zoom Earth is one of the handy software that allows users to explore the Earth using aerial imagery and comes with the feature that highlights Black-owned businesses in the app. It allows users to explore the Earth using aerial imagery. The application is a universal app that is presented in high-definition and can be used on both iPhones and iPads.

One of Zoom Earth’s greatest attributes is its user-friendly interface. It uses both a visual and interactive map to make exploring the Earth as simple as a few clicks of the finger. The imagery is provided by NASA and is constantly updated on a daily basis. Viewers also have the ability to search either by city, state, or country. Once an area has been selected, they will be able to view that location from any angle.

#12 pTolemy3D

Free
Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online

pTolemy3D is a software that provides FOSS tools necessary to build your own 3D GeoWeb application. The project provides a 3D map viewer, a data provider, and a server-side library to manipulate the data and interact with the data provider. Results are shown on the map using the JavaScript library three.js and its capabilities such as WebGL and WebSockets via the high-level abstraction frameworks Phaser and Polymaps. It stands for a set of software that is designed and developed to help access, manage, combine and visualize geospatial data of 3D objects from a single desktop environment.

pTolemy3D software is designed for research, education, and engineering purposes and built with the Open Source software development philosophy. The goal of pTolemy3D is to provide Open Source Software (FOSS) libraries, configuration tools, and server software necessary to build your own 3D GeoWeb application. pTolemy3D is a 3D web application server and library project to assist in the development of 3D applications for the web. The software shows off a simple demo application for querying and displaying static 3D models from a GeoWeb server.