USGS Digital Data Viewer: dlgv32 Pro
The following spatial data products can be displayed in dlgv32 Pro.
Elevation data are displayed in dlgv32 Pro as shaded relief terrain models, vertical perspective only. The sample data sets provided from this page are custom packaged for the convenience of dlgv32 Pro users.
Description: Vector data derived from U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps. Global Mapper will not display DLG-S data, an older format that is no longer sold or supported. Most USGS DLG-Optional data do not contain record delimiters. Global Mapper does not require that delimiters be added, and will display DLG-O data with or without delimiters. Other software may require either the absence or presence of delimiters.
Available for free? No. However, some scales have been converted to Spatial Data Format Standard (STDS). See links below.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| USGS Geographic Data Download Page | ftp://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/DLG/100K/ |
| USGS Geographic Data Download Page | http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/doc/edchome/ndcdb/ndcdb.html |
| Ask USGS | http://ask.usgs.gov |
Description: Vector data derived from USGS topographic maps. Spatial content is equivalent to DLG-O, but physical format and metadata content are more robust. Scales are 1:24,000/25,000, 1:100,000 and 1:2,000,000. DLG/SDTS data are derived directly from DLG-O data, which continue to be produced and sold as before.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| USGS Geographic Data FTP Site | ftp://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/DLG/ |
| USGS Geographic Data Download Page | http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/doc/edchome/ndcdb/ndcdb.html |
| Ask USGS | http://ask.usgs.gov |
| SDTS Home Page | http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/sdts/ |
Description: Elevations in a regular grid, derived from USGS topographic map contours or directly from aerial photography.
Available for free? 1:250,000 scale (also known as 1-degree DEM) data are available for free. Other scales can be purchased from USGS Earth Science Information Centers.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| USGS Geographic Data FTP Site | ftp://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/DEM/250/ |
| USGS Geographic Data Download Page | http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/doc/edchome/ndcdb/ndcdb.html |
| Ask USGS | http://ask.usgs.gov |
| USGS Elevation Program Home Page | http://rmmcweb.cr.usgs.gov/elevation/dpi_dem.html |
Description: Elevation data derived directly from USGS native format DEMs. Spatial content is equivalent to DEM, but physical format and metadata content are more robust. 7.5-minute data (1:24,000 & 1:25,000 scale) and 1:250,000 scale are available in SDTS format. Native format data continue to be produced and sold.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| USGS Geographic Data FTP Site | ftp://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/pub/data/DEM/7.5min/ |
| USGS Geographic Data Download Site | http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/doc/edchome/ndcdb/ndcdb.html |
| Ask USGS | http://ask.usgs.gov |
| SDTS Home Page | http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/sdts |
Description: Elevation data derived directly from USGS native format DEMs. This is an experimental format and is not available for sale. GeoTIFF DEMs are implemented as 16-bit TIFF images to preserve absolute elevation values. 16-bit data, while allowed by the TIFF 6.0 standard, is not widely implemented in TIFF viewers, so these files may or may not be viewable in other software.
Available for free? No. DEM data in GeoTIFF format is not a USGS product.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: Scanned images of USGS topographic quadrangles, georeferenced to the Universal Transverse Mercator grid. Images are in TIFF 6.0 format with either GeoTIFF extensions or an accompanying TIFF world file (TFW).
Available for free? Not from the USGS. DRGs are sold on CD by USGS sales offices. However, a wide variety of other organizations serve DRGs and similar data for free. Some of these sites are linked from the DRG home page.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| DRG Home Page | http://topomaps.usgs.gov/drg/ |
| Ask USGS | http://ask.usgs.gov |
Description: DOQs are aerial photographs that have been rectified to have the scale and geometry of a map, and joined or cut to cover the same area as USGS topographic map quadrangles. These images typically have a ground resolution of 1 meter. They are packaged in quarter-quad format (four physical files to one 1:24,000 scale quadrangle) because of the very large file sizes. Most DOQs are 8-bit grayscale images, but 24-bit color images are also available in some areas. The native format of these files is a ban-interleaved-by-line (BIL) image with a keyword text header at the beginning of the file.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| General information about DOQs | http://geography.usgs.gov/www/ndop |
| Ask USGS | http://ask.usgs.gov |
Description: DOQs are aerial photographs that have been rectified to have the scale and geometry of a map, and joined or cut to cover the same area as USGS topographic map quadrangles. These images typically have a ground resolution of 1 meter. They are packaged in quarter-quad format (four physical files to one 1:24,000 scale quadrangle) because of the very large file sizes. The GeoTIFF version of this product is exactly the same image as the native format.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| DOQ in GeoTIFF | http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/sdts/geotiff.html |
| General information about DOQs | http://geography.usgs.gov/www/ndop |
| Ask USGS | http://ask.usgs.gov |
Description: DOQs are aerial photographs that have been rectified to have the scale and geometry of a map, and joined or cut to cover the same area as USGS topographic map quadrangles. These images typically have a ground resolution of 1 meter. They are packaged in quarter-quad format (four physical files to one 1:24,000 scale quadrangle) because of the very large file sizes. Most DOQs are 8-bit grayscale images, but 24-bit color images are also available in some areas. The native format of these files is a JPEG encoded image with an accompanying header file to provide metadata.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| General information about DOQs | http://geography.usgs.gov/www/ndop |
| Ask USGS | http://ask.usgs.gov |
Description: The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) contains name and locative information about almost 2 million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States and its Territories. GNIS was developed by the USGS in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) to promote the standardization of feature names.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GNIS Download Site | http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/download_data.htm |
Description: The Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) data files describe the vegetation, water, natural surface, and cultural features on the land surface. The USGS provides these data sets and associated maps as a part of its National Mapping Program. The LULC mapping program is designed so that standard topographic maps of a scale of 1:250,000 can be used for compilation and organization of the land use and land cover data. In some cases, such as Hawaii, 1:100,000 scale maps are also used. Global Mapper currently supports the GIRAS format of these files. The grid cell (CTG) format is not yet supported.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| USGS Geographic Data Download Page | http://edc2.usgs.gov/geodata/index.php |
Description: The USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) has been developed by merging the highest-resolution, best-quality elevation data available across the United States into a seamless raster format. NED is the result of the maturation of the USGS effort to provide 1:24,000-scale DEM data for the conterminous US and 1:63,360-scale DEM data for Alaska. NED data is available in BIL, float/grid, and ArcGrid formats.
Available for free? Yes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| NED Home Page | http://edcnts12.cr.usgs.gov/ned/ |
| USGS Seamless Data Distribution Center (Arc Grid and GeoTIFF Formats) | http://seamless.usgs.gov/ |
Description: A global DEM with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1 kilometer, varies with latitude). GTOPO30 was derived from several raster and vector sources of topographic information. These data were produced jointly by several national and international organizations. The physical format of these data is different than USGS DEM data. GTOPO30 files are very large; note file sizes before downloading.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GTOPO30 Home Page | http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/landdaac/gtopo30/gtopo30.html |
Description: Control point data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Geodetic Survey (NGS). Recently made available in SDTS format. Note that Global Mapper will display only the SDTS version of these data, and will not display the native NGS data sheet format.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| NOAA DSDATA Home Page | http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/datasheet.prl |
Description: A collection of public domain Digital terrain models (DTM) from the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center. This collection includes an improved 5-minute DTM of land and ocean values for the entire world.
Available for free? Yes. Also sold on CD.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| NOAA TerrainBase Home Page | http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/fliers/se-1104.html |
Description: The CDED consists of an ordered array of ground elevations at regularly spaced intervals. It is based on National Topographic System (NTS) maps at the 1:250,000 scale. Nearly complete coverage of Canada is available. CDED data use the same physical format as USGS DEM data, and therefore can be displayed by Global Mapper.
Available for free? Yes. CDED data is avaailable at the GeoBase web site below.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GeoBase Canada | http://www.geobase.ca |
| Center for Topographic Information | http://maps.nrcan.gc.ca |
| Standards and Specifications | http://www.cits.rncan.gc.ca/fich_ext/1/text//products/dnec/cdedspec.pdf |
Description: With the appropriate World File (typically with a JPGW extension), a JPEG image may be positioned geographically in Global Mapper. A prime example of this is the satellite photos freely available from TerraServer. These images can be saved along with an appropriate JPGW for later viewing.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| TerraServer Home Page | http://terraserver-usa.com/ |
Description: With Global Mapper v10.01 and later, Global Mapper can load JPG files with embedded EXIF position information that associates a location with the image. When loaded these create a single point feature that you can then select with the Feature Info tool to view the JPG image. There are several cameras on the market that can automatically embed this information in a JPG image. As an added bonus, when you export these picture features to a KMZ file for display in Google Earth, the image itself will automatically be added to the KMZ file, making it easy to distribute collections of geo-referenced pictures to other for viewing in Google Earth.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GPS-Fotografie (German Site) | http://www.gps-kamera.eu/ |
| Google Earth | http://earth.google.com/ |
Description: With the appropriate World File (typically with a PNGW extension), a PNG image may be positioned geographically in Global Mapper.
Available for free? Sometimes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: The DXF format is a tagged data representation of all the information contained in an AutoCAD drawing file. Tagged data means that each data element in the file is preceded by an integer number that is called a group code. A group code's value indicates what type of data element follows. This value also indicates the meaning of a data element for a given object (or record) type. Virtually all user-specified information in a drawing file can be represented in DXF format.
Available for free? Sometimes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Autodesk AutoCAD DXF Documentation | http://usa.autodesk.com/ |
Description: A shapefile stores nontopological geometry and attribute information for the spatial features in a data set. The geometry for a feature is stored as a shape comprising a set of vector coordinates. Global Mapper supports loading Shapefiles directly from .tar.gz files, so you do not need to uncompress your Shapefile data if you do not want to.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| The National Atlas of the United States of America | http://www.nationalatlas.gov/atlasftp.html |
Description: Surfer Grid Format files are used to store a grid of elevation data. This format is supported by several software packages, with Golden Software's Surfer package being the most prominent. Global Mapper support both the import and export of this format.
Available for free? Sometimes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Golden Software: Surfer Product Information | http://www.goldensoftware.com |
Description: Canada3D is a DEM produced by the Canadian Forestry Service, Ontario region. The DEM consists of an ordered array of ground elevations providing coverage of the entire Canadian landmass. It has been derived from the cells of the CDED at the 1:250 000 scale. Canada3D is available in two forms: grids regularly spaced at 30 or 300 arc-seconds. Canada3D 30 and 300 are recorded separately in ASCII text file format. The elevation values are expressed in meters with respect to mean sea level (MSL), in accordance with the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83).
Available for free? Yes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Center for Topographic Information | http://maps.nrcan.gc.ca |
Description: The goal of the IBCAO initiative is to develop a digital data base that contains all available bathymetric data north of 64 degrees North, for use by mapmakers, researchers, and others whose work requires a detailed and acurate knowledge of the depth and the shape of the Arctic seabed. Global Mapper supports the import of this data in the netCDF format. Import of the ASCII grid format is not yet supported.
Available for free? Yes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| IBCAO 2000 Beta Grid | http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/bathymetry/arctic/ibcaobetagrid.html |
Description: A newly constructed global elevation data base gridded at 2-minute (latitude-longitude) resolution. The ETOPO2 data set contains both land data from the Global Land One-kilometer Base Elevation (GLOBE) project as well as seafloor topography from various sources.
Available for free? Yes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| ETOPO2 Home Page (Not Free Here) | http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/fliers/01mgg04.html |
| ETOPO2 Data and Docs (Free Here, Download etopo2.dos.bin and rename to etopo2.dos) | http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/global/relief/ETOPO2/ |
Description: The Global Land One-kilometer Base Elevation (GLOBE) digital elevation model is the most thoroughly designed, reviewed, and documented global digital elevation dataset to date. GLOBE comprises a global 30 arc-second latitude-longitude array, with land areas populated with integer elevation data. GLOBE is available on the World Wide Web, and on CD-ROM in a format convenient for image processing and raster geographic information systems (GIS). Full GLOBE documentation is available on the CD-ROM and Website. To load GLOBE data into Global Mapper, first download and uncompress the data files (if necessary). Name the large elevation data file with the .bin extension. Then download the GeoVu header for the tile that you just downloaded and place it in the same directory as the .bin file. Finally, use the File->Open menu item to load the .bin file.
Available for free? Yes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| The Global Land 1-km Base Elevation (GLOBE) Project | http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/topo/globeget.shtml |
| GLOBE FTP Site | ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/GLOBE_DEM/data/elev/ |
Description: The Arc/Info ASCII Grid format is an elevation grid exchange format used by Arc/Info.
Available for free? Sometimes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: The Arc/Info Binary Grid format is the format used by Arc/Info internally to store elevation grids.
Available for free? Sometimes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: The LizardTech MrSID format is a raster format which uses wavelet-based compression techniques to achieve extremely high compression ratios for raster data sets.
Available for free? Sometimes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| LizardTech Home Page | http://www.lizardtech.com |
Description: The E00 format is the Arc/Info exchange format for groups of vector coverages.
Available for free? Sometimes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: The ECW format uses a wavelet based compression method to achieve extremely high compression ratios on airphotos and scanned topographic maps. Typical compression ratios range between 20:1 and 100:1 which maintaining a very high level of quality. In addition, ECW format data can be dynamically served over the internet using ER Mapper's Image Web Server. Global Mapper can load ECW format data both from local files and directly from Image Web Server. Several sample web served links are built into Global Mapper for the convenience of the end user.
Available for free? Sometimes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| ER Mapper Home Page | http://www.ermapper.com |
| Image Web Server Home Page | http://www.earthetc.com |
Description: The ERDAS Imagine Image format is the raster data format used with the ERDAS Imagine software product line. Typical imagery includes satellite data as well as land coverages. For multi-band images and grayscale images, Global Mapper will automatically apply a two-standard deviation contrast stretch in order to generate an aesthetically pleasing image with no intervention. If present, the first 3 bands will be used the generate the image, with band 1 being red, band 2 being green, and band 3 being blue.
Available for free? No
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| ERDAS Home Page | http://www.erdas.com |
Description: In support of military applications, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) has developed standard digital datasets (Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED)) which is a uniform matrix of terrain elevation values which provides basic quantitative data for systems and applications that require terrain elevation, slope, and/or surface roughness information. All Global Mapper versions can import DTED format files and Global Mapper v9.00 and later can export loaded elevation data to DTED format files.
Available for free? Yes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GIS Data Depot Download Center | http://www.gisdatadepot.com/catalog/index.html |
Description: The MapInfo MIF/MID and TAB/MAP formats are both formats used by the MapInfo software package to store vector map information. Global Mapper can import and export data to these formats.
Available for free? Sometimes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GIS Data Depot Download Center | http://www.gisdatadepot.com/catalog/index.html |
Description: NIMA is now able to provide complete files of geographic names information covering countries or geopolitical areas. The files are not in customary gazetteer format, but are in a special format amenable to input into geographic information systems, databases, and spreadsheets, giving end users powerful capabilities for data analysis, manipulation, and display. The files contain names for all types of features. The file fields are described in description of file fields. Names are in reading order. The files are ASCII files and are tab delimited. The files are zip files. Dates indicate when the file was generated from the database.
Available for free? Yes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| NIMA GNS Data Site | http://164.214.2.59/gns/html/cntry_files.html |
Description: Global Mapper is able to export loaded elevation grid data to Terragen terrain files. These files can be used with the Terragen software package to create beatifully rendered 3D landscapes.
Available for free? Yes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Terragen Home Page | http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/ |
| Terragen Users Group | http://groups.yahoo.com/group/terragen/ |
Description: MicroStation DGN format files are files compatible with Bentley's MicroStation product line. You will need Global Mapper v7.03 or later to import DGN files created with MicroStation v8 or later and also to export DGN format files.
Available for free? Yes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Bentley System, Inc. Home Page | http://www2.bentley.com/ |
Description: The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data products result from a collaborative mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), the German space agency (DLR) and Italian space agency (ASI), to generate a near-global digital elevation model (DEM) of the Earth using radar interferometry. The SRTM-1 (1 arc-second) and SRTM-3 (3 arc-second) digital elevation models are being developed from the SRTM C-band radar observations for selected regions to satisfy the needs of NASA related projects and to speed the evaluation of acquisition and processing and applications algorithms. To load the SRTM-30 data available from the SRTM FTP Site below, you just need to download the *.dem.zip and open it directly into Global Mapper.
Available for free? Yes, SRTM data is available in GeoTIFF, Arc Grid, and HGT formats, all of which Global Mapper supports.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| SRTM Home Page | http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/ |
| USGS Seamless Data Distribution Center (Arc Grid and GeoTIFF Formats) | http://seamless.usgs.gov/ |
| SRTM FTP Site (SRTM-30 and HGT Format) - Use FTP Client | ftp://e0mss21u.ecs.nasa.gov/srtm/ |
| SRTM-30+ Web Site (SRTM-30 w/ Bathymetry!) | http://topex.ucsd.edu/WWW_html/srtm30_plus.html |
Description: Various types of imagery are often distributed in simple binary formats such as the BIL (binary interleaved), BSQ (binary sequential), BIP (binary interleaved pixel), and RAW (PCI Geomatics raw binary) formats. These files are usually accompanied by a header file of some kind (usually .hdr, .ers, or .aux) which describes the layout and formatting of the file. Global Mapper requires this header file in addition to the .bil, .bsq, .bip, or .raw data file in order to load the file.
Available for free? Sometimes, this is a generic format used by many different data providers, so the cost of the data in these formats varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GIS Data Depot | http://www.gisdatadepot.com |
Description: ASTER is an imaging instrument that is flying on the TERRA satellite launched in December 1999 as part of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). ASTER represents a revolution in the remote sensing community because of the availability of its imagery and its superior resolution. ASTER resolution ranges from 15m to 90m, depending on the wavelength. The quality of the ASTER DEM data is excellent, equivalent in resolution to USGS 30m SDTS DEM data and has coverage for a large portion of the Globe.
Available for free? Not anymore, ASTER data used to be freely available in the GeoTIFF (which Global Mapper reads) and HDF formats (which Global Mapper v6.06 and later can read), but a policy change was made and now the data must be purchased (except for some exempt users).
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Terrain Map - Follow ASTER DEM links on left for help | http://www.terrainmap.com |
| EOS Data Gateway | http://edcimswww.cr.usgs.gov/pub/imswelcome/ |
| OrthoCoverage - 15m ASTER Imagery for Download and Purchase | http://www.orthocoverage.com/ |
Description: BSB charts are high resolution full color scans of nautical charts of several Hydrographic Offices and other producers. You will need Global Mapper v7.03 or later to load encrypted BSB charts. Encrypted BSB files are copyright protected and cannot be exported to new files.
Available for free? Sometimes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| MapTech | http://www.maptech.com |
| NOAA Nautical Charts | http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ |
Description: Maptech sells USGS topographical maps of many of the states in the 1:24,000, 1:25,000, 1:100,000, and 1:250,000 scales. They also sell some aerial navigation charts. The file format and data storage method is proprietary. Global Mapper v7.03 and later can import these files directly.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| MapTech | http://www.maptech.com |
Description: Maptech sells nautical charts on disc in a PCX-based format. Global Mapper v9.01 and later can directly load these raster charts by loading the .hdr files found in the ChartHdr folder on the MapTech discs.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| MapTech | http://www.maptech.com |
Description: The TIGER/Line files are extracts of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) database. Prior to the 2007 TIGER/Line release the data come in a custom TIGER format which Global Mapper can directly import. Starting with the 2007 release, the data is released as a series of Shapefiles which any version of Global Mapper can read, but only Global Mapper v9.03 and later can automatically classify and color.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| TIGER/Line Home Page | http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/ |
Description: ADRG is a raster format typically used by military and other government organizations. To load ADRG files, simply load the TRANSH01.THF file from the ADRG file heirarchy or load the ADRG data directly from a .zip file. Global Mapper v6.02 and above can load files in this format.
Available for free? Not usually, often is classified.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: ASRP is a raster format typically used by military and other government organizations. The USRP varient simply uses a UTM projection rather than unprojected lat/lon. To load ASRP/USRP files, simply load the TRANSH01.THF file from the ASRP/USRP file heirarchy or load the ASRP/USRP data directly from a .zip file. Global Mapper v6.07 and above can load files in the ASRP format. Global Mapper v7.04 and later can also handle the USRP files.
Available for free? Not usually, often is classified.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: CADRG and CIB files are raster formats typically used by military and other government organizations. The data is stored as RPF (Raster Product Format). To load CADRG or CIB files, simply load the a.toc file near the root of the RPF tree. CADRG and CIB data can also be loaded from .tar.gz and .zip archives. Global Mapper v6.00 and above can load files in this format.
Available for free? Not usually, often is classified.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: VPF (Vector Product Format) files are used for vector data sets such as VMAP (Vector Map of the World) and DNC (Digital Nautical Chart). To load a VPF database, either select the dht file at the root of the VPF database tree or select the lht file at a lower level to load just one coverage from the database (the latter option is usually useful for DNC charts). Global Mapper v6.00 and above can load files in this format.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| NGA Raster Roam - VMAP Downloads | http://geoengine.nima.mil/geospatial/SW_TOOLS/NIMAMUSE/webinter/rast_roam.html |
| NGA Digital Nautical Charts | http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/dnc/ |
Description: S-57 files are used by many hydographic agencies around the world to store vector marine chart data. To load S-57 charts in Global Mapper, simply load the .000 file or load the chart file(s) directly from a .tar.gz or .zip archive. Global Mapper v6.00 and above can load files in this format.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts | http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/mcd/enc/index.htm |
Description: JPEG2000 is a relatively new format for storing imagery in a very highly compressed yet high quality manner, similar to the ECW and MrSID formats. Global Mapper v6.00 and above can load files in this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| JPEG2000 Standard | http://www.jpeg.org/jpeg2000/ |
Description: Erdas GIS/LAN files are used to store raster data (i.e. imagery, scanned maps). Global Mapper v6.00 and above can load files in the Erdas GIS format. Global Mapper v9.00 and above can load files in the Erdas LAN format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: GIF files are occasionally used to stored scanned maps. For Global Mapper to load a GIF file, a world file needs to be present for the GIF file otherwise you will have to manually rectify the GIF image. Global Mapper v6.00 and above can load files in this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: The NOS/GEO marine and aviation chart format is a raster format used for storing SoftChart marine charts and aeronautical maps from various sources. Global Mapper v6.00 and above can load files in this format.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| SoftChart International Electronic Charts | http://www.thecapn.com/charts.htm |
| Aeroplanner - Aviation Navigation Charts | http://www.aeroplanner.com/ |
Description: The Garmin PCX5 waypoint (WPT), route (RTE), and track (TRK) file formats are used to store user waypoints, routes, and track logs from GPS devices. The WPT and TRK files can be loaded into Global Mapper and exported from it in v6.00 and above. Global Mapper v9.01 and later can import RTE files as well.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Garmin | http://www.garmin.com |
Description: The OziExplorer waypoint (WPT), route (RTE), and track (PLT) file formats are used to store user waypoints, routes, and track logs from GPS devices by the OziExplorer application. The WPT and TRK files can be loaded into Global Mapper v6.00 and above, and the RTE files can be loaded into v9.01 and above.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| OziExplorer | http://www.oziexplorer.com |
Description: GPX (the GPS Exchange Format) is a light-weight XML data format for the interchange of GPS data (waypoints, routes, and tracks) between applications and Web services on the Internet. These files can be loaded into and exported from Global Mapper v6.02 and above. With Global Mapper v10.02 and later, if a GPX waypoint contains a link to a local image file, that image will display whenever you select the point with the Feature Info tool and the image will also be embedded in any exported KMZ format files for use in Google Earth.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GPX: the GPS Exchange Format | http://www.topografix.com/gpx.asp |
Description: Zmap Plus grid files are used by Geographix applications such as IsoMap to store gridded elevation data. Global Mapper can both import and export data in this format in v6.00 and higher.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GeoGraphix | http://www.geographix.com |
Description: DBF files are used to store tables of information. Usually they accompany an ESRI Shapefile to provide attribute information, but they can be used to store a database of point features. Global Mapper v6.04 and higher can directly import DBF files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: The BT (Binary Terrain) format is a simple terrain format developed by the folks at VTerrain.org to provide an easy way to store terrain information in a single file along with projection and positioning information. Global Mapper v6.04 and higher can directly import and export this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Sample BT Files | http://www.vterrain.org/BT/index.html |
Description: The GXF format is an ASCII grid format for storing elevation data. This format is used by software like Geosoft's Oasis Montaj product. Global Mapper v5.08 and higher can directly import this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Geosoft | http://www.geosoft.com/ |
Description: The Geosoft Grid format is a binary grid format for storing elevation data. This format is used by software like Geosoft's Oasis Montaj product. Global Mapper v6.05 and higher can directly import and export this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Geosoft | http://www.geosoft.com/ |
Description: The ASPRS LIDAR .LAS format is a binary format for storing 3D point data collected with LIDAR instrumentation. Global Mapper v6.07 and higher can directly import this format and view it either as a 3D surface or as an elevation-colored point cloud. Global Mapper v9.00 and higher can export loaded gridded elevation data and 3D point cloud data to new LIDAR LAS format files. With v10.02 and later, you can customize the names used for the LIDAR classes found within LAS files by creating a lidar_classes.txt file in the Global Mapper installation folder and adding a line for each class number to override with a format of lidar_class,class_name, like 3,"My Custom Class Name".
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| LAS Format Home Page | http://www.lasformat.org/ |
Description: The Hypack Matrix format is a grid format typically used for storing bathymetric data used in marine surveying. This format is used by software from Hypack, Inc. Global Mapper v6.07 and higher can directly import this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Hypack, Inc. | http://www.hypack.com/ |
Description: The Marplot MIE format is an ASCII vector format used for storage by the Marplot application. Global Mapper v6.07 and higher can directly import this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Marplot Download Page | http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/cameo/marplot.htm |
Description: The DHM format is a digital height model used by the Swiss government. Global Mapper v6.08 and higher can directly import this format.
Available for free? Samples are available for free.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Swiss Topo DHM25 Page | http://www.swisstopo.ch/en/digital/dhm25.htm |
Description: The Lowrance USR file format is used to store user waypoints and track logs from GPS devices. These files can be loaded into Global Mapper v6.09 and above. Global Mapper v9.02 and later is required to load Lowrance USR v3 files which include depth information.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Lowrance Electronics | http://www.lowrance.com/ |
Description: The GPS TrackMaker file format is used to store user waypoints and track logs from GPS devices. These files can be loaded into Global Mapper v7.00 and above.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GPS TrackMaker | http://www.gpstm.com/ |
Description: The FAST file format is used to store Landsat7 imagery, among other things. These files can be loaded into Global Mapper v7.01 and above.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Landsat7 Handbook | http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/IAS/handbook/handbook_toc.html |
Description: The NTF (National Transfer Format) grid file format is used primarily by the UK Ordnance Survey to store gridded elevation data (i.e. DEMs) as well as vector data. Global Mapper v7.02 and above supports loading gridded elevation data from NTF files. Global Mapper v8.01 and above also supports loading vector contour data from NTF files.
Available for free? Not usually.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| UK Ordnance Survey | http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/ |
Description: The TerraScan LIDAR format is a binary format for storing 3D point data collected with LIDAR instrumentation. Global Mapper v7.02 and higher can directly import this format and view it either as a 3D surface or as an elevation-colored point cloud.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: The Idrisi .rst file format is the raster data format used with Clark Labs' Idrisi software product line. Global Mapper v7.03 and later supports loading raster and gridded elevation data from Idrisi .rst files and also exporting any loaded raster and gridded elevation data to Idrisi .rst format files.
Available for free? Sometimes
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Clark Labs Home Page | http://www.clarklabs.org/ |
Description: The JDEM .mem file format is a file format used by the Japanese Geographical Survey Institute to provide gridded elevaion data. Global Mapper v7.04 and later supports loading gridded elevation data from JDEM .mem files.
Available for free? Not Usually
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Geographical Survey Institute | http://www.gsi.go.jp/ |
Description: The SEGP1 and UKOOA file format is a file format used by seismographers to store seismic shotpoints. Global Mapper v7.04 and later supports loading data from the SEGP1 format. Global Mapper v9.01 and later also supports loading the UKOOA variant of SEGP1 data. Global Mapper v10.00 and later can export loaded 3D line and point vector data to new SEGP1 format files.
Available for free? Usually
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Society of Exploration Geophysicists | http://www.seg.org/ |
Description: The CompeGPS RTE, TRK, and WPT format are used by the CompeGPS application for storing routes, tracks, and waypoints. Global Mapper v7.04 and later supports loading data from these formats.
Available for free? Usually
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| CompeGPS Home Page | http://www.compegps.com/ |
Description: The KML format is the format used by Google Earth to add data for display over the built-in data. The KMZ format is just the compressed form of the KML format. Global Mapper v7.04 and later can export loaded vector data to KML/KMZ files. Global Mapper v8.00 and later can import vector data from KML/KMZ format files.
Available for free? Usually
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Google Earth Home Page | http://earth.google.com/ |
Description: The Lowrance SonarViewer software generates comma-separated files containing spot depth information obtained from Lowrance GPS sonar products. Global Mapper v7.04 and later can import this format.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Lowrance Home Page | http://www.lowrance.com/ |
Description: NITF is the digital imagery standard for the US intelligence community and is widely used by the U.S. military commands, other U.S. Government departments and agencies, as well as international organizations such as NATO. The NITF format is also being adopted by civilian organizations as a standard for commercial imagery. The NITF standard provides a common basis for the storage and interchange of images and facilitates the use of multiple imagery sources and annotations. NITF files can contain multiple images as well as other information such as graphics and text. Global Mapper v8.00 and later can import NITF format imagery. Global Mapper v10.01 and later can export loaded date to new NITF files.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: This is a digital format for the storage of gridded data. Though developed for bathymetric/topographic data, the format can handle virtually any type of gridded data. It is very utilitarian format and contains no documentation about the grids (such as information about references, methods and datums used, etc.). Rather GRD98 formatted files only contain grid-structure information followed by the grid cell data values. Global Mapper v8.00 and later can import GRD98 format data.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Geodas Home Page | http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/geodas/geodas.html |
Description: This is a raster format used by some older Intergraph products. Global Mapper v8.00 and later can import some COT format files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Intergraph Home Page | http://www.intergraph.com/ |
Description: The Geographix CDF format is a format commonly used in the petroleum industry with applications like Geographix and Petra. Global Mapper v5.07 and later can export loaded vector data to this format and Global Mapper v8.00 and later can import data from files in this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GeoGraphix Home Page | http://www.geographix.com/ |
Description: The Platte River ASCII Digitizer Format, also known as the GeoGraphix Township/Range Digitizer Format, is a comma-delimited ASCII text format for land grid data. The format assumes that township and range data are stored as polygons. This is an excellent and simple way to distribute land grid data as it loads readily into GeoGraphix, Petra, and IHS Spatial Explorer, and is straightforward for writing conversions to other mapping systems. Global Mapper v8.01 and later can export loading township and range polygons to this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Platte River Format Description | http://www.whitestar.com/platt_river_format.htm |
Description: The DWG format is a vector data format used by AutoCAD and other applications. Global Mapper v8.01 and later can import DWG format data.
Available for free? Sometimes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Autodesk Home Page | http://usa.autodesk.com/ |
Description: The WAsP .MAP format is an ASCII format using by the WAsP (Wind Analysis and Application Program) for representing elevation contour and terrain roughness data. Global Mapper v8.01 can both import and export this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| WAsP Home Page | http://www.wasp.dk/ |
Description: A PGM image represents a grayscale graphic image. There are many psueudo-PGM formats in use where everything is as specified herein except for the meaning of individual pixel values. For most purposes, a PGM image can just be thought of an array of arbitrary integers, and all the programs in the world that think they're processing a grayscale image can easily be tricked into processing something else. With Global Mapper v8.01 and later you can export any loaded gridded elevation data to a PGM format file with the "grayscale" values actually being elevation values.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| PGM Format Specification | http://netpbm.sourceforge.net/doc/pgm.html |
Description: The SMT KINGDOM Software Planimetric Polygon Format is a simple ASCII text format used by SMT's KINGDOM software to represent polygons. Global Mapper v8.01 and later can import this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Seismic Micro-Technology (SMT) Home Page | http://seismicmicro.com/ |
Description: The Polish MP format is the format used by cGPSMapper and other applications that allow the creation of custom maps for Garmin GPS devices. Global Mapper v8.00 and later can both import data from MP files and export data to MP files. There is also special support for the MP_TYPE attribute that is used to specify the Garmin type code for features. If you provide a MP_TYPE attribute value in the default attribute list for a feature classification, that will be used to automatically classify features from MP files on import and to determine what type value to write for features of that type on export to new MP files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| cGPSMapper Home Page | http://www.cgpsmapper.com/ |
| Great Plains Mapping (GPS Lake/Hunting Maps Created using Global Mapper and cGPSMapper) | http://www.greatplainsmapping.com/ |
Description: The Geography Markup Language (GML) is the XML grammar defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) to express geographical features. GML serves as a modeling language for geographic systems as well as an open interchange format for geographic transactions on the Internet.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GML Wikipedia Page | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_Markup_Language |
Description: The Digital Map Data Format (DMDF) is an ASCII format used primarily for the transmission of terrain data, including gridded terrain, contour lines, and spot elevations. Many Alberta DEMs are provided in this format. Global Mapper v9.00 and later can read in the DMDF format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) | http://www.srd.gov.ab.ca/ |
Description: The Windows Enhanced Metafile (EMF) is used to stored a rendered Windows graphics image. Global Mapper v9.00 and later can extract some vector features (i.e. areas, lines, and points) with style information from most EMF files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Wikipedia Entry on Windows Metafile Format | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Metafile |
Description: PCX files are occasionally used to stored scanned maps. Global Mapper v9.00 and above can load files in this format. Global Mapper also has the special capability to automatically position PCX files generated by Marta Systems, Inc. applications without requiring positioning by the user.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Marta Systems, Inc. Weather Display Software | http://dnn.martasystems.com |
Description: This format is used in maps issued by the Swedish organization Lantmateriet (the National Land Survey of Sweden). Global Mapper v9.01 and later supports importing versions 1, 2 and 3 of the RIK format, but only 8 bits per pixel.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Lantmateriet Home Page | http://www.lantmateriet.se/ |
Description: This proprietary format is used for topographic maps published by German land survey offices (Landesvermessungsä´er) on CD/DVD as Top10, Top25, Top50, Top100 and Top200. Global Mapper v9.02 and later supports importing data in this format.
Available for free? No.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| GeoDatenZentrum | http://www.geodatenzentrum.de/ |
Description: This format is used by the OCAD cartography application for storing vector data. Global Mapper v9.01 and later supports importing vector data from OCAD .OCD format files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| OCAD Home Page | http://www.ocad.com/ |
Description: HF2 is a compressed heightfield format designed to replace uncompressed terrain formats such as HFF, TER and BT. In addition to smaller file sizes thanks to difference and gzip encoding, the HF2 format also includes an extended header section for storing additional metadata such as georeferencing coordinates, comments, and the like. Thus, HF2 was designed with extensibility in mind. HFZ files are just gzipped HF2 files. Global Mapper v9.01 and later can both import and export HF2/HFZ format files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| HF2/HFZ Format Specification | http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:formats:specs:hf2 |
Description: The PLS-CADD file format is a file format used by the PLS-CADD application by Power Line Systems to store both vector and gridded elevation data. Support for exporting loaded data to this format is available in Global Mapper v6.00 and above. Automatic support for loading data in this format is provided via Global Mapper v9.02 and above.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
Description: The OpenStreetMap (OSM) file format is a XML-based file format used by the OpenStreetMap project. OpenStreetMap creates and provides free geographic data such as street maps to anyone who wants them. The project was started because most maps you think of as free actually have legal or technical restrictions on their use, holding back people from using them in creative, productive or unexpected ways. Automatic support for loading data in this format is provided via Global Mapper v9.03 and above.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| OpenStreetMap Home Page | http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Main_Page |
| OpenStreetMap Europe Map Download Page | http://download.geofabrik.de/osm/europe/ |
Description: The TomTom OV2 file format is used a TomTom Navigator POI file used to generate POI files for loading onto TomTom GPS devices. TomTom OV2 files can be exported from any loaded point data using Global Mapper v9.03 and above.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| TomTom Home Page | http://www.tomtom.com/ |
Description: The Vulcan3D Triangulation file format is used by the Maptek Vulcan application for working with triangulated terrain surfaces. Vulcan3D files can be imported to and exported from Global Mapper v9.03 and above.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Maptek Vulcan Home Page | http://www.vulcan3d.com/ |
Description: The Delft3D (LDB) file format is used by Delft Hydraulics Software for storing vector line data. Delft3D (LDB) can be exported from any loaded line data using Global Mapper v9.03 and above. Global Mapper v10.01 and later can directly import Delft3D (LDB) format files.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Delft Hydraulics Software Home Page | http://delftsoftware.wldelft.nl/ |
Description: The ESRI Personal Geodatabase Format is basically a Microsoft Access database (MDB) file containing spatial vector data. Global Mapper v10.00 and later can import data in this format.
Available for free? Yes.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| ESRI Geodatabase Page | http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/geodatabase/index.html |
Description: BigTIFF is an extension to the TIFF image format allowing files larger than 4GB in size. Global Mapper v10.00 and later can both import and export BigTIFF format files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| BigTIFF Home Page | http://bigtiff.org/ |
Description: Some DeLorme products support loading vector data from text files. Global Mapper v10.02 and later can export data into DeLorme text formats, including a drawing format for storing any kind of vector data (i.e. areas, lines, and points) as well as specific formats for line and point data sets.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| DeLorme Home Page | http://delorme.com/ |
Description: The IKT format is used to store tracklogs generated by the MagicMaps software application. Global Mapper v10.00 and later can import this format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| MagicMaps Home Page | http://www.magicmaps.de/ |
Description: Gravsoft grid files are used by the Gravsoft suite of tools to store gridded elevation data. Global Mapper v6.00 and later can export loaded elevation data to new Gravsoft Grid files and Global Mapper v10.00 and later can import data in the Gravsoft Grid format.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Manicoral Software Service | http://geodesy.spacecenter.dk/softserv/gs/grav.htm |
Description: The PDS (Vicar) format is a binary grid format commonly used by NASA for storing planetary data. Global Mapper v10.01 and later can import data from PDS (Vicar) files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| NASA Planetary Data System | http://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/pds/ |
Description: The Surfer BLN format is a text format used by Surfer products for storing vector boundary data. All versions of Global Mapper can export loaded area and line data to Surfer BLN files and Global Mapper v10.01 and later can directly import .bln files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| Golden Software: Surfer Product Information | http://www.goldensoftware.com |
Description: STL is a file format native to the stereolithography CAD software created by 3D Systems. This file format is supported by many other software packages; it is widely used for rapid prototyping and computer-aided manufacturing. STL files describe only the surface geometry of a three dimensional object without any representation of color, texture or other common CAD model attributes. All versions of Global Mapper can export loaded terrain grids to STL format files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| STL (file format) | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format) |
Description: SOSI files are commonly used in Norway for storing vector data sets as well as referencing raster image files. Global Mapper v10.02 and later can import SOSI (*.sos) format files. At this time SOSI import is considered to be of beta quality, although there are no known issues when importing those files.
Available for free? Varies.
Web Pages and FTP Sites:
| SOSI File Format Specification | http://www.statkart.no/standard/sosi/html/del1/del1_2.htm |
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/drc/dlgv32pro/formats.html
Page Contact Information: Contact USGS
Page Last Modified: Wednesday, 11-Feb-2009 16:21:52 EST
