You can't beat a globe for studying geography--or can you? Take a look (video demonstration) at Globe 4D, a sphere you can rotate on any axis that combines hardware, software and a data model to study the earth, the sun, or planets. The images can be real time or historic, opening up a wide range of viewing options.
Globe 4D is a research project created by media technology students from Leiden University in The Netherlands. It looks as if it will be fairly easy to commercialize for institutional settings.
--RSN