This site presents 3D topographic maps
in VRML 2.0,
based on the U.S. Geological Survey's
1-degree
Digital Elevation Model data.
Colors are used to specify elevations on the maps.
To view the maps, a VRML 2.0 plug-in or browser is needed.
FAQ for the 3D topomaps.
3D Topographic Map Viewer
generates 3D maps in VRML on demand for areas
in the contiguous USA.
This provides easy access to a huge elevation database with
a maximum resolution of 1,200 data point per degree
(within 300 feet per datum point), and
immediate visualization of terrain.
Before surfing the Map Viewer, you might want to check out the description of
its User Interfaces.
The Topomap Viewer was one of
The Internet's 40 Best VRML Worlds selected by SGI
in January, 1997 :-)
Maps with Dynamic Color Legend allow users to change color legends by inputting elevation values for the selected colors on the maps. So, users can perceive the elevations on the maps easily.
Next logical step is to make a global topographical map.