Custom osgEarth Software Development Consulting
What is osgEarth and how can it help me?
osgEarth (OpenSceneGraph Earth) is one of the most powerful GIS-enabled terrain rendering toolkits available today, and it’s F/OSS (Free/Open Source Software) under the LGPL License with static linked permitted. It’s extremely easy to adopt and integrate into your 3D graphics application, and provides functionality similar to Google Earth™ or ArcGIS Earth™ but in platform-native C++ on Windows, Linux and MacOS. osgEarth is a rapid way to add full 3d global geospatial viewing and interaction of data into any new or existing native-code application.
It is extremely fast and optimized, widely used, mature and stable, yet still evolving and improving. It can display buildings, airports, remote-sensed imagery, lighting, skies, even other planetary bodies. It consumes cloud-based GIS data from WMS and WFS type geodata servers and can be customized to load proprietary local and network data sources. It can render both 3D globes and 2D projected maps from the same data, simultaneously. It even integrates well with SunDog Software’s Silver Lining and Triton for added sky and water realism. It works well with on-demand paged point cloud data as well.
Because of its friendly license, it can easily be integrated into proprietary closed-source software without issues. Only changes you make to the osgEarth code itself must be contributed back to the community.
osgEarth is already integrated into multiple other toolkits like FlightGear and OpenIG for global terrain rendering in Visual Simulation and Flight Simulation environments, and has a licenseable ready-to-use terrain and imagery dataset called ReadyMap that can be served locally or networked.
How can AlphaPixel help me adopt and integrate osgEarth?
AlphaPixel Development has been using osgEarth since the very beginning, and also has experience with predecessors to osgEarth like osgGIS (also from Pelican Mapping) and Virtual Planet Builder (VPB). We’ve successfully ported earlier versions of osgEarth to Android, iOS and embedded OpenGL ES platforms. We have created entirely new osgEarth applications from scratch as well as integrating osgEarth functionality into our customers’ applications, even replacing existing non-osgEarth 3D Globe rendering code.
We are experienced in creating Python wrappers for osgEarth to allow scripting of osgEarth functionality from Python. We have worked with clients around the world to integrate osgEarth into their solutions, port osgEarth to new environments, develop new data loaders and displays, and entirely new capabilities.
We have a close relationship with Pelican Mapping, creators and maintainers of osgEarth and can rapidly develop fixes and improvements that are able to be accepted into the main public development release.
Reach out to AlphaPixel today to see how we can help you with custom osgEarth Software Development.
We do osgEarth Software Development Consulting.
When you want to add or improve osgEarth support in your application, AlphaPixel is who you want to solve your difficult problems.
Frequently asked questions
What is osgEarth and what can it do?
osgEarth is one of the most capable GIS-enabled terrain rendering toolkits available, free and open source under a permissive LGPL license with static linking allowed. It adds full 3D global geospatial viewing to a native C++ application on Windows, Linux, and macOS, similar in spirit to Google Earth or ArcGIS Earth, and can render 3D globes and 2D projected maps from the same data. It consumes WMS and WFS geodata, displays imagery, buildings, LIDAR point clouds, skies, and other planetary bodies, and is fast, mature, and still evolving.
Can you integrate osgEarth into my existing application?
Yes. We have integrated osgEarth into clients' applications, built entirely new osgEarth applications from scratch, developed new data loaders and displays, and added new capabilities. Its permissive license makes it straightforward to use inside proprietary, closed-source software.
Can you replace my current 3D globe with osgEarth?
Yes. We have replaced existing non-osgEarth 3D globe rendering code with osgEarth, which is often a fast way to add mature, full 3D global geospatial viewing to an existing product.
Do you port osgEarth to mobile and embedded platforms?
Yes. We have ported earlier versions of osgEarth to Android, iOS, and embedded OpenGL ES platforms, and have shipped streamed osgEarth globes on phones and tablets.
Can you script osgEarth from Python?
Yes. We are experienced in creating Python wrappers for osgEarth so its functionality can be driven and scripted from Python.
Do you have a relationship with Pelican Mapping, osgEarth's maintainers?
Yes. We have a close relationship with Pelican Mapping, the creators and maintainers of osgEarth, and can rapidly develop fixes and improvements that are accepted into the main public development release. We have worked with osgEarth since the very beginning, and with its predecessors osgGIS and Virtual Planet Builder.
Should I use osgEarth, or Rocky, its Vulkan successor?
osgEarth remains the mature choice on OpenSceneGraph. If you are moving to Vulkan or VulkanSceneGraph, Rocky is Pelican Mapping's Vulkan-era successor and the forward path. We work in both and can advise based on your platform and timeline.
How do we engage AlphaPixel for osgEarth work?
As a subcontractor, a team-augmentation partner, or the hired specialists for one hard piece: integration, porting, new data loaders and displays, or new capabilities. Contact us with your application and data sources and we will scope it.
