FalconView

FalconView

FalconView Screen Capture Showing Weather Radar from KMZ
Developer(s)	Georgia Tech Research Institute
Initial release	1994
Written in	C++
Operating system	Windows, iOS, Android, Linux
Available in	English
Type	Geographic information system
License	Government off-the-shelf, GNU Lesser General Public License
Website	www.falconview.org

FalconView is a mapping system created by the Georgia Tech Research Institute. It was initially developed for the Windows family of operating systems; however, versions for Linux and mobile operating systems are under development. It displays various types of maps and geographically referenced overlays. Many types of maps are supported, but the primary ones of interest to most users are aeronautical charts, satellite images and elevation maps. FalconView also supports a large number of overlay types that can be displayed over any map background. The current overlay set is targeted toward military mission planning users and is oriented towards aviators and aviation support personnel.

FalconView is an integral part of the Portable Flight Planning Software (PFPS). This software suite includes FalconView, Combat Flight Planning Software (CFPS), Combat Weapon Delivery Software (CWDS), Combat Air Drop Planning Software (CAPS) and several other software packages built by various software contractors. Current work includes the development of FalconView as part of XPlan, the Department of Defense's most recent mission planning system. The Joint Mission Planning System is also being added to FalconView as a plugin. The program has an active user community, and the Georgia Tech Research Institute plans events supporting the program.

Development of FalconView began in 1993 by the Georgia Tech Research Institute after they were contracted by the Air National Guard (ANG) to create a mapping package that would run on a personal computer and be easier to use than the existing UNIX-based system. According to John Pyles, the head of the initial FalconView development team, the idea for the project came from then-Captain Bobby Sandford, a fighter pilot in the Air National Guard. The software was named for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the full name of the fighter flown by Sandford. Georgia Tech Research Institute had previously developed mapping applications as part of the Micro Fix and the FORSCOM Automated Intelligence Support System (FAISS) programs for the United States Army. The initial development was performed under an Army Research Lab contract. The combination of FalconView and the Combat Flight Planning Software (CFPS) which was being developed by the USAF 46th Test Squadron and TYBRIN Corp became the Portable Flight Planning Software (PFPS). The first version of FalconView was completed in 1994. The software ran on MS-DOS, with a version for Windows 3.1 released not long after.