Plot the earth in Processing.org using data from (http://download.geonames.org/export/dump/). Need to download cities1000.txt from the geonames.org site and add to the sketch.

earth.pde

class City {
  String name;
  int population;
  color col;
  float x;
  float y;
  float z;

  City(String cityname, int pop, float lat, float lon) {
    name = cityname;
    population = pop;
    float rad = (float)(spheresz+1);
    lat =  radians(lat);
    lon = -radians(lon);
    x = rad * cos(lat) * cos(lon);
    y = rad * cos(lat) * sin(lon);
    z = rad * sin(lat);
  }
}

boolean hidesurface=false;
int spheresz;

// start pointing at the UK-ish
float rotX = 0.7;
float rotY = 0.0;
float rotZ = 1.9;
ArrayList cities;

void setup() {
  size(800, 800, OPENGL);
  stroke(255, 50);
  fill(100, 0, 100);
  smooth();
  spheresz = int(0.4*width);
  cities = new ArrayList();

  BufferedReader reader = createReader("cities1000.txt");
  String[] cols;  
  try { 
    cols = split(reader.readLine(), '\t');
    while (cols != null) {
      float lat = float(cols[4]);
      float lon = float(cols[5]);
      int pop = int(cols[14]);

      if (pop > 0) {
        cities.add(new City(cols[1], pop, lat, lon));
      }      
      cols = split(reader.readLine(), '\t');
    }
  } 
  catch (IOException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
    exit();
  }
}

void draw() {
  background(0);
  translate(width/2, width/2, 0);
  fill(0, 0, 100);
  noStroke();
  if(!hidesurface)
    sphere(spheresz);

  rotateY(rotY);
  rotateX(rotX);
  rotateZ(rotZ);

  fill(0, 150, 0); 
  stroke(0, 150, 0);
  beginShape(POINTS);
  for (int i=0; i<cities.size(); i++) {
    City c = (City)cities.get(i);
    vertex(c.x,c.y,c.z);
    
    // create new shape every 200 pts to prevent out of memory error
    if (i%200==0) {
      endShape(POINTS);
      beginShape(POINTS);
    }
  }
  endShape(POINTS);
}


void keyPressed() {
  switch (key) {
  case 'x': 
    rotX+=0.1; 
    break;
  case 'X': 
    rotX-=0.1; 
    break;
  case 'y': 
    rotY+=0.1; 
    break;
  case 'Y': 
    rotY-=0.1; 
    break;
  case 'z': 
    rotZ+=0.1; 
    break;
  case 'Z': 
    rotZ-=0.1; 
    break;
  case ' ':
    hidesurface = !hidesurface;
    break;
  default: 
    println("(rotX,rotY,rotZ)=("+rotX+","+rotY+","+rotZ+")");
  }
}