The release of Global Mapper version 21 introduced support for publishing map data directly to an online MangoMap. In this presentation, we are joined by Chris Brown, MangoMap CEO, as we explore this new data sharing capability.
Get the most cutting edge and affordable GIS tools by renewing your Global Mapper license
At Blue Marble Geographics, we pride ourselves on providing cutting edge technology that is ahead of the geospatial-industry curve. We are constantly improving our tools and we release multiple new versions of our GIS software Global Mapper® every year. This means that users who don’t upgrade their Global Mapper license regularly are missing out on the latest features.
Here is what users who haven’t renewed their license since 2017 are missing:
Editing 3D geospatial data
We believe that viewing and editing 3D data should be a standard functionality in today’s GIS software. Since 2017, we have made several enhancements in this area, adding new 3D editing options and tools that don’t require the purchase of a software extension.
Here are some of the improvements introduced in versions 20 and 21 of Global Mapper:
- Ability to replace the texture of 3D meshes
- Create textured 3D models from terrain and draped imagery
- Create point clouds from meshes or 3D models
Visualizing 3D and 2D geospatial data
Version 21 also introduced new options that help users view data, such as a tool for creating 3D lines using the fly- and walk-mode paths in the 3D viewer. After recording these paths, users can create fly-through videos of their 3D work more easily.
Another new tool that aids with the visualization of data is the Animation toolbar, which allows users to display layers in a timed sequence and is designed for visualizing change over time.
Both of these features were highlighted in our recent blog entry “Top 5 new features of Global Mapper v21”.
Faster and smoother performance for 3D data
Version 21 of Global Mapper has significant speed improvements for loading and working with workspaces, Global Mapper Package (GMP) files, and vector data with attributes. Load time and smoothness for displaying large datasets or vector formats, such as shapefiles, has also improved dramatically over the past couple of years. This especially applies to files with large numbers of attributes. In some cases, a hundredfold increase in speed has been observed.
Efficiency and organizational improvements in Global Mapper
Both versions 20 and 21 arrived with improvements to managing and organizing data more easily. Label creation and editing, for instance, improved dramatically, allowing for labels to be moved, rotated, formatted, and deleted individually.
Here are some of the improvements that helped with efficiency and organization:
- Improved feature label creation and management
- Improved layer management with target layer selection now available in all vector feature creation dialog boxes
- Improved layer template creation for form-based data collection
- Show a line legend on the Path Profile
Global Mapper’s data format and feature support
Global Mapper is known for its support of more than 300 formats — a list that grows continually. For example, support was added for OpenFlight, HEC-RAS raster and vector formats in the release of version 20.1.
Caption:Support for S-52 symbology for S-57 charts was introduced in Global Mapper v20.1.
Feature support has also been expanded in the past 2 years, ranging from chart symbology to touchscreen support. Here are some new features that are included in the latest version of Global Mapper:
- Support for S-52 symbology for S-57 charts
- Support for downloading vector features from Esri RESTful data sources
- Support for batch converting between 3D model formats (i.e. Blender, Collada DAE, OBJ, Sketchup, etc.)
Expanded options for multi-band imagery
Many users have requested more options for working with multi-band imagery. Here are a couple we have added over the past couple of years:
- Export multi-band (4+ band) raster with feathering
- Resample or contrast adjust multi-band image exports (4+ bands)
Touchscreen support:
- Full touchscreen gesture support, including 2D and 3D map navigation
- Access right-click context menus from a touchscreen
- Expanded support for Windows Tablet and touchscreen computers
Get the Global Mapper tech support you need
Every Global Mapper purchase comes with 12 months of Maintenance & Support. By renewing a license or moving to the latest version, users have uninterrupted access to the excellent support provided by Blue Marble Geographics’ applications specialists.
Upgrade or purchase a new Global Mapper license for the newest features and support
Users who renew their Global Mapper licenses annually get the latest and greatest technology, and maintain their access to Blue Marble’s unparalleled support.
Renew your Global Mapper license today to take advantage of all of the latest features.
Top 5 new features of Blue Marble’s advanced point cloud processing, photogrammetry, and drone mapping software the LiDAR Module®
Over the past few years, Blue Marble Geographics®’ advanced point cloud processing tool has developed into a professional photogrammetry and drone-mapping software. The latest version of the Global Mapper LiDAR Module comes with several enhancements, many of which are to the Pixels-to-Points tool for generating point clouds and 3D meshes from drone-captured images.
Here are the top 5 new features of Blue Marble’s Global Mapper LiDAR Module:
1. Automatic point cloud classification of pole-like objects
Manually classifying point cloud data can be time-consuming and tedious. This is why the Global Mapper LiDAR Module comes with automatic point cloud classification tools for points representing ground, buildings, vegetation, noise, powerlines, and most recently added poles.
The new pole classification tool identifies and classifies points of pole-like objects, such as signs, lamp-posts, utility poles, basketball hoops, and other cylindrical features.
With this tool, users can define the characteristics of the poles they would like to see classified. For example, they can define the minimum height and number of points per pole. They can also define a “pole-like” threshold, allowing for either rigid or relaxed definitions of a pole. For instance, a simple post would typically have a pole-like threshold of 90 – 100%, whereas some straight trees may have a pole-like threshold of 35 – 40%.
2. Photo masking in the photogrammetric tool Pixels to Points for eliminating unwanted backgrounds or data from images
Not all image-data is ideal or necessary in photogrammetrically generated point clouds. This is why an option for photo masking was introduced to the Pixels to Points tool in version 21 of the Global Mapper LiDAR Module. Masking allows users to cut out unwanted areas from images, such as swaths of data that tend to not reconstruct well in a point cloud, like sky or water. It also allows users to crop their data down to focus on specific interest areas, which also shortens the point cloud generation process.
3. Ground coverage polygons for showing the approximate ground coverage of drone-captured photos
Photogrammetrically generated point clouds can require hundreds of drone-captured images. To make it easier to manage and visualize the ground-coverage area of each photo, the latest version of the Global Mapper LiDAR Module’s Pixels to Points tool displays the ground extent of each input photo. Displaying these coverage-area polygons can also help users visualize the overlap of adjacent selected images.
4. Additional support for importing accurate GPS information from external text files
In the latest version of the LiDAR Module, users can update the image-capture location — EXIF information — from a text file. This allows users who have high-accuracy positioning in their orthoimages and point clouds — such as PPK — the ability to overwrite the initial geotag information that comes with their drone-captured images. This is a valuable feature for surveyors who need highly accurate photogrammetric point clouds or meshes.
5. Identification of images that contain selected ground control points based on their location
Another improvement to the Pixels to Points tool is the ability to see images that contain the same ground control points. When a single image is selected, the tool automatically suggests and highlights all image file names that may contain common ground control points. This makes selecting images based on location much easier and faster.
Accessible photogrammetry and point cloud processing software
Most of the improvements to the latest release of the Global Mapper LiDAR Module are to the photogrammetric point cloud generation tool Pixels to Points. This functionality allows GIS professionals easier access to point cloud data as drones and cameras become more affordable.
To try the Pixels to Points tool and the other powerful tools that come with the Global Mapper LiDAR Module, request a free two-week trial after downloading Global Mapper® here.
What is an SDK? Using the Global Mapper SDK in third-party software and extensions
“SDK” stands for Software Development Kit. It’s an installable package of software development tools that enables programmers and engineers to create applications and extensions. In other words, software developers use SDKs like car mechanics use car parts. Mechanics don’t reinvent the brakes, axle, or transmission when they build a car. They buy the parts and put the car together.
When software developers want to add a certain functionality to their application, they don’t necessarily need to build everything from scratch. Instead, they might be able to use an SDK that offers the functionality they need. To make development easier and faster, SDKs are often packaged with other programs for translating code, testing, and debugging.
Blue Marble Geographics® offers SDKs that include the functionality of most of its GIS and geodetics applications to assist developers with their projects. In this blog entry, we’ll take a look at two user-case examples involving the Global Mapper® SDK: one in which the kit was used within the third-party software WindSim; and another in which a custom Global Mapper extension was created for BGC Engineering’s cloud-based platform.
But first, a little information on Global Mapper
Global Mapper is Blue Marble’s all-in-one geographic information system (GIS) software. It is designed for analyzing geographic information, making maps, visualizing 3D and point cloud data, generating and editing digital terrain models, and managing other geographic information. It’s used in a broad range of industries — ranging from military and defense to natural resources management — for countless purposes.
With every release of Blue Marble desktop software, there is an update to the accompanying SDK. The latest releases of the Global Mapper SDK and LiDAR Module® SDK, for example, incorporate several enhancements from the recent version 21 releases. A major addition to the LiDAR Module SDK is the ability to leverage the LiDAR Module’s photogrammetric tool — Pixels to Points® — for generating point clouds from drone or UAV images.
So, as you can imagine, the Blue Marble SDKs allow for infinite possibilities.
WindSim: Extracting elevation and vegetation data with the Global Mapper SDK
WindSim is a wind energy software that uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to optimize the placement of wind turbines for maximum energy production and profitability. The application provides a fast and easy way to simulate and assess the local wind conditions of prospective sites for wind-energy development.
Topography plays an important role in determining the position of a turbine. A difference of only a few hundred meters in positioning can have a significant impact on a turbine’s energy production. In order to calculate local wind or “flow” conditions for any given location, WindSim needed the ability to extract global terrain and vegetation data. This functionality was added to WindSim with the Global Mapper SDK.
“Within the wind energy sector, knowledge about the local wind conditions are particularly valuable,” said Dr. Arne R. Gravdahl, CTO and Founder of WindSim. “The success of WindSim Express relies on the easy extraction of terrain data globally.”
Learn more about WindSim at windsim.com.
BGC Engineering: Creating an extension for Global Mapper to export maps
BGC Engineering Inc. (BGC) is an international consulting firm that developed the mixed-reality software system The Ada Platform™ (Ada) for the holographic visualization of applied earth science engineering data.
Ada is cutting edge technology that uses the Global Mapper SDK in a button extension for exporting files from the Global Mapper desktop software. The extension prepares the data for use in Ada’s cloud-based platform. Users can simply drag and drop these files into the tool to quickly share tabletop maps as 3D holograms.
“[The SDK] allows users to access unprecedented viewing capabilities that add considerable value to the high-quality GIS data that Global Mapper provides,” said Keith Lay, Digital Marketing Manager at BGC Engineering Inc. “By viewing this data on the HoloLens, both technical and non-technical stakeholders can view, interact with, and collaborate on complex applied earth science data as never before.”
Learn more about BGC Engineering’s mixed-reality software system The Ada Platform here: adaplatform.io
SDK updates with each Blue Marble software release
As Blue Marble Geographics’ products grow more sophisticated with every release, so do the possibilities for its development customers who are working on geospatial technology.
To learn more about the GIS and geodetics SDKs that Blue Marble Geographics offers, visit bluemarblegeo.com.
Top 5 New Features of Global Mapper v21
The release of version 21 of the affordable and easy GIS software Global Mapper came with several enhancements, but here are the top 5 features of Global Mapper v21:
1. Bring Global Mapper online with the MangoMap Extension
In order to provide a simple and efficient way to share web maps directly from Global Mapper v21, Blue Marble Geographics partnered with MangoMap — an online mapping service.
Users who set up a MangoMap account within Global Mapper have the ability to create a Global Mapper Map Portal; share multi-layered GIS content with customers; and publish spatial data to share projects with their coworkers. MangoMap web maps include legends and querying tools, providing a dynamic way of viewing shared geospatial information.
Here is a sample of a Global Mapper map published to a MangoMap site.
In Global Mapper v21, users can try MangoMap for free by creating an account. Learn more here.
2. Layer animation tools for automatically displaying a sequence
The new layer Animation toolbar in Global Mapper v21 helps with spatio-temporal data analysis by automatically displaying layers in a sequential flow, illustrating change over time. Depending on the nature of the data, users can control the speed and duration of the playback of their data layers by using the keyframing buttons.
3. Improved feature label creation and management
Professionals working in cartography say that the format and layout of a well-designed map always needs some level of human input. This is why the ability to manually create and edit labels was dramatically improved in Global Mapper v21. Vector labels can now be assigned to their own layers, which makes formatting, moving, rotating, and deleting individual labels much easier.
4. A tool for identifying local peaks and depressions in a terrain layer
Also new in Global Mapper v21 is an option for finding local peaks and depressions using the contour tool. This option generates point features that represent high and low points in terrain data, which is ideal for some hydrology analysis such as flood containment monitoring, and for planning engineering projects such as radio transmitter placement.
5. The ability to record a fly-through path using the fly-mode and walk-mode in the 3D Viewer
Since version 16, Global Mapper has been able to record fly-through videos, which involved drawing a fly-through path using the Digitizer tool. In version 21, users can now “draw” a fly-through path by recording their movements in fly-mode and walk-mode in the 3D Viewer.
Since the fly-through feature in Global Mapper is an easy way to create videos of 3D data and terrain, it’s commonly used for real estate and property management, planning drone or UAV flight paths or simply creating a compelling presentation of your GIS data to stakeholders
There’s much more to Global Mapper
Global Mapper comes with many more data-creating, editing, rendering, and analysis tools, ranging from digital terrain model generation to viewshed analysis. A two-week free trial of this all-in-one and affordable GIS software can be downloaded here.
Webinar: What’s New in Global Mapper v21
The version 21 release of Global Mapper introduces an extensive list of new and updated functionality across all areas of the software, including the LiDAR Module.
In this hour-long presentation, we introduce the highlights including:
- Integrated MangoMap publishing
- A new version of Global Mapper Mobile
- A major upgrade to feature label creating and editing
- An ingenious tool for finding local peaks and depressions in a terrain layer
- A new option to record a fly-mode or walk-mode path in the 3D Viewer as a 3D line feature
- Improved layer template creation for form-based data collection
- Layer animation allowing the display of a sequence of layers to visualize change over time
- Significantly improved vector layer management
And for LiDAR Module users:
- A new tool for identifying and reclassifying power poles from a point cloud
- Numerous upgrades to the Pixels to Points tool
- And much more
Blue Got Mail – Reducing the vertex count of a vector file
Billy Noble, Applications Specialist at Blue Marble Geographics, answers questions that come into the technical support inbox. In this video, Billy demonstrates how to reduce the vertex count of a vector file in Global Mapper.
Using Global Mapper and Global Mapper Mobile to Prepare for a 186-Mile Bike Ride
After I crossed the finish line of the Trek Across Maine in 2018, I immediately signed up for the next ride without hesitation.
The cycling event takes place over three days and spans 180 miles — starting in the western mountains of Maine and ending on the state’s coast. It benefits the American Lung Association, which is why I chose it as my first cycling event to participate in. I rode in honor of my grandmother who had COPD.
When I finished the 2018 Trek, I was so excited that:
- I survived!
- I got to see a beautiful part of the state I live in
- I would be so much more confident on the next Trek because now I knew the route
But then the Trek organizers changed the route for 2019. *womp, womp, womp*
Instead of starting at Sunday River and ending in Belfast, the 2019 Trek would start and end in Brunswick, making a 186-mile loop in central Maine. The route wouldn’t “trek across” anymore, it would “trek around”.
On top of learning about the new route, I hurt my knee badly in January while doing a simple leg stretch (lame!) which was a training-changing injury. So, with a lowered confidence, I wanted to learn more about the new route.
Here’s how I used Global Mapper to visualize and mentally prepare for the 2019 Trek, and how I used Global Mapper Mobile to record my 186-mile journey.
Using Online Data and the Path Profile Tool in Global Mapper
The Trek provides GPX files for each day of the ride on the organization’s website. I downloaded these files; dragged them into Global Mapper; and uploaded elevation data, satellite imagery, and a street map from Global Mapper’s free online data sources.
Using the elevation data, I created path profile views of each of the three riding days. This allowed me to see which of the days would have the largest climbs and where those hills were located. After only a few minutes looking at the data, I could see that Day 2 would be the most challenging. Only ten miles into the 62-mile day, there would be a 375-foot climb, four 225-foot hills, and another 375-footer at mile 45.
I also explored the “design” of the route by looking at it over satellite imagery to see the vegetation and water bodies I would be riding by. Although Day 2 appeared to be the toughest, it also looked as if it would provide some beautiful views over lakes in the rural Fayette and Readfield area.
Planning Training Rides in Global Mapper
Looking at the path profiles helped me plan my own rides for training. After talking to some cyclists and looking up popular routes in my area, I planned a 28-mile training ride from my apartment in Portland to Gray that included a 375-foot climb — a hill similar to those two big ones on Day 2.
Using the Digitizer in Global Mapper and my online data, I mapped out this training ride, too.
Exporting my Map for the Road
In addition to using Global Mapper to look at the path profiles of each day of the Trek, I also used it to add vector points representing each rest stop along the route. After adding these points, I was ready to export my map as a Global Mapper Mobile Package (GMMP) file. Global Mapper 21 and Global Mapper Mobile v2 will allow for a native projection to be retained in a GMMP file. So as I exported, I chose to retain my projection, in my case just for visualization purposes.
I uploaded this file to my Global Mapper Mobile app, and planned on adding data to it while on the 186-mile ride.
Picture Points and the Measuring Tool in Global Mapper Mobile
June 14, 2019 was the first day of the Trek. I had my map in my Global Mapper Mobile app, and I was ready to start documenting my ride!
There are a few ways I could add photos to my map in Global Mapper Mobile. I could create points on my map from geotagged photos, or I could take photos right in the app and add them as attributes to previously existing points. Since I take so many photos with my iPhone camera, I chose to add photos using the Picture Point Create Mode — creating points from photos I had taken outside of Global Mapper Mobile.
I originally planned on using the app primarily for documenting my ride, but I found it useful in other instances.
When Day 2 really turned out to be the hardest day, I opened Global Mapper Mobile at the third rest stop to see the distance between me and Colby College — the destination of that day. It was a long 21.6 kilometers (13.4 miles) to ride with sore seat-bones and my disappointment in the shortage of fluffernutter sandwiches at this stop.
Global Mapper and Global Mapper Mobile: Easy as Riding a Bike
As Day 2 proved to me, riding a bike isn’t always easy. But GIS software can be!
I am not a GIS professional. I know that editing and exporting a simple map of a bike route isn’t rocket science. But Global Mapper’s user-friendliness made that non-rocket science even easier.
It took just a few minutes of viewing the route with elevation, street, and satellite data to get a better idea of what the 2019 Trek would be like. Even though exporting my Trek map to Global Mapper Mobile was the first time I had used the desktop and mobile apps in tandem, it was a very straight-forward process.
When I returned back to the office after my second Trek Across Maine, I exported my GMMP file from Global Mapper Mobile and imported it to my Global Mapper desktop. I clicked the vector point labeled “Finish Line” with the Feature Info tool, and up popped a photo of me and my Trek Across Maine team.
Immediately after that picture was taken, I signed up for Trek 2020 without hesitation.
Chelsea Ellis is Graphics and Content Coordinator at Blue Marble Geographics. Her responsibilities range from creating the new button graphics for the redesigned interface of Global Mapper 18 to editing promotional videos; from designing print marketing material to scheduling social media posts. Prior to joining the Blue Marble team, Ellis worked in graphic design at Maine newspapers, and as a freelance photographer.
Global Mapper Tutorials: Generating Contours
In this short video tutorial, we explore Global Mapper’s contour creation capability and we discuss the various option and settings that can applied during the process. Use the links below to jump ahead to a specific section:
- – Contour Generation Options (0 – 7:39)
- – Smoothing Selected Contour Lines (7:40 – 9:28)
- – Removing Polygons by Line Length (9:29 – 11:27)
- – Contour Labels and Index Contours (11:28 – 14:06)
- – Defining Zoom Level Ranges (14:07 – 19:05)
- – Generating Elevation Polygons with the Create Contours Tool (19:06 – 22:15)
If you have questions about this topic or or about any other Global Mapper feature or function, email geohelp@bluemarblegeo.com If you are new to Global Mapper, you can download a free trial version at globalmapper.com/download
Top Five New Features in Geographic Calculator SP1
Chelsea E | Projections
In early June, we introduced the first service pack update of Geographic Calculator 2019. The new features and functions in this version of Blue Marble’s coordinate conversion software are designed to improve its user-friendliness, accessibility, and efficiency. Although some changes seem slight, such as easier access to recently opened files, they have a big impact on user’s productivity in the software.
Here is a list of the top five new features of Geographic Calculator 2019 SP1:
1. Support for Open Document Spreadsheet (ODS) format
In Geographic Calculator 2019 SP1, we added support for the open-source table format Open Document Spreadsheets (ODS) to make Geographic Calculator more accessible to OpenOffice users.
2. Support for batch processing of Area Calculation jobs
Before the 2019 service pack, users had to process Area Calculation jobs one by one. In Geographic Calculator 2019 SP1, we’ve added batch support for performing mass calculations for multiple area files.
3. Support for the new Equal Earth projection
In 2018, Bojan Savic, Bernhard Jenny, and Tom Patterson invented the Equal Earth projection that is inspired by the Robinson projection but retains the relative size of areas. We’ve added this new projection to the long list of projections available in Geographic Calculator.
4. Bulk Export to WKT for coordinate systems
Chelsea E | Projections
Users can now bulk export multiple coordinate systems (or coordinate transformations) together in one WKT file in Geographic Calculator 2019 SP1. This supports interoperability of data across platforms where coordinate systems may or may not be standardized. You can now manage your coordinate systems in Geographic Calculator, and then quickly export them to standardize the options in your other mapping packages for display and analysis.
5. Updates to the Project Manager
The Project Manager in this service pack version has been updated to be the one-stop-shop for users to process and see the status of jobs in one location. In previous versions of Geographic Calculator, process status was located at the bottom of the interface, taking up screen space.
Over the past 26 years, Geographic Calculator has become an industry leader for accurate coordinate reference system and datum management. This most recent version of the software streamlines user accessibility with new batch and bulk export options, and the additional support for universal and open-source formats.