Welcome to Global Mapper

ThankyoufordownloadingGlobalMapper,theallinoneGISapplicationthateveryonecanuse.
Thisremarkablesoftwarecombinesapowerfularrayofspatialdataprocessingtoolswithan
unmatchedlistofcompatiblefileformatsresultinginaprogramthatnoGISprofessionalormap
enthusiastshouldbewithout.

AsyoubegintoexplorethewealthoffeaturesandfunctionsinGlobalMapper,youwillquicklylearn
thatthisisatrulyuniquesoftwaretool.Nowhereelsewillyoufindasingleapplicationthatoffers
thelevelofdatasupport,digitizingcapabilities,spatialanalysis,andmapcreatingtools,atacost
thatwillensurearapidreturnonyourinvestment.

AtBlueMarbleGeographics,wearecommittedtoensuringourcustomersareprovidedwiththe
informationandtoolsnecessarytoeffectivelyusethesoftwaretheyhavepurchased.Tothatend,
wearepleasedtoofferanumberofresourcestohelpyougetupandrunninginnotime.

ThisGettingStartedGuideisdesignedtoassistwiththebasicoperationofGlobalMapperandto
helpyouunderstandsomeofthecommonlyusedfeaturesandfunctions.Foracompleteguidetoall
thesoftwarescapabilities,clicktheHelpmenuandchooseHelporclicktheF1keyonyour
keyboard.

Contents

InstallationandRegistration........................................................................................................Page2

NavigatingtheInterface...............................................................................................................Page3

SettingPreferences......................................................................................................................Page6

LayerandFileManagement.........................................................................................................Page7

ImportingData.............................................................................................................................Page9

AccessingDataOnline................................................................................................................Page11

UsingtheDigitizer.......................................................................................................................Page12

WorkingwithAttributes..............................................................................................................Page14

Usingthe3DFunctionality..........................................................................................................Page15

UsingtheLiDARModule..............................................................................................................Page19

ExportingandPrintingMaps.......................................................................................................Page20

WheretoFindHelp.....................................................................................................................Page22

UsefulKeyboardShortcuts..........................................................................................................Page23

HowdoI?....................................................................................................................................Page24

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CopyrightBlueMarbleGeographics2016
 Installation and Registration
Installing Global Mapper
ThecurrentversionofGlobalMapperisfreelydownloadablefromthefollowingwebpage:
www.bluemarblegeo.com/globalmapper/product/download_complete.php

Dependingonyourcomputersoperatingsystem,youcanchooseeitherthe32bitor64bitversion.
Thelatterwillallowyoutotakefulladvantageoftheextramemoryavailablefor64bitapplications
andwillimprovetheperformanceofthesoftware.SeveralnonEnglishlanguageversionsarealso
available.ToinstallGlobalMapper,simplydoubleclickorrunthedownloadedexecutablefile
(global_mapper_setup.exeorglobal_mapper_setup_64bit.exe).Installationwilltakenomorethana
coupleofminutes.

Registering Global Mapper
ThefirsttimeyoulaunchGlobalMapper,youwillseetheRegisterGlobalMapperwindow.The
optionyouselectwilldeterminetheleveloffunctionalityavailabletoyouwhenyourunthe
software.

OrderIDfromRecentPurchase
EnteryourordernumberandGlobalMapperwillbeautomatically
registered,unlockingthefullfunctionalityofthesoftware.This
procedurerequiresaninternetconnection.
ConnecttoaNetworkLicenseServer
IfyourcompanyhaschosentodeployGlobalMapperusingthe
convenientnetworklicensingoption,youcanconnecttothe
appropriateservertoregisteryourversionofGlobalMapper
SelectaLicenseFile(.lic)FileProvidedviaEmail
Ifyouworkinanofflineenvironment,youmayrequestaLicenseFile
tomanuallyregisterGlobalMapper.Ifthisisthecase,youwillbe
promptedtobrowsetothelocationwhereyousavedthisfile,after
which,youwillhavefullaccesstothesoftware.Torequesta.licfile,
pleasecontactBlueMarbleatauthorize@bluemarblegeo.com
RequestaTwoWeekTrialLicense
ToevaluateGlobalMapper,youcanrequesta14daytriallicensethat
willallowyoutotestallofitsfeaturesandfunctions.Duringthistime,youwillbelimitedtotwo
exportsforeachfiletype(vector,raster,andelevation).

Activating Optional Modules or Extensions

InrecentreleasesofGlobalMapper,additionalfunctionalityhasbeaddedtothesoftwarethrough
preconfiguredmodulesorthirdpartyextensions.Toactivatetheseaddoncomponents,clickthe
HelpmenuandchooseModule/ExtensionLicenseManager.Modulesrequirethepurchaseofthe
appropriatelicenseandincludetheLiDARmodule(formoreinformation,seepage19).Extensions
aretypicallydevelopedandregisteredbythirdpartydevelopers.Twopreconfiguredextensionsare
installedwithGlobalMapper:theOverviewMapextensionandtheCOASTextensionforanalyzing
thefinancialimpactofcoastalflooding.
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CopyrightBlueMarbleGeographics2016
 Navigating the Interface
Software Layout
GlobalMappersuserinterfacehasbeendesignedtoprovideeasyandintuitiveaccesstoallofthe
softwaresfeaturesandfunctions.Thekeyelementsoftheinterfacearethemenus,thetoolbar,
and,ofcourse,themapwindowitself.Avarietyofdialogboxesandfloatingwindowsprovideaccess
toadditionaltoolsormoreadvancedfunctionality.

TheTitleBardisplaysinformation Menusprovideaccessto TheToolbarsoffera

abouttheversionofGlobal mostofGlobalMappers convenientwaytoselecta TheFavoritesListprovideseasy
Mapperandthenameofthe corefunctionality. tool,applyaspecificfunction, accesstoacustomizablelistof
currentWorkspace.Formore Formoreinformation, orchangeasetting.Formore frequentlyusedtools.Formore
information,seepage8. seepage4. information,seepage5. information,seepage5.

TheOverlayControl TheDigitizerRightClickMenu
TheScaleBarandother Informationabouta
Centerlistsallloaded offersanextensivecollectionof
displayfeaturesare selectedfeatureaswellas
layersandallowscertain toolsforcreatingorediting
managedusingthe thecoordinatesofthe
settingstobeappliedto featuresonthemap.
MapLayoutfunction. cursoraredisplayedonthe
theselayers. Formoreinformation,
StatusBar.
seepage12.

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CopyrightBlueMarbleGeographics2016
 Navigating the Interface (continued)
Menus
ThemenusinGlobalMapperareintuitivelyorganizedbyfunctionandofferaccesstoallofthe
featuresandfunctionsintheapplication.Notethat,aswithothersoftwaretitles,thereareoften
manywaystoaccessaparticularfunctioninGlobalMapper.Forexampletheactionofimportinga
layercanbeperformedusingtheOpenDataFileoptionintheFilemenu;theOpenDataFilebutton
inthetoolbar;orbyusingtheCtrl+Okeyboardshortcut.Howyouchosetoperformthisandother
commonlyusedfunctionscomesdowntoyourpersonalpreference.

Thefollowingsummarizestheprimaryfunctionofeachmenu:

File
TheFilemenucontainsalloftheoptionsforimporting,exportingandsavingdata.Italso
includesalistofrecentlyimportedfiles,providingconvenientaccesstofrequentlyusedlayers.
Edit
TheprimaryfunctionoftheEditmenuistoenablethecopyingandpastingoffeaturesandto
controltheassociatedoptions.
View
TheViewmenuincludesanarrayofsettingsforconfiguringtheappearanceoftheinterfaceand
ofthemapitself.Therearealsooptionsformanuallyadjustingthezoomlevelandforsaving
andrestoringaspecificmapview.
Tools
Asitsnameimplies,theToolsmenucontainsaselectionoftoolsthat
areusedtointeractwithfeaturesonthemap.Basedonwhatis
selected,thefunctionofthecursoronthemapwillchange.This
menualsoprovidesaccesstocertainotherdialogboxessuchasthe
OverlayControlCenterandtheMapLayoutoptions.
Analysis
TheAnalysismenuconsolidatesmanyoftheanalyticalfunctionsinto
aconvenientsinglelist.Whilemanyoftheanalysistools,suchas
generatingcontoursanddelineatingwatersheds,focusonworking
withelevationdata,thismenualsooffersaccesstotoolsincluding
theRasterCalculatorandGraphandChartManager.
Layer
TheLayermenuprovidesaccesstoavarietyofoperationsthatare
performedagainstalayerorlayersselectedintheOverlayControl
Center.Theseincludeattributejoiningandcalculation.
Search
TheSearchmenuoffersseveraloptionsforqueryingorediting
featureattributes.Italsoincludesanaddresssearchfunctionthatincludesgeocodingcapability.
GPS
WhenacompatibleGPSreceiverisconnectedtoyourcomputer,thepositioncanbe
representedbyasymbolonthemap.TheGPSmenucontrolstheconfigurationandinteraction
betweenGlobalMapperandaconnectedGPSdevice.
Help
TheHelpmenuprovidesasinglepointofaccessforthevarioushelpoptionsandother
resourcesthatareavailableforGlobalMapper.Formoreinformation,seepage22.

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 Navigating the Interface (continued)
The Toolbars
ThebuttonsonGlobalMapperstoolbarsofferthemostconvenientwaytoselectatool,toopencertain
dialogboxes,ortoswitchbetweenonefunctionandanother.Ifnecessary,toolbarscanberemoved
fromtheinterfaceusingtheToolbarsoptionintheViewmenu,orcanbeundockedormovedto
anotherposition.Withineachindividualtoolbar,buttonscanberemovedoraddedasneeded.

ThefollowingarethebuttonsintheFiletoolbar: TheConfigurationbuttonopens
theConfigurationwindowthatis
TheDownloadOnlineDatabutton
offersaccesstoawealthofonline usedtoestablishnumerous
settingsinthesoftware.For
datasourcessuchasWMSandWFS.
Formoreinformation,seepage11. moreinformation,seepage6.
TheOverlayControlCenterbutton
TheOpenDataFilesbuttonis
activatesthedialogboxfor
usedtoinitiatetheimportofdata
managingloadeddatalayers.
inanysupportedformat.For
Formoreinformation,seepage7.
moreinformation,seepage9.

TheSavebuttonsavesthe TheToolbarOptionsdropdownlist
TheMapLayoutbuttonisused
statusofallimporteddata, allowsbuttonstoaddedor
toaddcartographicfeaturessuch
digitizedfeaturesand removedfromtheselected
asascalebarandlegendtothe
configurationsettingstoa toolbar.
mapinpreparationforprinting.
Workspacefile.

TheMapViewManager
providestheabilitytodivide
themainmapwindowinto
multiplemapdisplays.These
canincludemultiple2Dviews,
pathprofilesora3Ddisplay.

TheFavoritestoolbarprovidesaconvenientwaytoaccesscommonlyusedcomponentsofGlobalMapper:

ThecustomizableFavorites
Listprovideseasyaccessto
frequentlyusedtools
TheRunSelected
Commandbuttoninitiates
Customkeyboard
thefunctionselectedin
shortcutscanbeassigned
theFavoritesList.
toselectedfunctions.

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 Setting Preferences
The Configuration Dialog Box
TheConfigurationdialogboxcanbeopenedfromtheToolsmenuorbyclickingtheConfiguration
buttoninthetoolbaranditofferssinglelocationforestablishingpersonalsettingsandpreferences
thatcontrolmanyofthefeaturesandfunctionsofthesoftware.

General
TheGeneraloptionsincludetheestablishment
ofdefaultunitsofmeasurement,mapgrid
display,andcoordinateformat.
VectorDisplay
ThefunctionofVectorDisplayistocontrolthe
appearanceofpoint,line,andareafeatureson
themap.Specificoptionsincludefilteringdata
typesandadjustingthelayerdisplayorder.
Point/Area/LineStyles
Theseoptionsareusedtocreateandmanage
featuretypesthatcanbeassignedto
polygons,lines,orpoints.Applyingafeature
typetoavectorfeaturewillautomatically
adjusttheappearanceofthefeatureand
assignacustomlistofattributesifrequired.
VerticalOptions
VerticalOptionsofferssettingsthatcontrol
thedisplayofelevationorterrainlayers.These
settingsincludetheselectionofashader
patternandcustomizationofthehillshading.
ShaderOptions
ShaderOptionscontrolsthevisualdisplayofseveralpreconfiguredelevationandslopeshader
patternsandallowsnewpatternstobecreated.
Lidar
TheLidarsettingsareusedforfilteringapointcloudbasedonclassificationorreturntypes.
FeatureTemplates
ThefunctionofFeatureTemplatesistocreateasetofpreconfiguredattributesthatstreamline
theprocessofdigitizingordatacollection,especiallywhenusingGlobalMapperMobile.
GPSOptions
GPSOptionsoffersseveralsettingsforcontrollingthetrackingprocesswhenusingaconnected
GPSreceiver.
Projection
TheProjectiontabisusedtoalterthecoordinatereferenceinformationforonscreendisplay
andreprojectalayerfromonesystemtoanotherbeforeexporting.

WhiletheConfigurationdialogboxoffersaccesstomostofGlobalMapperspreferencesandsettings
options,manyothercomponentsofthesoftwarecontainfeaturespecificsettingsthatareestablished
whenperformingthatfunction.Forexample,whenexportingafileinaparticularformat,manyofthe
preferencesassociatedwiththeexportedfilearesetintheExportOptionsdialogbox.

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 Layer and File Management
The Overlay Control Center
TheOverlayControlCenterisGlobalMapperslayer
managementtool.ItcanbeopenedfromtheToolsmenu,
byclickingtheOpenControlCenterbuttonintheToolbar,
orbyusingthekeyboardshortcutAlt+C.Unlikemostother
dialogboxes,theOverlayControlCentercanremainopen
whileusingothertoolsinthesoftware.TheOverlayControl
Centercanalsobedockedbydraggingthedialogboxtoone
oftheedgesofthemapwindow.

Therearetwowaysinwhichalayercanberemovedfromthemapdisplay:theadjacentboxinthe
OverlayControlCentercanbeuncheckedortheselectedlayercanberemovedcompletelybyusing
thekeyboardDeletekeyorbyrightclickingandchoosingClose(Unload)Layer(s).Usingtheuncheck
option,thelayerisretainedandcanbesimplycheckedonagainwhenneeded.Closinganoverlay
permanentlyremovesitandanyunsavededitsorcreatedfeatureswillbelost.

RightclickingonaselectedlayerorlayersintheOverlayControlCenteroffersavarietyofoptions
formanagingthelayer.Forinstance,theDescriptionornameofthelayercanbechangedor
multiplelayerscanbegroupedinatreeview.ThisrightclickmenualsooffersaccesstotheOptions
dialogbox,whichisusedtoadjustcertainsettingspertainingtoalayer.

The Options Dialog Box
ThetabsintheOptionsdialogboxdifferdependingonthedatatypecontainedintheselectedlayer:

VectorOptions
TheprimaryfunctionsoftheVectorOptionsdialogboxinclude
managingthedisplayoflabels;assigningfeaturestoafeaturetype
category;andadjustingthedisplaycharacteristicsofthefeaturesin
thelayer(fillpattern,symbolstyle,etc.).
RasterOptions
TheRasterOptionsdialogboxincludestoolsforestablishing
transparency;adjustingcolorbalance,contrast,etc.;andcropping
animagetoadefinedarea.
ElevationOptions
TheavailableElevationOptionsincludetoolsforoffsettingelevation
valuesinthelayerandfordefiningtherangeofvisibleelevations.

EachoftheOptionsdialogboxesincludesMapZoom,tocontrolthe
zoomrangewithinwhichthelayerwillbedisplayed,andLayer
Projectiontab,whichisusedtoreinterpretthecoordinatevalues
associatedwiththeselectedlayer.Adjustingtheseprojection
parameterswillresultinthecontentsofthelayerbeingphysically
movedtoanewlocationandshouldonlybeperformedwhenyouknow
theoriginalcoordinatesettingswereincorrect.Tosimplyreprojectyour
map,usetheProjectiontabintheConfigurationdialogbox(formore
information,seepage6).

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 Layer and File Management (continued)
Saving the Workspace
TheworkspaceisthecorefilemanagementcomponentofGlobalMapper.Itallowsyoutostore
informationaboutthelayersthataredisplayedonthemapaswellasanysettingsorconfiguration
thathavebeenappliedtotheselayers.Atitsmostbasiclevel,aworkspaceisafile(*.gmw)that
recordsasnapshotofyourcurrentmapview.

Tosaveyourworkspace,clicktheSavebuttoninthetoolbaror
clicktheFilemenuandselectSaveWorkspace...Ifaworkspace
wasnotpreviouslysaved,youwillbepromptedtonameand
choosealocationforthefile.Youcanalsocreateaduplicateof
anexistingworkspacebyusingtheFile>SaveWorkspaceAs
option.Thisfunctionisusefulforestablishingaworkspacetemplate,possiblycontainingallpossible
layersorcoveringthefullextentofyourareaofinterest.Anyworkspacescreatedfromthis
templateusingtheSaveWorkspaceAscommandwillinheritallofthelayersandsettingsfromthe
originalandcanthenbeindividuallymodifiedtoreflecttherequirementsofaparticularprojector
jobsite.

Working with Imported Layers
Animportantconsiderationwhenworkingwithworkspacefilesisthattheydonotactuallycontain
themapdatafromanyfilesthatareimported.Instead,theworkspacerecordsthepathtothe
originalfilelocationaswellasanyeditsorconfigurationthathasbeenappliedtothislayer.Ifthe
pathtothefilelocationisbroken,suchaswhenyoudisconnectfromyourlocalnetworkorwhen
thefileisdeletedormovedtoanewlocation,theworkspacewillnotloadcorrectlyandanerror
messagewillbedisplayed.Forthisreason,workspacefilesshouldtypicallynotbesharedwithother
GlobalMapperusers,basedontheassumptionthatthepathtotheincludeddataisuniquetothe
originalcomputer.

Working with Digitized Features
Points,lines,andareafeaturesthatarecreatedusingGlobalMappersDigitizertoolsarestored
directlyintheworkspacefile.Modificationsoradditionsmadetoanyimporteddataaresimilarly
archivedinternallywithinthesoftwareandareonlyappliedtotheoriginalexternaldatausingthe
exportfunction.

Global Mapper Package Files

AnefficientwaytosharedataamongGlobalMapperusersistocreateaGlobalMapperPackagefile
(.gmp).Unliketheaforementionedworkspaceformat,apackagefilecontainsallofthemapdata
fromanypreviouslyimportedlayersanditretainsalloftheconfigurationsettingsandeditsthat
wereappliedtotheselayers.AsingleGlobalMapperpackagefilecancontaindatainanyformat
(raster,vector,and/orelevation)andassuch,itprovidesanextremelyefficienttoolforexchanging
mapsandspatialdataamongGlobalMapperusers.

GlobalMapperpackagefilesalsoofferasimplewaytocreatebackupsofimportantdatasetsthat
caneasilybereimportedintheeventofalossoftheoriginaldataorhardwarefailure.

Formoreinformationonexporting,seepage20.

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 ImportingData
Supported Data Formats
OneofthedefiningcharacteristicsofGlobalMapperisthevolumeandvarietyoffileformatsthat
canbeimportedintothesoftware.Inthecurrentversion,over250filetypesaresupported,
includingallcommonspatialformats,suchasESRIshapefiles,KMLfiles,MrSIDimagery,andLiDAR
pointclouds.VirtuallyanytypeofgeospatialdataissupportedinGlobalMapper,includingraster,
vector,2D,and3D,whetherreferencedornot.IfGlobalMapperdoesntsupportyourdata,contact
BlueMarbleandthesoftwaredevelopmentteamwilldetermineiftheformatiscompatible.Alistof
thecurrentlysupportedformatsisavailableintheGlobalMappersectionofbluemarblegeo.com

Importing Vector, Raster, and Elevation Layers
ThereareseveralwaystoimportdataintoGlobalMapper.YoucanusetheFile>OpenDataFile(s)
command;youcanclicktheOpenDataFile(s)buttonintheFileToolbar;oryoucanusetheCtrl+O
keyboardshortcut.Ineachcase,youwillbepromptedtobrowsetotherequiredfiletoinitiatethe
importprocess.

Asidefromtextfiles,asnotedbelow,allvector,raster,andelevationformatsareimportedusingthe
samedialogboxandthesameprocedure.GlobalMapperisabletodifferentiatethedifferent
formatsandautomaticallyassignseachtotheappropriateoverlaytype.Ifrequired,youmaybe
askedtodefinethecoordinateparameters,toverifythedataformatforfileswithunconventional
suffixes,ortomanualrectifythefileifthereisnoinherentgeographicreferenceinformation.For
moreinformationontherectificationprocess,seepage10.

Whenimporting,itispossibletoselectmultiplefilesbyholdingdowntheCtrlorShiftkeywhile
selectingtherequiredfilesintheOpendialogbox.Alternatively,youcanopenallcompatiblefilesin
aspecifiedfolderordirectorytreeusingtheFile>OpenAllFilesinaDirectoryTreecommand.

Finally,andperhapsmostconveniently,youcansimplydraganddropacompatiblefileontothe
GlobalMapperwindowtoautomaticallyinitiatetheimportprocess.

Importing Text Files

Textfilescontainingalistofcoordinate
valuescanbeimportedintoGlobalMapper
andusedtocreatepoints,lines,orarea
features.Toinitiatethetextfileimport
process,usetheFile>OpenGenericText
File(s)command.

Afterselectingtherequiredfile,youwillbe
promptedtoassigncertainparametersfor
theimportedfilesuchastheorderand
formatofthecoordinatevalues,the
numberofheaderrowsinthefile,and
whetherornottoimportaccompanying
attributes.

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 Importing Data (continued)
Geo-rectifying Image Files
GlobalMappersImageRectifierfunctionprovidesapowerfultoolforcreatingageographically
referencedrasterlayerfromvirtuallyanyimagefileorPDF.Theprocedureusuallyinvolves
identifyingvisiblefeaturesintheimportedimageandtaggingeachofthesewiththeir
correspondingcoordinates.

Toimportanimage,youcan
eitherusethestandardFile>
Open(Ctrl+O)commandorFile
>Rectify(Georeference)
Imagery.Ifyouchoosethelatter,
youhavetheoptiontodirectly
exporttheresultingrasterfile
aftertherequiredcontrolpoints
havebeenassigned.

Afterselectingthefiletobe
imported,theImageRectifier
dialogboxisdisplayedshowing
anoverviewoftheimage;a
zoomedviewoftheimagein
whichthecontrolpointscanbe
preciselyplaced;andazoomable
viewofthecurrentmap.To
begintheprocess,clickan
identifiablepointontheimage,clickthecorrespondingpointintheadjacentmap,andclicktheAdd
PointtoListbutton.Repeatthisprocessforseveraladditionalpointsspacedasfarapartaspossible.
Alternatively,youcanmanuallytypetheXandYpixelvaluesfromtheimageand/ortypethe
correspondingcoordinatevaluesderivedfromsurveyedgroundcontrolpoints.

Afterallofthecontrolpointshavebeenassigned,clicktheOKbuttontocreateanewrasterlayer.
Tocorrectanyerrantregistrationpoints,selectthelayerintheOverlayControlCenter,rightclick
andchooseRECTIFYModifyLayerPosition/Projection.

Working with Spatial Databases

Asanalternativetoimportingfiles,advanceduserscanestablishadirectconnectiontoanexisting
spatialdatabase,whichallowsGlobalMappertobothreadandwritevectordatadirectlyfromthe
databasetables.AmongthesupporteddatabasetypesareESRIArcSDE,ESRIFileandPersonal
Geodatabases,MSSQLSpatial,OracleSpatial,PostGIS,andSpatialite.TheESRIdatabasesalso
supportrasterdataformatsbutareonlyavailableinthe32bitversionofGlobalMapper.

Toestablishaconnectiontoaspatialdatabase,opentheSpatialDatabaseConnectionManager
(Tools>ConnectionManager),clicktheNewbutton,andentertherequiredsettings.Toimportdata
fromaconnecteddatabase,clicktheFilemenuandchooseOpenSpatialDatabase,selectthe
databasename,clicktheOpenbutton,andselectfromtheavailabletables.

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 Accessing Data Online
Using the Download Online Data Function
AgreatwaytogetstartedmakingmapswithGlobalMapperistodownloadsomeofthemanyfree
onlinedatasets.Numerousgovernmentagencies,organizations,andcommercialcompaniesprovide
directstreamingaccesstotheirspatialdataarchivesthoughWebMapService(WMS),Web
CoverageService(WCS)andotheronlineprotocols.GlobalMapperincludespreconfiguredlinksto
manyoftheseservers.

Toinitiatethedownloadprocess,clicktheDownloadFreeMaps/ImageryfromOnlineSourcesquick
startbuttonontheintroductoryscreenorclicktheDownloadOnlineDatabuttonfromthetoolbar.
Inbothcases,theresultingdialogboxwilllistalloftheavailableDataSources,categorizedbytype
orbygeographicarea.Afterexpandingacategorylist,simplyselecttherequireddatasourceand
settheextentofthedatatodownloadusingtheoptionsatthebottomofthewindow.

Onoccasion,youmayfindthattheservicethatyourequireisnotavailableandyouwillseeanerror
messagetothateffect.Thiscircumstancemaybeduetoroutinesystemmaintenance,excessive
traffic,orothertechnicalissues.UnfortunatelyBlueMarblehasnocontrolovertheavailabilityof
theseonlinemapsourcessoitisrecommendedthatyousavethedatatoalocalfilesoyoudonot
havetocontinuallydependonthestreamedservice.Seebelowformoreinformation.

Premium Data Sources
BlueMarblehaspartneredwithseveralcommercialdataproviderstoofferconvenientaccessto
highqualityimageryandelevationdatasets.IfyouselectoneofthePremiumContentoptionsinthe
OnlineDataSourcedialogbox,youwillbepromptedtoentertheappropriatelogindetailsordata
accessIDnumbertodownloadthedata.Informationonsubscribingtotheseservicescanbe
obtainedfromthedataproviderswebsite.

Adding Custom Data Sources
WhileGlobalMapperincludesanumberofpreloadedmapsservices,youcanalsoaddcustom
onlinesourcesiftheyareavailableforyourareaofinterest.ManyGISdepartmentsnowusethe
webasanefficientdeliverymechanismfortheirdatasetsandGlobalMapperallowsyoutosetupa
directlinktothisdata.AfterclickingtheAddNewSourcebuttonintheOnlineDatadialogbox,
simplyentertheappropriateURLtoestablishthislink.

Saving Data for Use Offline
Becausetheavailabilityofthestreamingdataservicescannotbeguaranteed,itstrongly
recommendedthatyousavealocalcopyofanyonlinemapdata.Notonlywillthisensurethatyou
willalwayshaveaccesstotherequiredlayers,evenwhenoffline,butitwillsignificantlyspeedup
themapdrawspeedwhenworkingwiththisdata.

Tosavedownloadeddata,clicktheFilemenuandselectExport>ExportRaster/ImageFormat,
chooseafileformatwhenprompted,andenterthefilesettingsasneeded.Agoodformatchoiceis
JPEG2000(.jp2)asitprovidesabalancebetweenfilesizeandimagequality.Beforefinalizingthe
export,clicktheExportBoundstabintheExportOptionsdialogboxandchooseoneoftheavailable
optionstolimitthegeographicextentoftheexportedfile,otherwiseyoumayinadvertently
generateanextremelylargefile.Notethatsavingdatawilltakeconsiderablylongerthansimply
displayingitonthemap,sobepreparedtowaitsometimeforthefiletobesaved.

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 Using the Digitizer
The Digitizer Tool
ArguablythemostpowerfultoolinGlobalMapper,theDigitizerallowsyoutocreate,delete,edit,
move,reconfigure,andcopypoints,lines,andareafeaturesonthemap.Themostfrequentlyused
digitizercomponentscanbeaccesseddirectlyfromtheDigitizer(Create)toolbarbutmanymore
toolsareavailablebyrightclickingonthemapaftertheDigitizerhasbeenenabled.

Whenusedbyitself,theDigitizerisaselectiontool.AfterclickingtheDigitizerbuttonin
thetoolbar,thepositionofthecursorisrepresentedbyacrosshairwiththewordEDIT
displayedbelow,andinthismode,points,lines,andareafeaturescanbeselectedin
preparationforediting,movingetc.Individualfeaturescanbeselectedbysimplyclickingthefeature
onthemapormultiplefeaturescanbesimultaneouslyselectedbyclickinganddraggingaboxthat
encompassestheextentoftherequiredfeaturesorbyholdingtheCtrlkeywhileselectingmultiple
individualfeatures.

Drawing Freehand Features

Thefollowingbuttonsareusedtomanuallycreatevectorfeaturesonthemap:

Pointfeaturesortextarecreatedbyselectingthistoolandsimplyclickingattherequired
locationonthemap.

Thevertexmodelinetoolisusedtocreatelinefeaturesbyclickingateachdesiredshape
pointonthemap.Thelineisterminatedusingtherightmousebutton.

Usethetracemodelinetooltocreatefreehandlinesbyclickingandholdingtheleftmouse
buttonwhilemovingthemouse.

Usethistooltocreateareafeaturesorpolygonsbyrepeatedlyleftclickingonthemap.
Rightclicktoaddthefinalpoint,whichisautomaticallyconnectedtothefirstpoint.

Regularrectangleareasarecreatedusingthistoolbyleftclickinganddraggingyourmouse
totheoppositecorner.Tocreateasquare,holdtheShiftbuttondownwhiledragging.

Tocreateacircleareafeature,clickandholdonthemaptoestablishthecenterpointand
movethecursortodefinetheradius.Holdtheshiftbuttonwhiledraggingtocreateanellipse

Whenusinganyofthesetools,thecompletionofthedrawingfunctiontriggerstheModifyFeatureInfo
dialogbox,inwhichthename,featuretype,attributes,andtargetlayerareassigned.

Additional Digitizer Buttons

TheDigitizer(Advanced)toolbarcontainsanumberofadditionalbuttonsforactivatingspecialized
vectorcreationtools,suchastheCoGotoolforcreatinglineorareafeaturesbyenteringspecific
dimensionsandtheRangeRingtoolforgeneratingconcentriccircularareafeaturesofaspecified
dimensionaroundapoint.TheDigitizer(Edit)toolbaroffersseveraloptionsformoving,reshaping,
andconvertingvectorfeatures.

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CopyrightBlueMarbleGeographics2016
 Using the Digitizer (continued)
Advanced Digitizing Tools
Whilemoststandardvectorfeaturescanbe
createdusingthepreviouslylistedbuttons,
thereareanumberofadditionalDigitizertools
thatareaccessedbyrightclickingonthemap.
Thesetoolsareorganizedinsubmenusbytype
(areas,lines,andpoints)andprovidemore
advanceddrawingfunctionality.

Editing Vector Features
GlobalMapperprovidestoolsforeditingboththegeometryandphysicalappearanceofvector
objectsaswellastheattributesorinformationthatisassociatedwitheachfeature.Editscanbe
appliedtofeaturescreatedinGlobalMapperortofeaturesfromanimportedvectorlayer.Note
modificationsmadetoanimportedlayerarenotappliedtothesourcefileandthelayermustbe
exportedtoapplytheseupdatesintheoriginalfileformat.

Beforeinitiatinganyeditingfunction,thefeatureor
featuresmustbeselectedwiththeDigitizertoolas
previouslydescribed.Theactofselectingafeature
activatesseveraladditionalbuttonsinthetoolbarthat
offersuchoptionsasmoving,rotating,scaling,and
convertingfeatures.Additionalgeometriceditingoptions
areavailablebyrightclickingonthemap.

GlobalMapperalsoprovidestheabilitytoedittheshape
andsizeofindividuallinesorareafeaturesbyadding,
moving,ordeletingverticesorshapepoints.Toenable
thisfunction,makesuretheoptiontodisplayverticesfor
selectedobjects(rightclick>Options)isenabled.Vertices
canthenbeselectedwiththeDigitizertooland,usingthe
rightclick>VertexEditingfunction,canbemodifiedin
severalways.

Torestoretheoriginalgeometricshapeorpositionofafeature,selectitwiththeDigitizertooland
chooseMove/ReshapeFeature(s)>RestoreOriginalShapeofSelectedFeatures.

Deleting Features
TheeasiestwaytodeleteafeatureinGlobalMapperistoselectitwiththeDigitizertoolandusethe
Deletekeyonyourkeyboard.Althoughthefeaturewillberemovedfromview,itisnotpermanently
erasedandcanbeeasilyrecoveredifnecessary.UsingthekeyboardshortcutCtrl+Zimmediately
afterdeletingthefeaturewillundothedeletion.Alternatively,youcantogglethedisplayofall
deletedfeaturesusingthekeyboardshortcutCtrl+Shift+Dand,usingtheDigitizertool,rightclick
andchoosetheUndeleteoption.

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 Working with Attributes
The Modify Feature Info Dialog Box
TheModifyFeatureInfodialogboxappearswheneveranew
featureiscreatedorwhentherightclick>EDIToptionis
chosenafterafeaturehasbeenselectedwiththeDigitizertool.
Thisdialogboxoffersseveraltoolsforestablishingthestyle
settingsofthefeaturesandforaddingoreditingattributes
eitherindividuallyorcollectively.

TheFeatureTypedropdownlistprovidesthemeanstoassign
theselectedfeaturetoapreformattedclassification,which
automaticallydeterminesthevisualcharacteristicsaswellas
theattributefieldsthatareassociatedwiththistype.

Attributescanalsobemanuallyaddedoreditedforselected
featuresusingtheappropriatebuttonsatthebottomofthe
ModifyFeatureInfodialogbox.

Advanced Attribute Options
GlobalMapperprovidesseveraloptionsforautomaticallycreatingorupdatingattributes.After
selectingafeatureorfeaturesonthemapwiththeDigitizertool,therightclickmenuoffersan
Attributes/StyleFunctionssubmenuthatcanbeusedtoautomaticallyassignattributesusinga
varietyofcriteria.Forinstance,withanunderlyingelevationlayer,youcanassignelevationand
slopevaluestoselectedfeaturesoryoucanaddanattributewithacountofthenumberorpoint
featuresinsideaselectedarea.

Joining and Calculating Attributes
ThejoinprocessinGlobalMapperallowsexternaldatatobeassignedtotheappropriatefeaturesin
anexistinglayerforthepurposeofcreatingadditionalattributefields.Beforebeginningthis
procedure,itisessentialthattheeachfeaturehasanexistingattributethatmatchesa
correspondingvalueinthedatabeingjoined.Thejoincanbebasedonaonetoonematch,where
eachentryintheimporteddatamatchesjustonefeatureonthemap,oritcanbebasedonaone
tomanyapproach,whereanindividualrecordinthedatabeingjoinedisassignedtoseveral
featuresonthemap.

Toinitiatethejoinprocess,rightclickonthetargetlayerintheOverlayControlCenterandchoose
Layer>JOIN.Supportedformatsfortheexternaltabulardatainclude.txt,.csv,anddbf.

Theattributecalculationfunction,whichisalsoaccessedbyrightclickingonthelayerintheOverlay
ControlCenter,isusedtocreateanewattributefieldbyapplyingacalculationtoanexisting
attribute.Calculationoptionsincludestandardnumericoperations,suchasaddandmultiply;text
basedoperations,suchasappendorprependtext;oradvancedformulaicoperations.

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 Using the 3D Functionality
Working with 3D Data
InordertoutilizeGlobalMappers3Dfunctionality,thedatawithwhichyouareworking,musthave
aninherentelevationorheightvalue.Bothvectorfeaturesandappropriatelyformattedraster
layerscanincludethisZvalueandcanbemodeledinathreedimensionalperspective.

Themostcommonapplicationfor3Ddataistogenerateaterrainsurface,whichisthebasisof
manyofGlobalMappersanalyticalfunctions,suchaswatersheddelineationandfloodlevel
modeling.Aheightvaluecanalsobeappliedtoavectorfeatureortoindividualverticesthat
compriseavectorfeature,whichallowsthefeaturetobeextrudedfromaterrainsurface.

Where to Find 3D Data
Aswiththestandardrasterandvectordataformats,therearenumeroussourcesof3Dorelevation
data.GlobalMappersDownloadOnlineDatafunctionprovidesseveralpreformatteddatasetsthat
canbedownloadedfreeofchargeorthroughasubscriptiontooneofthelisteddataproviders.
GlobalMapperalsosupportsdozensofpreexistingelevationformats,suchasDEMandArc/InfoGrid
filesthatareimportedusingthenormalFile>Importprocess.Simpletextfilesthatinclude
elevationvaluesalongwithcoordinatescanbeimportedusingtheFile>ImportGenericASCIIText
File(s)commandandcanbegriddedtocreateanelevationlayer.FinallyLiDAR(LightDetectionand
Ranging)datacanbeimportedandprocessedtocreateahighresolutionsurfacemodel.Formore
informationonworkingwithLiDARinGlobalMapper,seepage19.

Creating a Terrain Map from 3D Vector Features
Theprocessofgeneratingarasterelevationlayerfroman
arrayofvectorfeaturesthatcontainanelevationvalue
involvesgriddingthedata.Thisproceduretypicallyfollows
theimportofanXYZtextfileorLiDARfile,butitcanalsobe
performedusingothervectorfilessuchascontours.To
createanelevationgridfromaselectedlayer,rightclickon
thelayerintheOverlayControlCenterandchooseAnalysis
>GRIDor,ifgriddingseverallayers,chooseCreateElevation
Gridfrom3DVector/LiDARDatafromtheAnalysismenu.In
bothcases,theElevationGridCreationOptionsdialogbox
willappear,whichoffersanumberofoptionsfor
configuringthegriddingprocess.

3D Options and Preferences
Bydefaultanelevationlayerwillbedisplayedusingthe
multicoloredAtlasShader,althoughthereareseveral
additionaloptionsintheShaderdropdownlist.Asimulated
hillshadeorshadoweffectwillalsobeappliedto
accentuatevariationsintheterrain.Thiscanbedisabled
usingtheHillShadebutton.

Additional3Doptionscanbeestablishedinthe
Configurationdialogbox.Formoreinformation,seepage6.

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 Using the 3D Functionality (continued)
Visualizing the Map as a 3D Model
AsupplementarymapwindowinGlobalMapperprovidesthemeanstoviewanydatawithaheight
orelevationvalueasathreedimensionalmodel.Thiswindowisopenedusingthe3DViewbuttonin
thetoolbar.

Manyofthesamezoomingandpanning
functionsthatareusedinthe2Dmap
viewarealsoavailableinthe3Dwindow.
Additionaltoolsallowthevertical
exaggerationtobeincreased,the
perspectivetobechangedtogroundlevel,
andwaterinundationtobesimulated.The
3DwindowalsoincludesaSavefunction
thatallowsthecurrent3Dviewtobe
savedasanimage.

Working with LiDAR Data
ArapidlyemergingsourceofdataintheGISfield,LiDAR(LightDetectingandRanging)dataprovides
therawmaterialforcreatinghighlyaccurateterrainsurfacesorotherelevationderivedlayers.Inits
nativeformat,LiDARisaseriesofcloselyspacedpoints,eachofwhichcontainsprecisecoordinates,
anelevation,aclassificationthatdenotesthetypeoffeaturethatthepointrepresents(ground,
vegetation,building,etc.),andseveraladditionalattributes.RecentdevelopmentsinGlobalMapper
haveexpandedsupportforboththestandardLiDARfiles(.las)aswellasthecompressedversionof
theformat(.laz).AnoptionalLiDARModuleisavailablethatoffersadvancedLiDARprocessingtools
formoreinformation,seepage19.

LiDARdataisimportedusingthe
standardimportprocedure(Ctrl+O)
howeverthesubsequentimportoptions
dialogboxisuniquetothisformat.In
thiswindow,thedatacanbefiltered,
sampled,andifrequired,canbedirectly
gridded,avoidingtheneedtorenderthe
pointdata.

Ifthepointclouditselfisimported,the
pointswillinheritthecolorsofthe
currentlyselectedshaderandwillreflect
theelevationvalueifnoactualcolorvalueshavebeenassignedtoeachpoint.Usingthelayers
optionsdialogbox,thecolorofthepointscanbechangedtorepresentothervariablessuchas
classificationorintensity.AlsouniquetothisformatistheEditfunction,whichisaccessedbyright
clickingafterselectingoneormoreoftheLiDARpointsonthemap.Inthisdialogbox,thepoints
classificationcanbeeditedandotherattributesmodified.

CreatingaterrainsurfacefromloadedLiDARdatainvolvesusingGlobalMappersstandardgridding
tool(formoreinformation,seepage15)andusingtheresultingelevationlayer,anyofthe3D
analysisprocessescanbeperformedwithahighlevelofprecision.

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 Using the 3D Functionality (continued)
3D Analysis Functions
GlobalMapperoffersanumberofanalysistoolsthatutilizeloadedelevationorterrainlayers.

WatershedModeling
Thistoolisusedtodelineatethepotentialfortheterrain
tosupporttheflowofwaterusinglinearfeaturesto
representstreamchannelsandareafeaturestooutline
watershedsorcatchmentareas.
PathProfile/LineofSite
APathProfileisacrosssectionalviewoftheterrainas
representedbyalinefeature.TheLineofSiteanalysis,
whichwillonlyworkwithasinglesegmentline,shows
whereobstructionsimpedetheviewortransmission
pathfromoneendofthelinetotheother.
ViewShedAnalysis
TheViewShedanalysistooloutlineswhichareasare
visibleorarewithinthebroadcastrangeofdefined
location.Optionssuchasazimuthrange,distance,andheightofthepointoforigincanbe
customizedintheviewshedanalysissetupdialogbox.
WaterLevelRise/FloodSimulation
Basedonaselectedareaoronactualsealevel,theWaterLevelRise/Floodingtooloutlines
thoseareasthatwillbeimpactedbyaspecifiedincreaseinwaterlevel.
GeneratingContours
Thecreationofcontourlines
isoneofthemostcommon
usesforelevationdatain
GlobalMapper.TheContour
GenerationOptionsdialog
boxallowsthecontour
intervaltobeestablished,
supplementaryareas
featurestobecreated,andothersettingstobeapplied.
CalculatingVolumeBetweenSurfaces
Withtwooverlappingelevationlayersloaded,suchasasurfacelayerandasubsurfacebedding
plane,thisstraightforwardtoolcalculatesthevolumeofmaterialbetweenthetwo.
Comparing/CombingTerrainSurfaces
Thistoolcreatesanewelevationlayerfromanoperationorcalculationappliedtotheelevation
valuesintwooverlappinglayers.Operatorsincludesubtraction,averageandmaximum.
CutandFillCalculation
Availableasarightclickoptionwheneitheralineorareafeaturehasbeenselectedwiththe
Digitizer,theCutandFillcalculationtooldeterminesthevolumeofmaterialthatwillneedtobe
removedand/oraddedtocreateanartificiallyflattenedsurface.

Formoreinformationorspecificinstructionsontheuseoftheseanalysistools,refertothehelp
documentationthatisaccessibleintheHelpmenuinthesoftware.

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 Using the 3D Functionality (continued)
Assigning Height or Depth to Vector Features
Anypoint,line,orareafeaturecanhaveazvalueassociatedwithit,whichallowsittobemodeled
ina3Denvironmentrelativetoothervectorfeaturesortoaloadedterrainsurface.

Whenimportingavectorlayer,GlobalMapperwillautomaticallylookforanexistingvertical
attribute,suchheightorelevationandusethatasthezvalue.Tomanuallyassignazvalue,simply
addanewattributetotherequiredfeatureorfeaturesandtypetheelevation,height,ordepth.To
makesureGlobalMapperrecognizesthisattributeasazvalue,opentheOptionsdialogboxforthe
layerintheOverlayControlCenterandchoosetheappropriateattributefieldfromtheGet
ElevationsfromAttributeValuedropdownlist.

Itisalsopossibletoaddadifferentzvaluetoeachvertexthatcomprisesalineorareafeature.This
procedureisinitiatedbyclickingtheVerticesbuttonintheModifyFeatureInfodialogboxfora
selectedfeature.Ifanelevationvaluedoesnot
alreadyexistforeachlistedvertex,clicktheAdd
Elevsbuttonandupdateeachindividualvertex
asneeded.

WhenrenderedinGlobalMappers3Dwindow,
vectorfeatureswithanassociatedzvaluewill
appearaboveorbelowaloadedterrainsurface
layer.The3DViewPropertiesdialogbox
providesseveralcheckboxesthatareusedto
controlthedisplayofthesevectorfeatures.

Creating 3D Fly-Through Recording

GlobalMapperprovidesasimpletoolforcreatingavideofilethatrecordsauserdefinedpath
throughany3Denvironment.TheprocessofcreatingthepathisinitiatedwiththeDigitizertooland
canuseadrawnline,importedlinefeature,orGPStrackfile.Thelineitselfdoesnothavetocontain
anyparticularcharacteristicsorattributesbutissimplyusedtodefinethecourseoftheflight.

Afterselectingtheline,theCreateFlyThroughbuttonwillbeavailableintheAnalysistoolbar.
ClickingthisbuttonopenstheFlyThroughPathPropertiesdialogbox,inwhichtheflightsettingsare
established.Thesesettingsincludeheightaboveground,flightduration,cameraangle,andpitch.

Inthe3DViewer,aseriesofbuttonscontrolthepreview,playback,and
recordingofthevideofile.

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 Using the LiDAR Module
Module Overview
TheGlobalMapperLiDARModuleisanoptionaladdoncomponentofthesoftwarethat
significantlyenhancestheLiDARprocessingfunctionality.Thekeyfeatureofthemoduleisatoolbar
thatincludesbuttonsforreclassifyingLiDARpoints,applyingfilters,andextractingvectorfeatures
fromapointcloud.

Activating the Module
TheLiDARModuleisinstalledwiththestandardversionofGlobalMapperhoweveravalid
registrationkeyisrequiredtoactivateit.ThiskeycanbeorderedontheBlueMarblewebsiteorit
canbeaddedtoyouroriginalpurchaseorupgradetothelatestversionofthesoftware.Toactivate
themodule,clicktheHelpmenuandchooseModule/ExtensionLicenseManager.Simplychecking
theboxnexttotheLiDARmodulewilltriggertheregistrationwindow,whichissimilartothemain
softwareregistrationwindow.Afteractivatingthelicense,theLiDARtoolbarwillautomatically
appear.

The LiDAR Toolbars
TheLiDARModuleactivatesthedisplayoftwoadditionaltoolbars,theLiDARtoolbarandthe
ManualClassificationtoolbar.
TheAutomaticClassificationtools
TheLiDARDisplaydropdown
reclassifiesthosepointsthatare
listoffersnumerousoptions
likelytobeground,building,or
foradjustingthepointcolors
otherrecognizablefeatures
toreflectafeatureor TheApplyColorbutton
attributeofthedata. assignsRGBvaluesfroman
underlyingimagelayerto
eachpointinapointcloud

TheExtractVectorFeatures
TheFilterLiDARDatatool
toolcreates3Dbuilding
offersoptionsforisolating
polygonsandtreesfroman
pointswithselected
appropriatelyclassified
classificationorreturn
pointcloudlayer
typeparameters

Creating a LiDAR Profile

TheLiDARModuleenablesthePathProfiletooltobe
usedtocreateacrosssectionalviewofaswathof
pointsortocreateaseriesofprofileviews
perpendiculartoadefinedpath.Thisallows
erroneouspointstobeeasilyeditedordeletedor,
whenusingtheperpendicularprofilefunction,itcan
beusedtoidentifyanddigitizevectorfeaturesby
placingaseriesofvertices.

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 Exporting and Printing Maps
General Export Considerations
EfficientfileexportingandmapsharingareessentialcomponentsofanyGISandplayamajorrolein
thefunctionalmakeupofGlobalMapper.Justasthesoftwarecansupportavastarrayoffile
formatsforimporting,similarlyhundredsoffiletypescanbeexportingensuringGlobalMappers
interoperabilitywithcountlessthirdpartyapplications.

WhenexportingdatafromGlobalMapper,thereareseveralissuesandfactorsthatneedtobe
takenintoaccount:
Allcompatiblelayersand/orvisiblefeatureswillbeexportedbydefault.Inotherwords,Global
Mapperwillcreateasinglefileforalldisplayedlayersbymergingmultiplelayersintoonefile.In
ordertoexportthecontentsofaspecificlayer,thereisanoptiontorightclickontherequired
layerintheOverlayControlCenterandchooselayer>EXPORT.
Thereisnoautomatedprocessforsavingeditsoradditionstoanimportedfile.Inordertosave
changestothesourcefile,youneedtoexportthelayerinthesameformatandoverwritethe
originalfile.
TheprojectionandcoordinatesettingsforanyexporteddataareestablishedintheProjection
taboftheConfigurationdialogbox(formoreinformation,seepage6).Regardlessofthe
projectionparametersofeachimportedlayer,thisglobalprojectionwillbeassignedtoall
exports.
Eachexportformatsoptionsdialogboxhasasetofformatspecificsettingsthatareappliedto
thefilebeingexported.CommontoallformatsareanExportBoundsoption,thatcanbeusedto
limitthegeographicextentofthedatabeingexported,andaGriddingorTilingoptionthatcan
beusedtobreakupasinglelargefileintoseveralsmallerfiles.

Exporting Global Mapper Package Files
WhensharingdatawithotherusersofGlobalMapper,theGlobal
MapperPackageformatisthepreferredchoice.Thisproprietary
formatsupportsallcompatibledatatypesandallowsmultiplelayers
tobesimultaneouslytransferredinasinglecompressedfile.When
imported,theGlobalMapperpackagefilewillrecreatethelayer
structureoftheoriginaldata.

GlobalMapperpackagefilescanalsobeemployedasameansfor
backingupcriticaldatasets.Thisensuresthatthedatacanbe
effectivelyrestoredintheeventofalossoftheoriginaldataor
hardwarefailure.Tocreateapackagefile,clicktheFilemenuand
selectExport>ExportGlobalMapperPackageFile

Exporting Vector, Raster, and Elevation Layers
UnlikeGlobalMappersimportprocessinwhichasingleOpen
commandisusedtoaccessallcompatibledata,exportingrequires
theselectionofadatatype(vector,raster,orelevation)and
subsequentlyaspecificfileformat.TheExportsubmenuundertheFile
menuoffersthesethreeoptions.Theselectionofaformatfortheexporteddatawilldependonthe
intendeduseoftheresultingfileanditscompatibilitywiththethirdpartysoftwareintowhichitwill
beimported.
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 Exporting and Printing Maps (continued)
Exporting to a Spatial Database
InthesamewaythatGlobalMapperprovidesastreamlinedwaytoimportdatafromaspatial
database,anyloadeddata,regardlessofitsorigin,canbewrittenouttoanyofthesupported
databaseformats.Aswhenexportingdatainfileformat,theExportsubmenuprovidesthree
databaseexportoptions:raster,vector,andelevation.Formoreinformationonestablishinga
connectiontoaspatialdatabase,seepage10.

Exporting Web-Ready Files
GlobalMapperoffersseveraloptionsforcreatingwebreadyfilesfromanyloadeddatalayers.
UndertheFilemenu,theExportsubmenuofferstheExportWebFormatoptionthatopensadialog
boxinwhichtherequiredformatcanbechosen.Severalrastertileoptionsareavailableincluding
GoogleandBingMapTiles.Selectingatiledformatwillproducemultipleimagetilesaswellasan
accompanyingHTMLfilethatautomaticallyrendersthemapdisplayinterface,mapcontrols,and
basemapdataforthechosenformat.TheExportWebFormatcommandalsoofferstheoptionto
createKeyholeMarkupLanguage(KMLorKMZ)filesthatcanbeimportedintoGoogleEarthor
GoogleMaps.

Printing the Map
Beforesendingamaptoaconnectedprinter,Global
Mapperoffersapowerfulpagelayouttoolthatcanbe
usedtoaddcartographicelementssuchasatitle,
legend,andscalebartothemap.Usingawhatyousee
iswhatyougetapproach,theMapLayoutEditor
simplifiestheproductionindividualmapsormapbooks.

Creating a Geospatial PDF
CapturingamapviewasaPortableDocumentFormat
(PDF)allowsthemaptobesharedwithvirtuallyanyone,
regardlessoftheircomputersoperatingsystem.Global
MappersPDFexportfunctionalsoretainstheinherent
layeringstructureandgeographicreferencing
informationsothatthemapviewercanturnonandoff
layersasneeded,canseethecoordinateswhentheir
cursorismovedoverthemap,andcanperformsimple
cartographicfunctionssuchasmeasuringdistances.

ExportingaPDFissimilartosendingamaptoaprinterandincludesmanyofthesamesetup
options.TocreateaPDF,clickFile>Export>ExportPDFFileAdditionally,ageospatialPDFcanbe
createdintheMapLayoutEditorwindow.

Capturing a Screenshot
Perhapsthesimplestwaytoshareamap,theCaptureScreenContentstoImagecommandisan
availableoptionintheFilemenuorbyusingtheShift+Ckeyboardshortcut.Theresultingdialogbox
offersthechoiceoffourcommonimageformatsandincludesanoptiontosaveaprojectionand/or
worldfilethatwillallowtheimagetobeimportedintothirdpartyGISapplication.

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 Where to Find Help
Global Mapper Help Documents
GlobalMapperssearchablehelpsystemisautomaticallyinstalled
withthesoftwareandisaccessedfromtheHelpmenuorbyclicking
theF1key.Youcaneitherbrowsethroughthecontentssectionor
searchforakeywordtofindinformationonthefunctionin
question.Embeddedhyperlinkshelpyounavigatebetweensections
andprovidesupplementaryinformationabouttheselectedtopic.

Online Resources
AnonlineversionofthecompleteUsersManualisavailable
here:
www.bluemarblegeo.com/knowledgebase/globalmapper
RecordingsofthemonthlyGlobalMapperwebinarseries,whichcoveravarietyoftopicsinthe
softwarecanbeviewedhere:
www.bluemarblegeo.com/products/webinars.php

The Global Mapper Forum

TheGlobalMapperForumisanactiveonlinecommunityofusersandexpertsfromawidevarietyof
industriesandfields.Forumparticipantshavetheopportunitytoaskquestions,offertips,and
participateindiscussionsabouttheuseofthesoftwareanditsfuturedevelopment.Manynew
usersfindbrowsingthroughthepostedtopicstobeaninvaluablepartoftheirlearningexperience.

AlinktotheGlobalMapperForumisavailableinthesoftwaresHelpmenuoryoucannavigate
directlytothefollowingsite:
www.globalmapperforum.com.

Training Opportunities
Bothpublicandcompanyspecifictrainingopportunitiesareavailabletohelpyougetthemostout
ofthesoftware.Theavailabilityofscheduledpublicclassesandinformationaboutregisteringis
postedhere:
www.bluemarblegeo.com/solutions/geodesytraining.php

Customizedonsiteoronlineclassescanalsobearrangedforindividualcompaniesororganizations.
Forinformation,email:
training@bluemarblegeo.com.

Global Mapper Support
Afterallotherselfhelpoptionshavebeentried,ondemandsupportisavailabletoresolveany
issueswiththeinstallation,registration,orperformanceofthesoftware.Allsupportrequestsare
initiatedusingthepreconfiguredformonthefollowingwebpage:
www.bluemarblegeo.com/support/support.php

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 Useful Keyboard Shortcuts
General Application
OpentheUserGuide............................................................................................................................F1
Display3DWindow........................................................................................................................Ctrl+3
Print................................................................................................................................................Ctrl+P
Alt+X..........................................................................................................................ExitGlobalMapper

File Management
Opendatafile(import)..................................................................................................................Ctrl+O
Savethecurrentworkspace...........................................................................................................Ctrl+S
Loadaworkspace..........................................................................................................................Ctrl+W
Unload(remove)alllayers.............................................................................................................Ctrl+U
Copyselectedfeaturestotheclipboard........................................................................................Ctrl+C
Deleteandcopyselectedfeaturestotheclipboard......................................................................Ctrl+X
Pastefeaturesfromtheclipboardtoaselectedlayer...................................................................Ctrl+V
OpentheOverlayControlCenter....................................................................................................Alt+C

Tools Selection
DigitizerTool....................................................................................................................................Alt+D
FeatureInfoTool..............................................................................................................................Alt+P
MeasureTool..................................................................................................................................Alt+M
ZoomTool.........................................................................................................................................Alt+Z

Zooming and Panning
Zoomin...................................................................................................................................PageDown
Zoomout.....................................................................................................................................PageUp
Zoomtofullextentofallloadeddata............................................................................................Home
PantheMap(screenincrements).......................................................................................ArrowKeys
PantheMap(Entirescreen)..........................................................................................Ctrl+ArrowKeys

Digitizer Functions
Editthefeatureunderthecursor..................................................................................LeftDoubleClick
Selectafeatureandautomaticallyentermovemode........................................................Alt+LeftClick
Undolastoperation.........................................................................................................................Ctrl+Z
Cancelthecurrentoperation..............................................................................................................Esc
Deletetheselectedfeature............................................................................................................Delete
Undeletetheselectedfeature.............................................................................................Shift+Delete
Temporarilydisablesnappingwhendrawingafeature......................................................Alt+LeftClick

Custom Keyboard Shortcuts
AdditionalkeyboardshortcutscanbemanuallyassignedusingtheFavoritesdropdownlistinthe
toolbar.Formoreinformation,seepage5.

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 How do I?
How do I register Global Mapper?
AfterinstallingGlobalMapper,launchthesoftwareandyouwillseetheRegisterGlobalMapper
widow.Ifyoupurchasedalicense,entertheordernumberaspromptedtounlockthefull
functionality.Formoreinformation,seepage2.

How do I reproject a layer?
OpentheConfigurationdialogbox(Tools>Configure),selecttheProjectionsectionandupdatethe
projectionandcoordinateparametersasneeded.Thesesettingswillbeappliedtoallloadeddata
andwillbeappliedtoexportedlayers.

How do I change the background color of the map window?
ClicktheViewmenuandchooseBackgroundColor...Theselectedcolorwillbesavedinthecurrent
workspace.

How to I recover a deleted feature?
UsetheCtrl+Shift+Dkeyboardshortcuttotogglethedisplayofdeletedfeatures.Selecttherequired
featurewiththeDigitizertool,rightclickonthemap,andchooseUndeletetorestorethefeatureto
itsoriginalstate.Alternatively,usetheCtrl+Zkeyboardshortcutrightafterdeletingthefeature.

How do I add text to the map without an accompanying symbol?
SelecttheNewPointtoolfromtheDigitizer(Create)toolbarandclickatthelocationofthemap
whereyouwouldliketoplacethetext.IntheresultingModifyFeatureInfodialogbox,typethetext
youwouldliketoaddintheNamefieldandchooseTextfromtheFeatureTypedropdownlist.

How do I save map layers from an online data source for offline use?
Aftertherequiredonlinedataisdisplayedoninthemapwindow,clicktheFilemenuandchoose
Export>ExportRaster/ImageFormat.IntheExportOptionsdialogbox,makesuretheExport
Boundssettingsmatchthegeographiccoveragerequirements.LeavingthedefaultAllLoadedData
mayresultinanextremelylargefileandincreaseprocessingtime.Aftertheexportprocessis
complete,closetheconnectiontotheonlinedataintheOverlayControlCenterandimportthe
previouslyexportedfile.

How do I automate data processing tasks in Global Mapper?
Thereareseveraltoolsthatcanbeemployedtostreamlinecertaindataprocessingtasks.IntheFile
menu,theBatchConvert/Reprojectcommandcanbeusedtocollectivelytranslatemultiplefilesofa
specifictypeintoanotherformatand/ortoreprojectthedatatoanothercoordinatesystem.
Scriptingcanalsobeusedtoautomatemultipletasksinaworkflow.Ascriptisasimpletextfilethat
containsaseriesofcommandsandassociatedparametersforimporting,processingandexporting
data.Formoreinformationonscriptinggotothefollowingwebpage:
www.bluemarblegeo.com/knowledgebase/globalmapper/ScriptReference.html

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