

SketchUp pro is designed for architects, engineers, and design and construction professionals, as well as members of the global maker community. You can download a free trial version here. If your work includes generating renderings for clients, the latter can be valuable. SketchUp is a powerful software for creating 3D visualizations (think 3D structures and objects).īuilding that was modeled in SketchUp and overlaid in Google Earthīoth free SketchUp and fee-based SketchUp Pro versions are available. Trimble offers another cool geospatial tool that was once part of the Google portfolio. To download Google Earth Pro, register for a license key and download for Windows or Mac. Make HD movies: Make Windows Media and QuickTime HD movies.Import Esri and MapInfo-formatted data: Import.Import spreadsheet data: Import up to 2,500 addresses at a time.Pro data layers: Demographics, parcels, traffic count.High-resolution printing: Print images up to 4800 x 3200 pixels.Advanced measurements: Polygon area measurement.Previously the user received the following, and one supposes the same will continue to hold true: Google Earth Pro, the company’s offering to the high-end mapping market, formerly available on a subscription basis, will soon be free, as of January 2016. Today, Google Earth and Google Maps are still the defacto standard for “desktop mapping” by the general consumer.

At about the same time, Navteq (now HERE) and TeleAtlas (now TomTom) - two of the premiere geospatial data companies at the time - were gaining tremendous momentum in the exploding GPS car navigation market because they were, and still are, the two companies that provide the vast majority of the map data to the Garmins and TomToms (and others) of the world. Suddenly there was easy-to-use software to visualize geospatial data. One of the many developments driving that growth was the appearance of Google Earth in 2004, sprung from Google’s acquisition of Keyhole. Geospatial data long ago left the user domain of thousands and is rapidly headed toward billions. Actually, I believe I’ve talked about the topic at nearly every Field Technology Conference since the inaugural event in 2010. At the Field Technology Conference in November, I talked about this. Many times I’ve shown the following photo I shot at the Esri User Conference several years ago.
