Global Mapper Available with Photogrammetric Point Cloud Generation

Hallowell, Maine - November 28, 2017 - Blue Marble Geographics is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the latest release of its popular LiDAR Module for Global Mapper. Version 19 of this comprehensive point cloud processing utility introduces a powerful new tool for creating a 3D point cloud from an array of overlapping images. Ideally suited for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operators, this Pixels-to-Points™ tool effectively transforms simple drone-collected images into a 3D representation of a project area and provides the raw material for the Module's expansive classification, DEM creation, and feature extraction capabilities.

For over two decades, Blue Marble's affordable, user-friendly GIS software has been meeting the needs of hundreds of thousands of 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.

Introduced in version 15, the Global Mapper LiDAR Module is an optional add-on to the software providing numerous advanced point cloud management and analysis tools, including automatic classification and feature extraction; cross-sectional viewing and point editing; significantly faster terrain surface generation; and much more.

The major functional addition to the version 19 release of the Module is the new Pixels-to-Points tool. This powerful utility, currently available as a beta release, transforms overlapping aerial images, such as those collected by UAVs, into a high-density point cloud. Employing the principles of photogrammetry in which measurements are derived from photographs, the Pixels-to-Points tool analyzes the relationship between recognizable objects in adjacent images to determine the three-dimensional coordinates of points representing the corresponding surface. As a by-product of the point cloud generation capability, the Pixels-to-Points tool also offers the option of creating an orthorectified image, which effectively stitches the images together and adjusts them to reflect the inherent three-dimensional coordinates.

Additional enhancements in version 19 of the LiDAR Module include improvements to the ground point detection process, especially in areas where large buildings are present; a new geographic point sorting option to speed up rendering and analysis; support for reading and writing LAZ (LasZip) files with the LAS 1.4 fields; a new option to grid a point cloud containing RGB values into an image layer; and an upgraded noise point detection and classification tool.

"Over recent years, Global Mapper has emerged as the go-to data processing software for the rapidly expanding commercial UAV industry and the only powerful yet affordable LiDAR processing tool," stated Patrick Cunningham, Blue Marble President. "The addition of the Points-to-Pixels tool to the LiDAR Module consolidates Global Mapper as the one-stop application for all phases of drone data collection, creation, editing, analysis, and delivery."

The updated LiDAR Module, which requires a separate license to activate, is incorporated into the version 19 release of the standard version of Global Mapper and takes advantage of many of the improvements that were introduced in this release. New drag-and-drop window docking functionality allows a 3D rendering of the point cloud to be quickly and easily displayed adjacent to the top-down view. A new Attribute Editor displays a tabular view of a point cloud's attributes which can be queried and filtered based on any of the inherent variables.

Current users of Global Mapper 19, or those wishing to activate a two week trial, can download the latest build, which includes the new LiDAR Module functionality. A free two-week trial of the LiDAR Module can be activated from the Module/Extension License Manager in the software.