In the past decade, SuperMap has kept merging IT technology in SuperMap GIS software in the areas of cross-platform, cloud calculation, 3D, mobile internet, etc. After the development for more than 1 year, SuperMap GIS 8C (2017) was released in Beijing On 25th, October, 2016.
SuperMap GIS 8C (2017) brings revolutionary breakthroughs in multiple aspects like cloud calculation, 3D GIS, big data, etc., among which the most important 6 features are:
1. WebGL supported
Speaking of 3D GIS, the expensive professional graphic card, effective graphic workstation, and the complicated software or plugin are needed. But with the emerging of WebGL, all the problems can be solved.
WebGL is a 3D mapping standard, through which the 3D scenes can be displayed smoothly in browser.
SuperMap GIS 8C (2017) supports WebGL, making the 3D GIS application easier, which doesn’t need to install software, plugin or pre-download data. Most importantly, it supports all the mainstream browsers, including mobile browsers, and supports setting online map as basemap. Detailed models, oblique photogrammetry, point cloud formats are also supported.
2. 3D dynamic rendering engine
3D GIS needs to dynamically display the location combining with IoT, which is a challenge for 3D GIS. The challenges are the high refresh rate, data transmitting and rendering. SuperMap GIS 8C (2017) has a complete new update on the 3D functions, realizing the sharing of real-time location, e.g. one laptop can display the real-time locations of 50,000 vessels globally.
3. VR wearables supported
SuperMap GIS 8C (2017) supports VR technology, through VR werables like Facebook Oculus, HTC Vive, users can experience immerse 3D GIS.
4. Docker supported
Docker is also called as container technology, providing a new cloud calculation engine, using free open source mechanism. Comparing with virtuality, Docker has fewer layers, which improves cloud calculation performance, decreases response time, and improves the utilization.
A necessity for Docker is originally supporting Linux operation system. SuperMap is the only large-scale platform software which supports Docker. The cloud product series -- 4 ‘carriages’( SuperMap iPortal, SuperMap iServer, SuperMap iExpress, SuperMap iCloudManager) can fully support Docker. The merge of cloud GIS and Docker has lowered the difficulties and entrance for cloud GIS deploying, increased the capacity of calculation resources, and improved the system calculation performance.
5. Indoor navigation
As a hotspot and blue ocean, indoor navigation draws more and more attention. For example, how to navigate in a complex shopping mall? The mobile GIS functionalities of SuperMap GIS 8C (2017) have been improved, providing seamless map display of indoor map and outdoor map: supports indoor map displaying, switching between different floors, indoor path analysis, cross floor path analysis and indoor path guidance.
6. Spatial big data engine
Big data won’t have its value if it lacks analysis. The big data platforms like Hadoop, Spark don’t have the spatial statistics and analysis ability, and the technology for analysis of geographic big data is hard to realize, which has set barrier for the applying and promoting of geographic big data.
The combination of SuperMap C++ core and Spark Scala, allowing GIS software to run in Spark, with this basis, SuperMap iObjects for Spark was developed, making visualizing, distributed storing, querying, managing, processing, digging and analyzing geographic big data easier.
For example, SuperMap GIS 8C (2017) provides parcel data automatic segment function, added spatial statistics and analysis module, which can be used for the statistics of spatial data like disease control.
SuperMap aims at proving big data processing ability and platform, not big data itself.
SuperMap will keep bringing cutting-edge IT technologies to SuperMap GIS software.
