Transform Lidar Data into Field-Ready Outputs

Global Mapper supports all major lidar point cloud formats, including LAS, LAZ, and the recently added LAS 1.5, as well as a broad range of other point cloud and elevation data types. No additional licenses or plugins are required. Format support is updated on an ongoing basis so the software stays current with the data sources your workflow relies on.

Global Mapper is built for production-scale lidar and point cloud processing. Batch processing and scripting support allow large datasets to move through classification, filtering, thinning, and export workflows without manual intervention at each step. GIS professionals can automate repeatable processing sequences, so time stays focused on analysis rather than data preparation.

Yes. Global Mapper includes Pixels to Points, a built-in drone photogrammetry tool that processes drone and UAV imagery into dense point clouds, orthomosaics, and 3D models. Whether the source data comes from aerial capture or a drone survey, outputs are spatially accurate and ready to move into the next stage of your workflow without reformatting or rebuilding.

Global Mapper includes machine learning tools for automated point cloud classification. Ground, vegetation, buildings, power lines, and poles can all be identified and isolated without manual classification of every feature. For complex structural datasets, such as bridge pylons or urban infrastructure, AI-assisted workflows reduce the time spent on classification so GIS professionals can move to analysis sooner.

Photogrammetry is the process of turning overlapping aerial or drone imagery into accurate geospatial datasets, including point clouds, orthomosaics, and three-dimensional terrain models. By extracting measurements from photographs, organizations can create detailed digital representations of real-world environments without traditional ground surveys, which helps to expedite turnaround.

Global Mapper’s integrated photogrammetry tools simplify this workflow, allowing teams to move directly from image processing to terrain analysis, mapping, and field deployment within a single application.

Field crews are most effective and efficient when they arrive to the jobsite with accurate information already in hand. By processing lidar before deployment, organizations are able to identify terrain challenges, classify features, evaluate access routes, and resolve potential issues before personnel ever step on site.

By moving critical analysis into the office, organizations reduce uncertainty, improve safety, and ensure field teams spend their time validating conditions instead of discovering them.

Once processing is complete, maps and data are packaged directly from Global Mapper and distributed to field devices running Avenza Maps. Field teams access deployment-ready maps offline, capture GPS-tagged observations and data, and sync everything back to Global Mapper when the work is done. No manual exports, no format conversions, and no spatial accuracy lost between processing and field execution.

Global Mapper generates a full range of terrain analysis outputs from elevation data, including contour lines, slope models, viewsheds, watershed analyses, and flood simulations. Cut-and-fill volume calculations, relative elevation models, and path profile views are also available. Site conditions, access routes, and terrain risk factors can all be assessed at the desk before field deployment begins.

Dedicated lidar tools handle point cloud processing, but that is typically where their workflow ends. Global Mapper handles the full pipeline: lidar processing and classification, terrain analysis, coordinate conversion and datum transformation, photogrammetry, format handling, and field deployment preparation, all from a single workspace. GIS professionals working in dedicated lidar tools still need additional software to validate coordinate systems, prepare maps for field use, or move outputs downstream. Global Mapper handles that entire sequence without switching platforms

Lidar processing transforms raw point cloud data into accurate, usable geospatial information that organizations from various industries can analyze and act upon. The workflow typically includes classifying points, filtering noise, generating terrain models, extracting features, and producing deliverables such as contours, elevation models, and orthomosaics.

High quality lidar processing enables engineers, surveyors, foresters, and GIS professionals to understand site conditions before work begins, which serves to improve decision making while reducing costly field investigations.

What is unique about Global Mapper is that it streamlines this entire workflow within a single platform, allowing organizations to process, analyze, and prepare lidar data for downstream analysis and field deployment.