Global Mapper v15.1 release includes support for MS SQL Spatial and 3D Updates to the Path Profile Tool

Blue Marble Geographics announces the release of Global Mapper version 15.1. This minor release features read/write support MS SQL Server Spatial databases, as well as updates to both the path profile and raster calculator tools. Blue Marble’s geospatial data manipulation, visualization and conversion solutions are used worldwide by thousands of GIS analysts at software, oil and gas, mining, civil engineering, surveying, and technology companies, as well as governmental and university organizations.

Global Mapper is an affordable and easy-to-use GIS applicatin that offers access to an unparalleled variety of spatial datasets and provides just the right level of GIS functionality to satisfy both experienced GIS professionals and mapping novices. This minor release features a variety of updates to both the Global Mapper base product and the Global Mapper LiDAR Module.  Added support for MS SQL Spatial databases enables Global Mapper to support all available spatial database types. A significant new release enhancement includes 3D support for displaying a path profile across separate terrain surfaces. This allows users to easily compare the surface of multiple loaded terrain layers along a path. This release also features added support for specifying to sample elevations from gridded terrain surfaces along a corridor in the path profile to easily get the minimum, maximum, or average elevation surrounding the path.

An update to the Mathematical Raster Calculator released at version 15 includes support for calculations from elevation grid layers. The release includes speed enhancements to the raster/elevation exports cropped to complex area features, which is important for very complex areas (i.e. hundreds or thousands of vertices). With this update the exports may be 10x as fast or more.  This release also has new built-in links to several online cloud based data sources, including all NASA GIBS (Global Imagery Browse Services) sources, Landsat8 imagery LiDAR data (new LiDAR group in dialog) from the USGS EarthExplorer web site and GlobCover ESA2009 Land Cover data.  The update includes an added attribute setup tab to Shapefile export to allow customizing exported attribute types and lengths, and many other updates.

Enhancements to the LiDAR Module in v15.1 will leverage the 3D updates to the path profile tool, and also includes a new selection option on the path profile dialog with LiDAR points shown, to select by drawing a polygon, support for loading Leica PTS point cloud files and a new option when batch converting to LiDAR LAS/LAZ files to apply color from loaded imagery.

These new feature enhancements found within v15.1 are really just a preview of what’s to come down the road, something we are very excited about,” stated Blue Marble’s President Patrick Cunningham “Our format support keeps growing with every release as well, so it’s really exciting to think about all of the benefits users will be able to derive in just a minor version update.”