Originally posted by: jamesbond007
How does this compare to KeyHole's software? Better or worse? And this is free, right? (The NASA one)
NASA's World Wind is free. It has great global coverage (although Keyhole/Google is catching up). It has some more advanced options for selecting map sources, and includes the ability of using third-party image servers for overlaying all kinds of academic-type data (population, climate, crime, soil temperature (!?)).
Google/Keyhole has some much higher res maps of some major metro areas. For those areas covered by Google Maps, it adds all the Google features like directions, local search, and lots of overlays (roads, borders, labels, etc). Maps download faster than World Wind, and the 3D engine is way better (you need a decent video card). It also includes some GPS integration, which I haven't tested. Costs $.
Of course, this isn't a hot deal since it's always been free, but it's still a very cool app.