Matlab script for 3D visualizing geodata on a rotating globe

We present a Matlab package for visualizing global data on a 3D sphere, whose rotation can be animated. Planetary elevation data sets such as geoid height or Earth topography can easily be represented through a slightly exaggerated, colored 3D relief, and then saved either as images or animations. All necessary parameters for the 3D visualization and animation are described and their usage is demonstrated on examples. Among other things, users are shown how to easily create their own color scales. In principle, any geoscientific scalar data given on a global grid of longitudes and latitudes can be visualized with this package. The package requires only the basic module of Matlab, running on an ordinary PC or notebook, and it is available for free download at http://www.asu.cas.cz/~bezdek/vyzkum/rotating_3d_globe/.