More than Names - Digital Earth and/or Virtual Globes?

This contribution suggests that the variety of terms used to refer to Digital Earth, the most widely used formulation, expresses a range of associations and meanings that appeal to different overarching concepts of the relationship between this phenomena and societys’ ongoing engagement with our place in the world. Gelernter’s Mirror Worlds concept, is an apt starting point for considering Digital Earth, one, however, we should be careful to consider and critique. Reflection on the usages of various terms should play a role in our considerations of what we wish to accomplish through our work and what we aspiret to in next generation Digital Earth environments. Different terms, for example, Digital Earths are perhaps more suitable for some communities.