diff --git a/src/scripts/components/globe/globe.tsx b/src/scripts/components/globe/globe.tsx
index ddba09842..765d4a636 100644
--- a/src/scripts/components/globe/globe.tsx
+++ b/src/scripts/components/globe/globe.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import React, {FunctionComponent, useRef, useEffect, useState} from 'react';
 
-import getGlobeView, {plainViewToCesiumView} from '../../libs/get-globe-view';
+import {getGlobeView, setGlobeView} from '../../libs/get-globe-view';
 
 import {GlobeView} from '../../types/globe-view';
 import {GlobeProjection} from '../../types/globe-projection';
@@ -66,17 +66,24 @@ const Globe: FunctionComponent<Props> = ({
       return () => {};
     }
 
+    // set correct scene mode
+    const sceneMode =
+      projection === GlobeProjection.Sphere
+        ? Cesium.SceneMode.SCENE3D
+        : Cesium.SceneMode.SCENE2D;
+    const options = {...cesiumOptions, sceneMode};
+
     // create cesium viewer
-    const scopedViewer = new Cesium.Viewer(ref.current, cesiumOptions);
+    const scopedViewer = new Cesium.Viewer(ref.current, options);
 
     // save viewer reference
     setViewer(scopedViewer);
 
     // set initial camera view
-    scopedViewer.scene.camera.setView(plainViewToCesiumView(view));
+    setGlobeView(scopedViewer, view);
 
     // make camera change listener more sensitiv
-    scopedViewer.camera.percentageChanged = 0.01;
+    scopedViewer.camera.percentageChanged = 0.001;
 
     // add camera change listener
     scopedViewer.camera.changed.addEventListener(() => {
@@ -117,7 +124,7 @@ const Globe: FunctionComponent<Props> = ({
       return;
     }
 
-    viewer.scene.camera.setView(plainViewToCesiumView(view));
+    setGlobeView(viewer, view);
   }, [viewer, view]);
 
   return (
diff --git a/src/scripts/components/url-sync/url-sync.tsx b/src/scripts/components/url-sync/url-sync.tsx
index d03881a3c..c44485d89 100644
--- a/src/scripts/components/url-sync/url-sync.tsx
+++ b/src/scripts/components/url-sync/url-sync.tsx
@@ -13,8 +13,13 @@ const UrlSync: FunctionComponent<{}> = () => {
 
   // set globe query params in url when globe state changes
   useEffect(() => {
-    const params = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
     const globeValue = getParamString(globeState);
+
+    if (!globeValue) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const params = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
     params.set('globe', globeValue);
     history.replace({search: params.toString()});
   }, [globeState]);
diff --git a/src/scripts/config/main.ts b/src/scripts/config/main.ts
index 896cbfe18..809962f13 100644
--- a/src/scripts/config/main.ts
+++ b/src/scripts/config/main.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,14 @@ import {GlobeProjection} from '../types/globe-projection';
 const globeState: GlobeState = {
   projection: GlobeProjection.Sphere,
   view: {
-    destination: [18888448, 279066, 15407835],
+    position: {
+      height: 14484862,
+      latitude: 0.659017,
+      longitude: 0.002816
+    },
     orientation: {
-      heading: 6.2,
-      pitch: -1.59,
+      heading: Math.PI * 2,
+      pitch: Math.PI / -2,
       roll: 0
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/scripts/libs/get-globe-view.ts b/src/scripts/libs/get-globe-view.ts
index 0433d623d..7a7f74919 100644
--- a/src/scripts/libs/get-globe-view.ts
+++ b/src/scripts/libs/get-globe-view.ts
@@ -1,39 +1,39 @@
 import 'cesium/Build/Cesium/Cesium';
 
-import {CesiumView} from '../types/cesium-view';
 import {GlobeView} from '../types/globe-view';
 
-export function cesiumViewToPlainView(cesiumView: CesiumView): GlobeView {
-  const {destination} = cesiumView;
+const Cesium = window.Cesium;
 
-  return {
-    ...cesiumView,
-    destination: [destination.x, destination.y, destination.z]
+// set the camera according to the given globe view
+export function setGlobeView(viewer: Cesium.Viewer, view: GlobeView): void {
+  const {position, orientation} = view;
+  const cesiumView = {
+    destination: Cesium.Cartesian3.fromRadians(
+      position.longitude,
+      position.latitude,
+      position.height
+    ),
+    orientation
   };
-}
 
-export function plainViewToCesiumView(plainView: GlobeView): CesiumView {
-  const {destination} = plainView;
-
-  return {
-    ...plainView,
-    destination: window.Cesium.Cartesian3.fromArray(destination)
-  };
+  viewer.scene.camera.setView(cesiumView);
 }
 
-// get the position and camera distance from a cesium viewer
-export default function getGlobeView(viewer: Cesium.Viewer): GlobeView {
+// get the globe view from the current cesium camera
+export function getGlobeView(viewer: Cesium.Viewer): GlobeView {
   const camera = viewer.scene.camera;
-  const destination = camera.positionWC;
+  const position = camera.positionCartographic;
 
-  const cesiumView = {
-    destination,
+  return {
+    position: {
+      longitude: position.longitude,
+      latitude: position.latitude,
+      height: position.height
+    },
     orientation: {
       heading: camera.heading,
       pitch: camera.pitch,
       roll: camera.roll
     }
   };
-
-  return cesiumViewToPlainView(cesiumView);
 }
diff --git a/src/scripts/libs/globe-url-parameter.ts b/src/scripts/libs/globe-url-parameter.ts
index 50ae1d7ed..04bf8c792 100644
--- a/src/scripts/libs/globe-url-parameter.ts
+++ b/src/scripts/libs/globe-url-parameter.ts
@@ -41,28 +41,43 @@ export function parseUrl(): GlobeState | null {
     return null;
   }
 
+  // convert degree to radians
+  values[0] = values[0] * (Math.PI / 180);
+  values[1] = values[1] * (Math.PI / 180);
+
   return {
     view: {
-      orientation: {
-        heading: values[0],
-        pitch: values[1],
-        roll: values[2]
+      position: {
+        longitude: values[0],
+        latitude: values[1],
+        height: values[2]
       },
-      destination: [values[3], values[4], values[5]]
+      orientation: {
+        heading: values[3],
+        pitch: values[4],
+        roll: values[5]
+      }
     },
     projection
   };
 }
 
-export function getParamString(globeState: GlobeState): string {
+export function getParamString(globeState: GlobeState): string | null {
   const {view, projection} = globeState;
-  const {orientation, destination} = view;
+  const {position, orientation} = view;
+  const {longitude, latitude, height} = position;
   const {heading, pitch, roll} = orientation;
+  const values = [longitude, latitude, height, heading, pitch, roll];
+
+  if (values.some(num => isNaN(num))) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  // convert radians to degree
+  values[0] = values[0] * (180 / Math.PI);
+  values[1] = values[1] * (180 / Math.PI);
 
-  const orientationString = [heading, pitch, roll]
-    .map(num => num.toFixed(2))
-    .join(char);
-  const destinationString = destination.map(num => Math.round(num)).join(char);
+  const compactValues = values.map(num => num.toFixed(2));
 
-  return [projection[0], orientationString, destinationString].join(char);
+  return [projection[0], ...compactValues].join(char);
 }
diff --git a/src/scripts/types/cesium-view.d.ts b/src/scripts/types/cesium-view.d.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index c5eb70df0..000000000
--- a/src/scripts/types/cesium-view.d.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-export interface CesiumView {
-  destination: Cesium.Cartesian3;
-  orientation: {
-    heading: number;
-    pitch: number;
-    roll: number;
-  };
-}
diff --git a/src/scripts/types/globe-view.d.ts b/src/scripts/types/globe-view.d.ts
index ccc944d57..e0f0a8f1d 100644
--- a/src/scripts/types/globe-view.d.ts
+++ b/src/scripts/types/globe-view.d.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 export interface GlobeView {
-  destination: [number, number, number];
+  position: {
+    longitude: number;
+    latitude: number;
+    height: number;
+  };
   orientation: {
     heading: number;
     pitch: number;