Getting Started with SommGeo 3D Fast Maps
3D Fast Maps let you explore wine regions in full three-dimensional terrain. Tilt, rotate, and fly through the actual landscape, then use built-in tools to analyze elevation, sunlight exposure, and weather conditions that shape viticulture on the ground.
Getting Oriented
Full Screen
Click the Full Screen button in the lower right corner for the best experience. 3D maps benefit from every pixel of screen space you can give them. The tools and controls remain accessible, but Full Screen lets you work with the terrain without the page frame getting in the way.
Enable Map Scroll
Before you can zoom in and out, click the “Enable Map Scroll” button. This activates scroll-to-zoom within the 3D map frame. When you need to scroll past the map on the page, press it again to disable, otherwise your scroll wheel will zoom the terrain instead of moving the page.
Navigating the 3D Map
Search
Click the magnifying glass icon in the top right. Type any region name (e.g., “Barolo” or “Barossa Valley”) to fly directly there. The search works for appellations, towns, and geographic features, so you can navigate by wine region or by location.
Change Basemap
Click the four-squares icon in the top right to switch between basemap styles. Satellite imagery reveals the actual landscape and land use. Topographic shows contour lines and elevation shading. Pick whichever makes it easiest to read the terrain and region boundaries together.
3D Navigation
Left-click and drag to pan across the map. Right-click and drag to tilt and rotate the 3D view, which is what makes these maps special: you can look at vineyard slopes from the side, study aspect angles, and see how mountains shelter valleys. The compass in the corner resets your view to due north.
Region Popups
Click any mapped region to open its popup with detailed information. Where appellations overlap or nest, you’ll see navigation arrows in the popup header (e.g., “1 of 3”). Use these to cycle through every appellation at that location.
3D Terrain Tools
Daylight & Shadows
Click the sun icon on the left sidebar to open the daylight tool. Set any date and time of year, then animate the sun’s path across the sky. Shadows fall in real time across the 3D terrain, so you can visualize exactly how slope exposure and aspect affect sunlight hours on a given vineyard.
Elevation Profile
Click the graph icon on the left sidebar, then draw a line across the map to generate an elevation cross-section. The tool shows altitude, slope gradient, and distance along the path you’ve drawn. Use it to profile vineyard slopes, measure the elevation difference between a valley floor and a hilltop site, or trace a river valley to see how it cuts through the terrain.
Weather
Click the weather icon on the left sidebar to overlay atmospheric conditions onto the 3D scene. Toggle between clear, cloudy, rainy, snowy, and foggy presets to see how weather patterns interact with the terrain. While this is more of a visualization tool than live data, it helps convey the region in view.
Available on Select Maps
Bookmarks
Look for the ribbon icon in the upper right. Bookmarks are preset views that fly you directly to key areas within that map’s coverage. Think of them as curated starting points: click a bookmark and the map animates to a specific region, angle, and zoom level chosen to highlight something worth seeing. Not all 3D Fast Maps include bookmarks, but where they’re available, they’re the fastest way to navigate.
Layers
Look for the stacked layers icon in the upper right. Where available, this opens a panel that lets you toggle different data layers on and off. You might see separate layers for sub-regional appellations, outlines vs. shading, or classification tiers depending on the map. Turn layers on and off to isolate the data you’re studying without visual clutter from other overlays.
Map Usage & Permissions
Personal Use
You are welcome to use SommGeo 3D Fast Maps for personal, educational, and non-commercial purposes. If you share screenshots or map views, please credit sommgeo.com.
Commercial Use
The use of these maps for any commercial purpose, including websites, print publications, marketing materials, or any other commercial venture, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. To inquire about custom SommGeo platforms, maps, or commercial licensing, please contact greg@sommgeo.com.