It has been very exciting to watch what everyone is building with the new Mapbox globe view since it launched. In this post, I’ve collected some favorite globe projects shared on Twitter over the last month that are inspiring me and other developers and designers at Mapbox. 

Globe really brings back the sense of curiosity I felt when Google Earth first came out. Only this time there are hundreds of earths to explore because developers can build whatever they want. - Will White, co-founder, Mapbox

Once you’ve found your inspiration, get started with a globe project with documentation for web, mobile iOS or Android, and Mapbox Studio - or check out my 90 second tutorial!

1, 2, 3, Globe!

The ease of adding globe view is apparent from the existing applications that are adopting it. Two amazing examples of live apps come from the creators of Macrostrat and River Runner.

One of the many beautiful things about globe view is that GL JS features, like pop-ups, continue to work. Check out what Emmanuel Jolaiya is trying out for Spatialnode.

Another feature that also plays well with globe view is data-driven styling on custom data layers, as spotted in Matt Berg’s map of global power plants.

John Wiseman generated a lot of interest with a map of GPS interference worldwide derived from aircraft ADS-B transponder data, using a heatmap visualization.

For more data visualization globes, check out Kyle Walker’s extruded polygon choropleth.

A world to explore

Globe view also sparks creative new ways to think about place and geography via an interactive, spinning ball. Chris Arderne’s ‘Cardinality’ charts the cardinal directions of a landmass or country.

Topi Tjukanov and Darren Wiens are both using globe view to explore what’s on the other side of the world from any given point.

Globe view also inspires new perspectives. Why settle for bird’s-eye 2D maps or having north always be at the top? Consider Olwg’s reimagining of a CO2 emissions visualization as viewed from the north.

Or take a polar perspective with Jean Baptiste Barré’s visualization of glacier thickness.

Animations also look amazing in globe view, like this sneak peak of a weather map by the developers at AerisWeather.

Stories from across the globe

New globe features like a slow spinning effect make a globe map come alive, as developer Nicolas Hoizey confirms with an interactive map of photo locations.

Developer Nono Umasy is building beautiful globe maps for history lovers and travelers, combining custom styles and bezier curve lines to trace out globe-trotting journeys from Magellan to his own modern day expeditions.

And another one for the history books: Keir Clarke at Maps Mania showed how to turn digitized historical maps into interactive globes.

Embracing storytelling globes to the next level, Rudo Kemper combined globe view and the Mapbox storytelling solution to create an interactive global tour through 14 years of Digital Democracy’s impact partnerships. Paul Franz used globe view in a storytelling map to provide context for Crisis Group’s explainer about maritime tensions with Iran.

Globe artists

Globe view has sparked sharing of fantastic custom styles, like Owen Powell’s graphic novel style.

Steve Attewell is already stretching the applications of globe view into new creative frontiers, with his map-painting generator Stippler and the very appropriate virtual International Space Station.

And no globe showcase is complete without Pratik Yadav’s face globe, the top performing #mapboxglobe tweet 🤦😂 Well played, Pratik, well played.

Want more globe maps? Follow @mapbox on Twitter and hashtag #mapboxglobe.