If a student chooses to take a course that merely describes the Earth3D software and data, without exploring the various scientific methods which are used to map the earth on the virtual map, they will be greatly disappointed with their results. Students need to find out if the course or program that they wish to register for utilizes the data that is used in the Earth3D virtual globe application. In order to obtain a valid Earth3D certificate, students should research the different areas of science which Earth3D uses data for. The Earth3D program provides numerous map views, including satellite maps, aerial photos, land elevations, street-level maps, urban or regional topographical maps, mountain topographic maps, terrain maps, and coastallines. The Earth3D software can be downloaded to the computer via a USB cable. It utilizes information from NASA, U.S.G. Earth3D is an application that visualizes the earth in a virtual 3D real time 3D view.