Carlson Software

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).

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

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

• Land surveying software
• GNSS positioning systems
• Machine control solutions
• Civil engineering software
• Mining software

Headquarters

HQ city

Maysville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Equipment Financing: Leasing program through First Western Equipment Finance for both hardware and software products, providing alternative payment options for customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature7 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/CarlsonSoftware
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CarlsonSoftware
• Facebookfacebook.com/carlsonsw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carlsonsoftware

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carlson Software