Blue Marble Geographics announced the immediate availability of an update to the Global Mapper LiDAR Module. Released in conjunction with Global Mapper version 18.2, Blue Marble’s popular GIS software, the latest edition of the Module includes support for hydro-flattening from 3D lines or polygons when creating a terrain surface; several new LiDAR scripting commands; and new LiDAR rendering options.
The Global Mapper LiDAR Module is an optional add-on to the software providing numerous advanced point cloud management and analysis tools. These include automatic ground point detection and classification; feature extraction; cross-sectional viewing and point editing.
Version 18.2 of the Module introduces hydro-flattening as an option when using the binning process to create a gridded surface model. In this process, any line or area feature that includes a single or per-vertex elevation value will create a localized terrain surface that overrides the z-values in the corresponding LiDAR points. This ensures that water bodies are accurately rendered as flattened surfaces and streams follow downhill, ignoring any elevation anomalies in the point cloud. This breakline function can also be applied to man-made features such as road center lines and curbs.
When rendering LiDAR data using version 18.2 of the LiDAR Module, a visual distinction can now be applied based on the withheld, overlap, and model key point flags. LiDAR Module scripting options now include a new command for performing LiDAR to control point comparison and adjustment, mirroring the LiDAR QC function in the software.
“The LiDAR Module continues to be one of the most important components of Global Mapper,” stated Blue Marble’s President, Patrick Cunningham. “With the rapid increase in the availability of LiDAR data, more and more users are requiring ever more powerful point cloud processing tools, and the LiDAR Module’s capabilities are fulfilling that need.”