Manifold System

Manifold System is a geographic information system (GIS) software package developed by manifold.net that runs only on Microsoft Windows. Manifold 7.00 handles both vector and raster data, includes spatial SQL, a built-in Internet Map Server (IMS), and other general GIS features. Manifold System has an active user community with a mailing list and online forums.

 

The development team for Manifold was created in 1993 to optimize mathematics libraries for a massively-parallel supercomputer created in a joint venture between Intel Corporation and the US Department of Defense. The team subsequently embarked on a plan to create and sell mathematics libraries, including the General Graph Facilities library (GGF) and the Computational Geometry Library (CGL), under the name of the Center for Digital Algorithms.

 

A series of “workbench” products were created to help teach customers the operation of algorithms in the libraries using visual means. Road networks and geometric data in geographic contexts were used to provide visual familiarity and interest, in effect creating a GIS-like product. In 1997 and 1998 customers asked for a true GIS product based on the workbench products and development of Manifold System was launched. The company soon changed its name to Manifold Net to match the new product’s name.