Jump into Data Collection and Contour Creation with Global Mapper Mobile v3.0

Global Mapper Mobile®, an app available on iOS and Android mobile devices, is built to extend the all-in-one Global Mapper Pro® desktop program into the field for easy data collection. Running on a mobile phone or tablet device, Global Mapper Mobile is optimized for field map reference and data collection. Version 3.0 of the mobile app includes exciting new features including updated visual elements, map creation methods, analysis tools, and more!

New Features Available for Free!

Making GIS data collection more accessible, Global Mapper Mobile is a free download from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. With the free version of the app, prepared maps can be loaded, data can be collected and edited, and maps can be saved for sharing with colleagues or friends. This version of Global Mapper Mobile boasts updates including an interface update, the creation of empty maps, and a vector label setting to help make map information easier to read on small devices.

Updated User Interfaces: Start Screen, Configuration, and More

Opening the new version of the Global Mapper Mobile app, users may notice a difference in the options available on the start screen. With options for Open Map, Configuration, and Purchase Pro Module still present, a new option for Online Basemap has replaced the Default Data and Online Sources options.

The new Online Basemap option allows users to stream relevant basemap data from an online source into the mobile app using either the current GPS location of the mobile device, or loading the full extent of the online data source. A basemap of the local area can be indispensable when looking to reference nearby objects and terrain features. Keep in mind that streaming online data does require an internet or cellular data connection, and without Pro OpenStreetMap data will be loaded as it is the only freely available source. With the Pro module licensed, users will be able to customize the online data source used with the Open Basemap option. This setting for basemap customization can be found in Configuration under Miscellaneous.

Speaking of Configuration, veteran Global Mapper Mobile users may notice that a new organization has been brought to the Configuration settings. As the app functionality has grown in recent years, so have the Configuration settings. To make specific settings easier for users to find, the Configuration screen has taken on a tabbed view with each section labeled and containing the settings relevant to specific sections or functionalities in the app.

Additional user interface changes can be seen in the Map List with larger map previews providing a visual cue to the map data contained in the file, and a simplified Digitizer Feature Creation menu. Removing icons and extra text from the Feature Creation pop-up menu means more screen space for map data while selecting a vector feature creation mode.

Creating a New Map in Mobile

The new Online Basemap option found on the Global Mapper Mobile Start Screen provides an easy way to start a map with online data, however streaming data from an online source will only work when there is available internet or cellular data. To begin a new map in Global Mapper Mobile with no streamed data, either by choice or in a disconnected environment, the Main Menu option to Create New Map provides this functionality. The Create New Map option allows the user to define the bounds of the map space using the GPS location or an entered coordinate location as the center point, and defining radius from the chosen map center. With a new map created, data collection within the map bounds can begin using any of the manual or GPS data collection methods available in Global Mapper Mobile.

Adjusting On-map Label Size

Labels are often a useful feature on any map, but when working in Global Mapper Mobile on a smaller screen, they can sometimes clutter the map view if they are too large, or be unreadable if the text is too small. To help users get the most out of the vector features on their mobile maps, a new Configuration option to adjust the text size of labels is now available in Global Mapper Mobile version 3.0.

Found in the reorganized Configuration view on the Display tab, the new Feature Label Font Size setting allows users to explicitly set the font size they would like to see the labels rendered in on the map. Like many of the configuration settings, this will be remembered between uses of Global Mapper Mobile on a device. Additionally, a previously existing option in Configuration > Display for Feature Labels will toggle on or off all labels in a map.

Subscribe to Pro for More New Tools!

With the Pro Module add-on to Global Mapper Mobile, a yearly subscription available at a nominal fee, the toolset in the app is expanded to encompass more options including Advanced GPS connection to external devices, a built-in NTRIP client, geocoding, analysis tools and more. The release of Global Mapper Mobile v3.0 boasts new analysis and Advanced GPS available in Global Mapper Mobile Pro.

New GPS Options

At Blue Marble we listen to the users of our software programs and are always excited and ready to hear feedback and suggestions. This user-driven development helps to create features that the field users working in Global Mapper Mobile want and will use. To expand the GPS functionality in Global Mapper Mobile Pro, a new option to report the elevation difference between loaded terrain data and the GPS location has been added. This information helps contextualize the accuracy of the GPS and/or the loaded terrain. When enabled through Configuration, the GPS information displayed on the map screen will show an Elev Diff field. This value will also be recorded as an attribute on GPS created points when the option to Add GPS Point Attributes is enabled.

In efforts to continue expanding the list of tested and supported external GNSS devices that can be used with Global Mapper Mobile Pro’s Advanced GPS tools, version 3.0 of the app supports the new Reach RX device from Emlid on both iOS and Android versions. With easy-to-use bluetooth connection to external GNSS devices, like the Reach RX and others tested on iOS and Android versions of the app, the Advanced GPS tools in Global Mapper Mobile v3.0 make the Pro Module worth it for the increased data collection accuracy alone!

Volume Analysis Updates and Contour Generation

While handheld mobile devices grow in processing power with every release, they still cannot fully compete with a high-end desktop machine for intense analysis. That being said, we know that quick analysis of an area of loaded data when in the field can be incredibly valuable for field reference and decision making. Expanding on an existing tool, the Volume Analysis in Global Mapper Mobile Pro now shows a full page report of the calculated values based on the selected vector feature and user-determined calculation settings applied to the loaded terrain data. The calculated volume information can easily be captured as a screenshot from this report, or stored in the map by adding the calculated values to the selected polygon as attributes. Once added as attributes, save the map to keep the calculated volume in the map for future reference in Global Mapper Mobile or Global Mapper desktop.

Debuting in Global Mapper Mobile Pro version 3.0 is a new analysis tool for Contour Generation. Working again with loaded terrain data in the mobile map, the contour generation tool creates a new layer of features describing the elevation of the dataset in linework. While the terrain data in the map shows the elevation with a color ramp, contour lines are often a helpful way to view and understand the topography of an area when looking at a 2D top-down perspective of an area.

If you are a Global Mapper desktop user interested in keeping map data accessible in your pocket, check out the new Global Mapper Mobile v3.0. Remember, the app is free from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store to get you started with field map reference and data collection!