A head mounted display device, comprising: a display; a sensor configured to detect a position and orientation of a head of a user; a pair of near-ear speakers; and a processor configured to: receive map data of a three-dimensional environment; receive a three-dimensional data set representing a phenomenon selected from the group consisting of an atmospheric phenomenon, an oceanographic phenomenon, a crowd phenomenon, and a traffic phenomenon; detect a location within the three-dimensional environment of a first predefined feature in the three-dimensional data set; place a spatial audio emitter anchor at the detected location of the first predefined feature in the three-dimensional environment, the spatial audio emitter having an emitter boundary surrounding the detected location; determine a current location of the user in the virtual environment based on a signal from the sensor; display the map data of the three-dimensional environment with a graphical representation of the three-dimensional data set based on the determined current location of the user; responsive to determining that the current location of the user is outside of the emitter boundary, play the spatial audio emitter in a spatial audio mode via the near-ear speakers; and responsive to determining that the current location of the user is inside the emitter boundary, ceasing to play the spatial audio emitter in spatial audio mode, and commencing playing the spatial audio emitter in a two-dimensional immersive stereo mode; and wherein the processor is further configured to: detect an observation of a second predefined feature in the map data at a location proximate to the detected location of the first predefined feature in the data set, wherein the second predefined feature is detected from terrain data, building data, vegetation data, or road data in the map data; and adjust a characteristic of audio played by the audio emitter based upon the detection of the first predefined feature and the second predefined feature. a display; a sensor configured to detect a position and orientation of a head of a user; a pair of near-ear speakers; and a processor configured to: receive map data of a three-dimensional environment; receive a three-dimensional data set representing a phenomenon selected from the group consisting of an atmospheric phenomenon, an oceanographic phenomenon, a crowd phenomenon, and a traffic phenomenon; detect a location within the three-dimensional environment of a first predefined feature in the three-dimensional data set; place a spatial audio emitter anchor at the detected location of the first predefined feature in the three-dimensional environment, the spatial audio emitter having an emitter boundary surrounding the detected location; determine a current location of the user in the virtual environment based on a signal from the sensor; display the map data of the three-dimensional environment with a graphical representation of the three-dimensional data set based on the determined current location of the user; responsive to determining that the current location of the user is outside of the emitter boundary, play the spatial audio emitter in a spatial audio mode via the near-ear speakers; and responsive to determining that the current location of the user is inside the emitter boundary, ceasing to play the spatial audio emitter in spatial audio mode, and commencing playing the spatial audio emitter in a two-dimensional immersive stereo mode; receive map data of a three-dimensional environment; receive a three-dimensional data set representing a phenomenon selected from the group consisting of an atmospheric phenomenon, an oceanographic phenomenon, a crowd phenomenon, and a traffic phenomenon; detect a location within the three-dimensional environment of a first predefined feature in the three-dimensional data set; place a spatial audio emitter anchor at the detected location of the first predefined feature in the three-dimensional environment, the spatial audio emitter having an emitter boundary surrounding the detected location; determine a current location of the user in the virtual environment based on a signal from the sensor; display the map data of the three-dimensional environment with a graphical representation of the three-dimensional data set based on the determined current location of the user; responsive to determining that the current location of the user is outside of the emitter boundary, play the spatial audio emitter in a spatial audio mode via the near-ear speakers; and responsive to determining that the current location of the user is inside the emitter boundary, ceasing to play the spatial audio emitter in spatial audio mode, and commencing playing the spatial audio emitter in a two-dimensional immersive stereo mode; and wherein the processor is further configured to: detect an observation of a second predefined feature in the map data at a location proximate to the detected location of the first predefined feature in the data set, wherein the second predefined feature is detected from terrain data, building data, vegetation data, or road data in the map data; and adjust a characteristic of audio played by the audio emitter based upon the detection of the first predefined feature and the second predefined feature.