How I built a real-time, 3D interactive Data Globe with visualization platform

I love data, but I hate spreadsheets. Staring at rows of ISO codes and GDP numbers never really conveys the true scale of global shifts in climate, economy, or population. So, I decided to build something better. Meet Heat Globe : an entirely free, interactive, 3D WebGL data visualization platform. It renders thousands of data points, complex choropleth maps, and live data sockets directly onto a 3D Earth, running at a smooth 60fps in the browser. In this post, I want to break down how I built it, the tech stack I chose to handle complex rendering, and how I integrated an AI Analyst directly into the globe's UI. * The Tech Stack * Building a high-performance 3D web app requires a carefully curated stack. Here are the tools that made Heat Globe possible: Next.js 15 (React 19) : For the core framework, routing, and fast SSR/CSR hybrid rendering. Three.js & React Three Fiber (R3F ): The backbone of the 3D globe. R3F is brilliant because it allows you to compose complex 3D scenes declarati