General Overview

The Global Mapper Software Development Kit (SDK) allows much of the functionality of Global Mapper to be used within your own applications. The Global Mapper SDK is a standard Windows DLL and can be used with many programming languages on a Windows platform, including Visual C++, Visual Basic, and Visual C#.

The Global Mapper SDK contains extensive import and export file compatibility to ensure that it is one of the most interoperable GIS applications available today in the market. Draw loaded layers to your own device context, allowing Global Mapper-style rendering in your own application.

Using the Global Mapper SDK you can perform a vast array of functions, a few of which include:

  • Load any number of layers from almost all of the formats supported by Global Mapper. This includes nearly all imagery, elevation, and vector data formats.

  • Reproject loaded data to a user-specified projection/datum.

  • Retrieve the color at any location from loaded raster and elevation layers.

  • Retrieve the elevation at any location from loaded elevation layers.

  • Get information about loaded layers, including projection/datum, bounding rectangle, description, ground control points, pixel size, etc.

  • Retrieve detailed information about every feature in a vector layer, including coordinate and attribute data.

  • Perform spatial operations between vector features of any geometry type.

  • Load imagery that has not been georeferenced by providing ground control points and projection, the DLL will perform the rectification.

  • Pan sharpen imagery using higher-resolution panchromatic (grayscale) imagery.

  • Auto-clip the collar off of USGS DRGs.

  • Calculate cut-and-fill volumes along a given line or within an area

  • Generate a terrain profile

  • Export a user-supplied bitmap to a GeoTIFF or JPG file.

  • Generate contour lines from gridded elevation data.

  • Perform a viewshed analysis from gridded elevation data.

  • Compare vector layers with spatial operations including union, difference, intersect.

Licensing Information

Notice. Software is licensed on a per developer and per application basis. When you build applications with the software you must have a developer license for each programmer who uses the software. When you release an application you must have a valid Blue Marble Geographics distribution license agreement for the application, which may require payment of additional fees. An application is considered to be "released" when it is deployed onto a machine other than a developer machine located at the authorized development site. If the developer includes the software within an application for the purpose of providing a processing service, either internal or commercial, a derivative application license agreement is required. This agreement may also require the payment of additional fees.