World Explorer 3D is a browser-based 3D geospatial exploration application built around real-world map data, including OpenStreetMap-derived roads, buildings, land-use, water, and place context.

It is an interactive exploration app, not a flat map viewer and not a routing/navigation replacement. The focus is immersive place exploration across Earth, Moon, Space, and Ocean destination modes.

• Active and usable, with ongoing iteration.
• Canonical runtime source: app/*.
• Canonical landing/account sources: index.html, account/index.html.
• Hosting/runtime mirror: public/* (public/app/*, public/index.html, public/account/index.html).
• Includes geolocation launch flow and Ocean mode in the current branch.
• Core play, traversal modes, and the large map remain free; donations are optional recognition/support only.

• Launch from preset cities or custom coordinates.
• Use geolocation (Use My Location) in title and globe selector flows.
• Explore in 3D with driving, walking, drone, and rocket traversal.
• Route walk/drive/drone mode changes through one shared travel-mode controller so keyboard and UI transitions stay in sync.
• Keep traversal switches and custom/geolocation launches on safe ground: valid positions stay put, invalid positions resolve to the nearest safe road or ground spawn based on the active mode.
• Switch destinations (Earth, Moon, Space, Ocean) from title and in-game menus.
• Render map-informed world context (roads/buildings/land-use/water) for Earth scenes.
• Apply shared surface rules so polar regions resolve to snow/frozen water and arid regions resolve to sand terrain instead of defaulting everything to temperate grass.
• Add OSM-driven vegetation so forests, woods, parks, tree rows, and individual mapped trees make Earth scenes feel less empty without turning every tile into high-detail foliage.
• Use roads for drive routing and keep walking/navigation aligned to the core road-and-ground traversal network while the separate foot/cycle/rail rollout is paused for cleanup.
• Use one shared building-entry system for exploration and real-estate destinations: E enters supported buildings on demand, OSM indoor data is used when available, and enclosed generated interiors are used as the fallback when it is not.
• Show an enterable-buildings section in the large-map legend; it scans nearby supported buildings on demand and lists mapped/generated/listing-backed interiors that can actually be entered.
• Provide minimap/large-map overlays and runtime controls for exploration, with M for the large map.
• Add performance-conscious rooftop HVAC/detail and broader building color variation so dense cities read less flat/repetitive.
• Support multiplayer/social/account features when backend services are configured.

• Uses OSM ecosystem data in a browser-native 3D interaction model.
• Demonstrates one practical path from OSM feature data to interactive WebGL world exploration.
• Keeps data attribution visible in both runtime UI and repository docs.

This project uses OpenStreetMap data and services in multiple runtime paths. Attribution and data usage notes are documented here:

• DATA_SOURCES.md
• ATTRIBUTION.md
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.md

Required attribution string used by this project:

• © OpenStreetMap contributors

• Primary site: worldexplorer3d.io
• Repository target: RRG314/WorldExplorer3D

Local run:

npm install
cd functions && npm install && cd ..
npm run sync:public
python3 -m http.server --directory public 4173

Open:

• http://127.0.0.1:4173/
• http://127.0.0.1:4173/app/

npm run sync:public
npm run verify:mirror
npm run test
npm run test:world-matrix
npm run release:verify

npm run sync:public also mirrors the repository CNAME file into public/CNAME, so the published Pages artifact keeps the worldexplorer3d.io custom domain attached to the current build.

Targeted feature smoke:

npm run test:osm-smoke
npm run test:world-matrix

npm run test:osm-smoke now also checks Monaco water visibility plus shared polar/desert surface behavior using Arctic, Antarctica, and desert custom coordinates.

• app/ - Canonical browser runtime source (edit here first)
• public/ - Hosting output roots, including public/app/ runtime mirror
• functions/ - Firebase backend functions (auth/social/billing/runtime support)
• scripts/ - Verification and release gate scripts
• tests/ - Rules/runtime tests
• assets/ - Landing and documentation media assets
• docs/ - Research and technical reference material

• DOCUMENTATION_INDEX.md
• QUICKSTART.md
• USER_GUIDE.md
• TECHNICAL_DOCS.md
• GITHUB_DEPLOYMENT.md
• LIMITATIONS.md

OSM ecosystem materials:

• OSM_ECOSYSTEM_METADATA.md
• OSM_WIKI_ENTRY_DRAFT.md

See LIMITATIONS.md for current caveats, including:

• upstream data/service variability (Overpass/geocoding/tile/network)
• browser/device WebGL performance differences
• experimental destination modes (especially Ocean)
• backend-dependent features and deployment prerequisites

This repository is source-available under the custom terms in LICENSE. It is not an OSI open-source license.

Contribution workflow and validation requirements are documented in CONTRIBUTING.md.