Live world map

[Psaumure]

Here is a live world map that I'm working on. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve it?

[Big Frank]

I like the colours and the layout It's very authentic looking. What does not resonate with me is the flatness of the animation. It doesn't appear as if it is a globe turning. It looks as if a 2D image of the world is sliding across a clipviewed circle. It needs something more than a shadow and a highlight, I think, no?

[Psaumure]

I agree with you but I'm looking for some advice on how to make it look a little more three-dimensional. I've done shadowing and lighting effects trying give it a three-dimensional illusion. I'm looking for some additional techniques to pull off this illusion. Any suggestions?

[sylvan]

Nice work Psaumure! The only thing that I could find that might bring an element of interesting feature is if, at every rotation of the earth that it would stop and then zoom in on a great place (perhaps the area that I live in! Then after a few seconds it would resume it's rotation.

[ss-kalm]

The land masses have to be compressed at the edges, so they look like they're rotating into/out of view. Although I haven't a clue how you'd do it!

[salaam]

I think that the only way you could do it simply would be to show less information.
Make the lit areas white and the unlit black with a little actual visual photo in the middle.
Alternatively you could create a minimum of 5 animations (4 edges and a centre image) which in practice is extremely difficult.

[Psaumure]

In this one I tried using some transparency in the map and having the underlying sphere solid. I've turned the map so it is moving down and to the right at the same time. I have not been able to figure out how to create perspective in a moving map. I'm still working on it but maybe this will generate some comments that will help the development of the map.

Thank you everyone for your comments and your contributions.

[ss-kalm]

Doesn't look too bad, but there seem to be a lighter edge around the map. Personally I'd make the edge of the circle darker, maybe even substantially darker. Also I'd make the shading elliptical, smaller at the poles, and wider at the edges