- Blue Marble Geographics: Blue Marble Geographics offers Global Mapper and Avenza Maps software for geospatial data processing and field workflows.
- Esri: Esri builds ArcGIS, a geospatial platform that connects and organizes data through geography.
- Nearmap: Nearmap provides aerial imagery, property data, analytics and workflow applications.
- Planet Labs: Planet provides satellite imagery and Earth data products and services.
- Safe Software: Safe Software creates FME, a platform for connecting and working with data from databases, real-time sources and business systems.
How to choose
Start with the work your firm does. A team that mainly prepares site plans may need reliable parcel, utility, and terrain layers. A firm doing field surveys or transportation work may need offline maps, mobile data collection, and tools for managing large geospatial datasets. Match the product to the people who will use it, including project managers and field crews. A system built for a large agency can be costly in staff time if your firm lacks dedicated GIS support.
Check how the software fits your current setup. Confirm it can exchange files and data with your design, project management, and document storage tools. Ask how it handles coordinate systems, version history, access controls, and client handoffs. Test those tasks with a real project before signing. A polished demo may not reflect your daily workflow.
Read the contract closely. Check renewal dates, notice periods, user limits, data export rights, support hours, and what happens to your data when service ends. Clarify whether field use works without an internet connection and whether that feature is included in your agreement. If your projects require state or local approvals, confirm that the vendor supports the required data formats and documentation. Ask who is responsible when source data changes or an approval process changes.
Plan for training. Find out how long common tasks take to learn, what onboarding is included, and whether staff can get help during project deadlines. Ask for references from civil engineering firms similar to yours in size and project mix. Speak with both a technical user and an owner or manager. Ask what surprised them after adoption.
- Which features match our typical projects, and which would require extra setup or support?
- How does the contract handle renewals, cancellation, user limits, data export, and data retention?
- Can we test our existing design, project, and document tools with a sample project?
- What training is included, and how much staff time should we plan for onboarding?
- Can you connect us with similar firms, and show how your data and workflows meet relevant state approval requirements?
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