The Global Mapper’s Custom Point Cloud Classification Training Tool by Blue Marble Geographics has been selected by the team at GeoWeek and LIDAR Magazine for the 2024 Outstanding Innovation in Lidar Award.
The Outstanding Innovation in Lidar Award was awarded to Blue Marble Geographics for developing a groundbreaking new functionality for training custom automatic point cloud classifications. This new tool became available to users in version 25 of Global Mapper Pro, and it has been further expanded in version 25.1.
“It really is great to be recognized for the innovation our team brings to Global Mapper, so we thank GeoWeek and Lidar Magazine,” stated Patrick Cunningham, CEO of Blue Marble Geographics. “We were one of the first GIS tools to really focus on a powerful suite of lidar processing tools, and today we continue to push the envelope on what can be accomplished with lidar and geospatial data. Thanks to our great team of technologists and developers at Blue Marble, we are able to bring these great features to every release.”
The Custom Point Cloud Classification Training Tool has a clear place in the industry. Currently, the point cloud processing software industry provides many classification options for detecting specific objects. Automatic classification methods for identifying ground, noise, vegetation, and more are commonly available, but only a few custom tools exist outside of costly custom development. Unique or industry-specific feature classifications require expensive solutions of tailored software or person-hours spent in manual point cloud classification.
Global Mapper Pro’s new Custom Point Cloud Classification Training Tool gives users the ability to train an algorithm to find unique features in point clouds automatically. This development opens the door for increasing the accessibility and application of lidar and point clouds in many industries without a high-cost barrier.
Municipalities can identify and count stripes in the road, metal power poles can be distinguished from wooden, bridge supports can be identified, specific electric infrastructure can be measured, and more. When a user has distinct objects in the point cloud, this tool should be able to find them.
Custom Classification uses Global Mapper Pro’s segmentation-based analysis to assess point cloud characteristics and find commonalities among the points that make up an object. For example, to segment paint stripes on the road, a user would look for points that make up a flat surface, have the same color, normals, etc. This method operates on the assumption that each object in the point cloud, each cluster of points, has a signature made up of attributes and/or structures that separate it from its neighbors. The Custom Point Cloud Classification Training Tool takes advantage of these signatures and gives users the power to classify specific and unique features in a point cloud.
This tool has been expanded in v25.1 with the addition of subclassifications. These new classification types can be added to custom classifications to refine further the type of point feature with which it is being worked. Subclassifications are distinct in color and classification labels without losing the functionality of the parent class.
Learn more about the Custom Point Cloud Classification Training Tool in Global Mapper Pro and download a trial at bluemarblegeo.com/global-mapper-pro.
