ArcGlobe is a 3D visualization application that allows you to view large amounts of GIS data on a globe surface.
ArcGlobe provides a new and unique way to view and analyze your GIS data. Spatially referenced data is placed on a 3D globe surface, displayed in its true geodetic location. You can manipulate the globe, then investigate and analyze its data while viewing the globe as a whole or regions within it. You can view data covering a global extent and seamlessly zoom in to highly detailed, localized data. ArcGlobe gives you the power to tame voluminous data while fully employing all information the data can give you. ArcGlobe allows efficient display and query of raster data, and it is integrated to function with the ArcGIS geodatabase while providing support for analysis in the geoprocessing environment.
ArcGlobe ships with a comprehensive set of imagery on DVD, including elevation data for the entire earth. To help you get started and to provide a backdrop for the layers you'll add, ArcGlobe will open with a set of default layers. Then, depending on how you want to use ArcGlobe, the default layers can be changed, replaced with others, or completely removed.
Much of the functionality of ArcGlobe is shared with the ArcScene 3D display environment, though there are several key differences between the two 3D environments.