Global Mapper SDK and LiDAR Module SDK v18.1 Released

Hallowell, Maine – March 15, 2017 - Blue Marble Geographics is pleased to announce the immediate availability of version 18.1 of the Global Mapper Software Development Kit (SDK) along with the Global Mapper LiDAR Module SDK. The latest upgrade to this powerful developer's toolkit incorporates many of the functional enhancements and performance improvements that were introduced with the recent release of the desktop version of Global Mapper. In tandem with the desktop version, the SDK introduces several new tools for optimizing the display and analysis of 3D data, support for several new formats and online data sources, and for LiDAR Module SDK users, a powerful new QC for adjusting point cloud elevations to match surveyed ground control points.

For over two decades, Blue Marble's affordable, user-friendly GIS software has been meeting the needs of hundreds of thousands satisfied customers throughout the world. Users come from all industries including software, oil and gas, mining, civil engineering, surveying, and technology companies, as well as government departments and academic institutions.

Global Mapper is an affordable and easy-to-use GIS application capable of displaying, converting, and analyzing virtually any type of geospatial data. The Global Mapper SDK and LiDAR Module SDK provide software developers with a toolkit for accessing much of this functionality from within an existing or custom-built application. The SDK also enables the creation of custom toolbars and extensions to enhance the data processing and analysis functionality of the standard version of Global Mapper. This capability allows in-house developers to create a unique version of the software to meet their specific needs and requirements.

Most of the new and upgraded functionality included in the recent release of version 18.1 of the desktop version of Global Mapper is now available to software developers using the SDK. Highlights of this version include improvements to the fly-through recording capability with additional settings for bank angle and variable velocity; support for many new formats, including exporting of LandXML and importing of RMaps/MBTiles and BPF LiDAR files; and several new online data services, including the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO).

Version 18.1 of the SDK also introduces a new managed component for .NET users. This wrapper adds utilities for commonly used classes and simplifies the memory management details when using the Global Mapper SDK with Microsoft's .NET Framework. The release also includes improved error reporting when SDK functions experience a Windows exception, such as an access violation, and new warning messages when certain raster formats cannot be imported due to the required library DLLs not being loaded.

"As Global Mapper's popularity continues to expand among the geospatial community, the use of the SDK is also rapidly increasing," stated Patrick Cunningham, Blue Marble President. "Software developers working on projects that require spatial data processing capability are able to eliminate costly development time by integrating the proven functionality in the Global Mapper SDK."

For Global Mapper LiDAR Module SDK users, version 18.1 offers a new tool for performing precise quality control of their data against established ground control points. This allows the elevation values associated with each point to be adjusted to conform to the surveyed elevations at these locations.