Carlson Software
Carlson Software, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Maysville, Kentucky, provides integrated CAD, GNSS, machine control, and laser measurement software and hardware for land surveying, civil engineering, construction, mining, and GIS professionals worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersMaysville, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Carlson Software does
Carlson Software Inc. is a privately held, US-based technology company founded in 1983 and headquartered in Maysville, Kentucky, with 101–250 employees and wholly-owned regional subsidiaries in the Netherlands (Carlson EMEA BV), Australia (Carlson Software Australia Pty Ltd), and the UK/Canada (Carlson Laser Measurement Devices). The company provides integrated software and hardware solutions spanning the full project lifecycle for land surveying, civil engineering, construction, mining, and GIS professionals, including CAD design software (Survey, Civil, Hydrology, GIS, Mining) running on IntelliCAD or AutoCAD platforms, field data collection platforms (SurvCE/SurvPC), GNSS receivers (notably the Viking with proprietary Triple-Fix technology), robotic total stations (CRx/CRT series), rugged data collectors (Washington DC, RT4+, RT5+), machine control systems, laser measurement devices (C-ALS HD underground scanner, Boretrak3 borehole deviation system), and drone photogrammetry tools (PhotoCapture).
Carlson Software firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carlson Software
- Legal name
- Carlson Software Inc.
- Website
- https://carlsonsw.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Carlson Software, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Maysville, Kentucky, provides integrated CAD, GNSS, machine control, and laser measurement software and hardware for land surveying, civil engineering, construction, mining, and GIS professionals worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carlson Software industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Surveying and Civil Engineering Software
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Software Publishers (5132), Construction Machinery Manufacturing (333120), Mining Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333131)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Drone/UAV Data Capture & Processing Software (AFAAAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Metrology, Inspection & Machine Tool Accessories (CMMs, Probing, Gauging) (IMAHADAK), Forest Inventory, Mapping & Monitoring (GIS/Remote Sensing/MRV) (IMAMAJAB), Military ISR, EW & SIGINT Payloads (Airborne) (IMABAMAF)
Keywords
Where Carlson Software is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Maysville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Carlson Software business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Software Licenses: One-time perpetual software licenses for Carlson products including Survey, Civil, Hydrology, GIS, Mining, and related modules. Software runs on IntelliCAD or AutoCAD platforms.
- Hardware Products: Sale of GNSS receivers (Viking, BRx7, VASCO-B), robotic total stations (CRx, CRT series), data collectors (Washington DC, RT4+, RT5+), laser measurement devices, and machine control equipment.
- Annual Maintenance Plans: Maintenance program at 10% of software list price annually, providing automatic upgrades, new feature additions, unlimited access to Carlson Academy, and toll-free priority technical support. Price increases by 10% per year if not renewed prior to expiration.
- Equipment Financing: Leasing program through First Western Equipment Finance for both hardware and software products, providing alternative payment options for customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Maintenance Plan |
| Subscription | Annual | Expired Maintenance Reinstatement |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Carlson Software product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carlson Software develops and sells CAD design software, field data collection tools, GNSS positioning receivers, laser measurement devices, and machine control systems for civil engineering, land surveying, GIS, construction, and mining professionals. Their solutions span the entire project cycle from data collection to design to construction, and they also manufacture hardware including the Viking GNSS receiver and Washington DC data collector at their Maysville, Kentucky facility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Carlson SurvCE / SurvPC: Mobile data collection software for professional surveyors
- Carlson PhotoCapture
- Carlson Command
- Carlson Academy
- Carlson IntelliCAD Labs
- Hydrology Engineer Learning Simulator (carlsongaming.com)
Products and services
- Carlson Survey CAD design software module for land surveying workflows, running on IntelliCAD or AutoCAD platforms and used by professional surveyors for survey design and computation.
- Carlson Civil
- Carlson Hydrology
- Carlson GIS
- Carlson Mining
- Carlson SurvCE / SurvPC
- Carlson PhotoCapture
- Carlson Command 2027
Quantifiable outcome
- Centimeter-level accuracy with Viking GNSS in challenging environments including dense tree cover
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Carlson Software
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Carlson Software technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature7 records
Carlson Software partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Carlson Software competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Autodesk: Autodesk's AutoCAD platform is the primary CAD engine Carlson supports, while Civil 3D and InfraWorks compete directly with Carlson Survey, Civil, and Hydrology software in civil engineering and land development design.
- Hexagon AB (Leica Geosystems): Hexagon's Leica Geosystems division competes head-to-head with Carlson in GNSS receivers, robotic total stations, laser scanning, and mining software, while Hexagon Mining competes in Carlson Command fleet management and machine control for dozers/drills.
- Trimble Inc. Trimble is the dominant full-stack provider of GNSS, total stations, machine control, and field-to-office software for surveying, civil engineering, and construction - directly competing with Carlson's integrated software-plus-hardware offering across every major product line.
- Bentley Systems: Bentley's OpenRoads, OpenSite, and ContextCapture compete with Carlson's civil design and drone photogrammetry offerings for the same infrastructure and surveying customer base, often appearing together in pre-selection software lists.
- CHC Navigation: CHC Navigation is a Chinese-headquartered manufacturer of GNSS receivers, total stations, and mobile mapping systems that competes with Carlson on price-performance in the surveying and machine control hardware market globally.
- Topcon Positioning Systems: Topcon directly competes with Carlson in GNSS positioning, machine control for construction and mining, and integrated field-to-office software, with overlapping dealer networks and similar vertical customer base in surveying and earthworks.
- Maptek: Maptek provides mining-specific software (Vulcan, Eureka, BlastLogic) and hardware for geological modeling, mine planning, and fleet management, competing with Carlson's mining software suite, Carlson Command, and underground scanning offerings.
Emerging players
- Stonex: Stonex manufactures GNSS receivers, total stations, and data collectors that compete with Carlson's Viking, BRx7, and CRx product lines, particularly in the price-sensitive surveying and GIS segments.
- MicroSurvey (Hexagon brand): MicroSurvey provides CAD-based surveying and data collection software that competes directly with Carlson Survey, SurvCE, and SurvPC for professional surveyors and a comparable field-to-finish workflow.
- Eos Positioning Systems: Eos Positioning Systems makes high-accuracy GNSS receivers for mobile devices and field data collection, overlapping with Carlson's SurvPC/SurvCE and BRx7 workflows for GIS and surveying professionals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Carlson Software social profiles
Digital presenceCarlson Software financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carlson Software leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Carlson Software subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Carlson Software funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carlson Software M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carlson Software
What does Carlson Software do?
Carlson Software develops and sells CAD design software, field data collection tools, GNSS positioning receivers, laser measurement devices, and machine control systems for civil engineering, land surveying, GIS, construction, and mining professionals. Their solutions span the entire project cycle from data collection to design to construction, and they also manufacture hardware including the Viking GNSS receiver and Washington DC data collector at their Maysville, Kentucky facility.
Is Carlson Software a public or private company?
Carlson Software is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Carlson Software founded?
Carlson Software was founded in 1983. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Carlson Software based?
Carlson Software is headquartered in Maysville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Carlson Software make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses are the primary driver. The others are hardware Products, annual Maintenance Plans and equipment Financing.
Who are Carlson Software's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Autodesk, Hexagon AB (Leica Geosystems), Trimble Inc., Bentley Systems, CHC Navigation, Topcon Positioning Systems and Maptek. Emerging players are Stonex, MicroSurvey (Hexagon brand) and Eos Positioning Systems.
Does Carlson Software have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carlson Software.
What industry is Carlson Software in?
Carlson Software's product category is Surveying and Civil Engineering Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAAAFAH, Drone/UAV Data Capture & Processing Software, with a secondary code of IMAHADAK, Metrology, Inspection & Machine Tool Accessories (CMMs, Probing, Gauging). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3812.