The automatic classification tools in Global Mapper make point cloud classification easy! In this blog, I will discuss a few lidar classification tips we share with users who submit data to the technical support box (geohelp@bluemarblegeo.com). Often, it’s a case of using the tools in the correct order or adjusting the settings to fit your point cloud’s structure. The lidar classification tools will work on just about any point cloud, including aerial lidar, terrestrial lidar, or photogrammetric point clouds. For terrestrial lidar, try the Segmentation tool. When we, humans, look at a point cl ..read more

With the recent addition of the Swath Separation tool for visualizing alignment between point clouds, I thought this would be a good opportunity to review the different tools in Global Mapper that can be used to measure, adjust, and combine point clouds.  One of my favorite things about Global Mapper is how simple it is to combine multiple vector layers into one. First, select all of the point cloud features to be combined, then use your keyboard commands to copy and paste them into a newly created layer. This simple step does not require you to export or otherwise complicate your file ma ..read more

Let’s start with a question. How many of you currently own a Segway? Unless you moonlight as a mall cop or run an urban tour company, you probably decided not to jump on that gyroscopically-controlled bandwagon. If the hype that surrounded the release of this ‘revolutionary technology’ was to be believed, we would long since have abandoned our cars, redesigned our cities, and be living much more fulfilling lives. Alas, the reality has fallen a little short. The emergence and proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Drones, on the other hand, while not accompanied by a cacophony of h ..read more

  Creating boundary and coverage area polygons provides a way to clearly display the extent of the features in a layer using either a minimum bounding rectangle (MBR) or an irregular polygon that conforms to the geometric extent of the features in the layer. Using Global Mapper, this process is easy and is performed with only a few steps. Boundary areas can display the coverages of many different features such as town extents, real-estate zones, and much more. This blog demonstrates how to create a forest area boundary with a buffer by calculating a tree and building coverage area from ex ..read more

Creating and displaying buildings as multifaceted three-dimensional (3D) features is a realistic way to represent an urban landscape. With Global Mapper and the accompanying Lidar Module, it is easy to extract 3D buildings in vector format from lidar and other point cloud datasets. In this blog, we discuss two feature extraction methods for generating 3D building models. The Extract Vector Features tool analyzes the geometric characteristics of points classified as buildings and automatically creates the corresponding structural planes, while the Custom Feature Extraction tool utilizes the Pat ..read more

Version 22.1 of the Global Mapper and Lidar Module Software Development Kits (SDK) are now available for download. These SDKs provide a way for developers to include much of the functionality of Global Mapper and the Lidar Module in their own applications or to add custom extensions to the standard installation of Global Mapper. This blog highlights the top features of the SDKs latest improvements: Global Mapper SDK Highlights Spatial Operations Enabled Through Script Command Several new Spatial Operations have been added and can be called with the script command DEFINE_SPATIAL_OPERATION. Th ..read more

The Global Mapper Lidar Module v22.1 is here! Along with the recent release of Global Mapper, the accompanying Lidar Module offers numerous new and updated tools to improve the software’s point cloud processing functionality. This blog highlights the top three new features of this release:  1. A New Tool to Regularize Extracted Buildings A significant improvement has been made to the Lidar Feature Extraction tool, specifically when extracting buildings as 3D vector polygons. Version 22.1 introduces a new option to create more realistic building footprints, walls, and planes with the Regul ..read more

One of the renowned strengths of Global Mapper® is its terrain processing functionality, and with each successive release, there are significant enhancements to the terrain creation, editing, analysis, and exporting tools.  In the latest version of the Lidar Module®, a new Terrain Painting tool allows for the manual manipulation of terrain by using the cursor like a brush to paint and edit the elevation surface in various ways. The Terrain Painting tool can be found in the Analysis toolbar or Analysis menu. When enabled, a Terrain Painting Options dialog box appears in which a brush type ..read more

The latest version of the Global Mapper Lidar Module® includes several new tools, as well as improvements to many of the existing features and functions. One of the latest features in the Pixels to Points® tool is the option to generate a process summary report. Separate from the log file, which is highly detailed by nature, the ‘Post Processing Report’ is designed to efficiently summarize pertinent information from the data generation process. The report records tool settings and displays visual outputs to clearly outline the process.  The new Post Processing Report is polished, eas ..read more

The Lidar Module®, an optional add-on to Global Mapper®, provides advanced point cloud processing tools, including Pixels to Points®, for photogrammetric point cloud creation using overlapping drone-captured images, automatic and manual point cloud classification, as well as feature extraction, hydro-flattening, and more. The latest version of the Lidar Module includes several new tools, as well as improvements to many of the existing features and functions. This blog highlights the top five new features of version 22: A new Terrain Paint tool  Terrain Painting ..read more