Most people already know that World Wind's elevation data is far better than what Google Earth uses. What most people don't know is that you can use your own elevation data as well, it is just not that easy to do.
As you can see in this post on the World Wind forum:
... using more or less the same method than for the images
Our company developped its own set of tools to process the DTM and integrate it in WW.
On this page you can see some examples of GE terrain data, World Wind terrain data and the user added terrain data.
Here is an example of a location in GE:

Here is the same site in WW:

And with user processed high resolution terrain:


DEM Resolutions in Virtual Globes and World Wind...
The Earth is Square offers a small but informative entry on DEM resolutions in virtual globes. From the blog: "Most people already know that World Wind's elevation data is far better than what Google Earth uses. What most people don't know is that y...
for comparison this is how the coast near Marseille looks in Virtual Earth birdseye imagery. Don't need 3D if I can get this: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=r64m7fhfc6nm&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=11050851
[...] and research. While it is not yet 100% accurate, with some more revisions to the code, and adding in more accurate elevation data; you would be able to get a fairly accurate flood model for an [...]