computer science

Global Mapper

Global Mapper is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Global Mapper rather than just read about it. In short: Global Mapper is a geographic information system (GIS) software package currently developed by Blue Marble Geographics that runs on Microsoft Windows. The GIS software competes with ESRI, GeoMedia, Manifold System, and MapInfo GIS products.

Key takeaways

Global Mapper belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Global Mapper to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Global Mapper from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Global Mapper is a geographic information system (GIS) software package currently developed by Blue Marble Geographics that runs on Microsoft Windows. The GIS software competes with ESRI, GeoMedia, Manifold System, and MapInfo GIS products. Global Mapper handles both vector, raster, and elevation data, and provides viewing, conversion, and other general GIS features. It is most notably known for its support of over 300 different file formats ranging from .laz to Geotiffs. Global Mapper has an active user community with a mailing list and online forums.

History In 1995 the USGS was in need of a Windows viewer for their data products, Mike Childs, intern at the time developed the dlgv32 application for viewing their DLG (Digital Line Graph) vector data products. Between 1995 and 1998 the dlgv32 application was expanded to include support for viewing other USGS data products, including DRG (topographic maps) and DEM (digital elevation model) and SDTS-DLG and SDTS-DEM data products. The development process is described in detail in the USGS paper titled 'A Programming Exercise'. In 1998 the USGS released the source code for dlgv32 v3.7 to the public domain. In 2001, the source code for dlgv32 was further developed by Mike into the commercial product dlgv32 Pro v4.0 and offered for sale via the internet. Later that same year the product was renamed to Global Mapper and become a commercial product of the company Global Mapper Software LLC. Mike capitalized on this opportunity and acted as the salesperson, developer and tech support for almost a decade. On November 2, 2011 Blue Marble Geographics, at the annual user conference, announced they had purchased Global Mapper LLC. Mike Childs joined Blue Marble Geographics after the sale, and remains a key developer and guru of the software.

Releases Since the initial commercialization of the Global Mapper product in 2001, there have been yearly major product releases and numerous intermediate point releases adding additional functionality to the software. A mobile version of Global Mapper, Global Mapper Mobile, was released in 2016.

Versions

References

External links Global Mapper website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Global Mapper

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Global Mapper claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Global Mapper before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Global Mapper ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Global Mapper

In research: Global Mapper appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Global Mapper in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Global Mapper is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics GIS companies, GIS software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Global Mapper outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Global Mapper in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Global Mapper means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Global Mapper out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Global Mapper in simple terms?

Why does Global Mapper matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Global Mapper?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Global Mapper.