MiraMon

MiraMon is a geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing software combining power, scientific rigor, and affordability to manage georeferenced databases and cartographic information of all kinds. Development began in 1988, but it became a Windows application in 1994, designed for scientific, educational, and environmental management purposes. This software is the result of the work by the GRUMETS research group, affiliated with the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

Currently, MiraMon has more than 200,000 users in 37 countries and is renowned for meeting practical needs while maintaining technical and scientific rigor. It has been developed with direct collaboration from end users, allowing continuous improvements based on real-world needs. Its website receives around 40,000 visitors annually.

The team members publish in leading journals in their field and participate in major GIS and remote sensing symposiums. Committed to quality mapping, they are involved in defining protocols shaping the national cartographic landscape: they participate in the Catalonian Cartographic Plan, edit the Interoperability Framework of Catalonia, and collaborate on the National Remote Sensing Plan, among other initiatives.

Internationally, MiraMon has been a pioneer in adopting international metadata standards since 1997 and is an active member of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), contributing to the development and revision of protocols such as WMTS, created by its own team. Additionally, it is certified according to ISO standards.

Awards

MiraMon has received various awards, including the Möbius Special Mention 2000 for the best science and technology application on the Internet and the Environment Prize 2007 awarded by the Department of Environment and Housing of Catalonia for its contribution to research, innovation, and development.

Practical Applications

• Public Administration: MiraMon has been used since 1998 by various departments of the Catalan Government, such as Environment and Housing, the Catalan Water Agency, and the Meteorological Service of Catalonia. It has also been applied in local projects, such as the architectural barrier map of Sabadell, and in museums such as the Museum of the History of the City of Barcelona and the Natural Science Museum. Beyond Catalonia, it has been employed by the Biodiversity Institute of Andorra (Environmental Information Server), the Ministry of Environment of Andorra, Doñana National Park, monitoring protected areas in Spain (EUROPARC), and the Government of Aragon (Climatic Digital Atlas Server).
• Official Cartography: MiraMon distributes most of the official Catalan cartography, including orthophotos and topographic maps from the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) in vector formats at scales of 1:5000, 1:25000, and 1:50000.
• Education and Research: It is part of the core curriculum in GIS and remote sensing master’s and postgraduate programs, with over 2,000 students using it annually, as well as being employed in schools, universities, and research centers.
• Natural Parks and NGOs: MiraMon contributes to the management of natural parks like Doñana and the monitoring of protected areas in projects such as EUROPARC.

• Web Services: The SatCat server offers free public access to satellite images, hosted at the Documentation Center of the Department of Environment.