Stacking Maps

You can align individual maps horizontally on the page by stacking them. Map stacking was designed to align maps using commensurate coordinate systems. This command is useful for keeping two or more maps separated vertically on the page while keeping relative horizontal positions.

 

surfer-stacked 2

Stack 2D and 3D maps to most effectively display your data

 

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Stack and rotate maps for the best presentation possible!

 

surfer-stacked 4

Stack multiple sets of maps to display all your data!

Superior Gridding

The gridding methods in Surfer allow you to produce accurate contour, surface, wireframe, vector, image, and shaded relief maps from your XYZ data. The data can be randomly dispersed over the map area, and Surfer's gridding will interpolate your data onto a grid. Use Surfer's default settings or choose from twelve different gridding methods.

Each gridding method provides complete control over the gridding parameters, so you can produce exactly the map you want. If your data are already collected in a regularly spaced rectangular array, you can create a map directly from your data. Computer generated contour maps have never been more accurate.

Gridding Features

  • Interpolate up to 1 billion XYZ data points (limited by available memory)
  • XYZ data can be any numeric data, include dates and times
  • Grid the Z data as it is with linear values, or grid the logarithm of the Z data and save the grid with logarithmic Z values or convert the Z data back to linear
  • Choose to limit the Z range in the generated grid file to the data limits or a custom value
  • Automatically blank the area outside the convex hull of the data, and specify a buffer around the convex hull
  • Set the grid line geometry including the XY grid limits, spacing between grid nodes, and the number of grid nodes
    grids with up to 2 billion nodes
  • Use data exclusion filters to eliminate unwanted data
  • Use duplicate data resolution techniques
  • Generate a report of the gridding statistics and parameters including ANOVA regression statistics
  • Use cross-validation to judge the suitability of the gridding method for the particular data set

Gridding Methods and Advanced Options

  • Choose from one of the powerful gridding methods: Inverse Distance, Kriging, Minimum Curvature, Polynomial Regression, Triangulation with Linear Interpolation, Nearest Neighbor, Modified Shepard's Method, Radial Basis Function, Natural Neighbor, Moving Average, Data Metrics and Local Polynomial
  • Use Nearest Neighbor to create grid files without interpolation
  • Use Triangulation to achieve accuracy with large data sets faster
  • Detrend a surface using Polynomial Regression, generate regression coefficients in a report, and calculate residuals
  • Calculate grids with Data Metrics including: number of points within search ellipse, density of points within the search, distance to nearest and farthest neighbor, median, average and offset distance to points within the search ellipse
  • Specify faults and breaklines when gridding
  • Specify isotropic or anisotropic weighting
  • Customize search options based on user-defined data sector parameters
  • Specify search ellipses at any orientation and scaling
  • Generate a grid of Kriging standard deviations
  • Specify point or block Kriging
  • Specify scales and range for each variogram model
  • Generate grids from a user-specified function of two variables

Gridding2

Set the gridding parameters in the Grid Data dialog.

Supported File Formats

Surfer supports many data, grid, and import/export formats.

Data Files Grid Files Import/Export

Open Data:
ACCDB Access Database
BLN Golden Software Blanking
BNA Atlas Boundary
CSV Comma Separated Variables
DAT Data
DBF Database
DXF AutoCAD Drawing
LAS LiDAR Data Worksheet
MDB Access 97-2003 Database
SEG-P1 Data Exchange Format
P1 Data Exchange Format
SLK Sylk Spreadsheet
TXT Text Data
XLS Excel Spreadsheet
XLSX Excel 2007 Spreadsheet
XLSM Excel 2007 Spreadsheet


Save Data:
BLN Golden Software Blanking
BNA Atlas Boundary
CSV Comma Separated Variables
DAT Data
SLK Sylk Spreadsheet
TXT Text Data
XLS Excel Spreadsheet
XLSX Excel Spreadsheet

Open Grids:
ADF Arc/Info Binary Grid
AM Amira Mesh
AN? ACR-NEMA Medical Image
ASC Arc/Info ASCII Grid
ASI Amira Stacked Images
BIL/BIP/BSQ Banded Grid
BMP Windows Bitmap
CPS-3 Grid Format
DICOM2 Medical Image
DDF SDTS DEM
DEM USGS DEM
DOS ETOPO-5
DTD DTED
E00 ESRI ArcInfo Export Format
ECW ERMapper
ERS ERMapper Grid Format
FLD AVS Field
FLT ESRI Float Grid Format
GIF Image
GLOBE DEM
GRD Surfer Grid
GRD Geosoft Binary Grid
GRIB Edition 1 Grid Format
GXF Grid eXchange Format
HDF Hierarchical Data Format
HGT SRTM Elevation Data
HDR GTOPO-30
IMG Analyze 7.5 Medical Image
IMG ERDAS Imagine
IMG Idrisi Raster Format
INFO Leica Confocal Raw Slices
JPG Compressed Bitmap
JPEG-2000 Bitmap
LAT Iris Explorer
netCDF Network Common Data Form
PDF Raster
PNG Portable Network Graphics
PNM/PPM/PGM/PBM Image
RAW Raw Binary Grid
RGB SGI-RGB Image
SID LizardTech MrSID Image
STK Metamorph
SUN Sun Raster Image
TGA Targa (TrueVision)
TIF Tagged Image
TXT Formatted Text Grid
VTK Visualization Toolkit
X AVS X-Image
Z-MAP Plus Grid Format

Save Grids:
ADF Arc/Info Binary Grid
AM Amira Mesh
ASC Arc/Info ASCII Grid
BIL Banded Interleave By Line
BIP Banded Interleave By Pixel
BSQ Banded Sequential
CPS-3 Grid Format
DAT XYZ grid
DEM USGS DEM
ERS ERMapper Grid Format
FLD AVS Field
FLT ESRI Float Grid Format
GRD Surfer 6 Text Grid
GRD Surfer 6 Binary Grid
GRD Surfer 7 Binary Grid
GRD Geosoft Binary Grid
GXF Grid eXchange Format
HDF Hierarchical Data Format
IMG Analyze 7.5 Medical Image
LAT Iris Explorer
netCDF Network Common Data Form
RAW Binary Grid
VTK Visualization Toolkit
Z-MAP Plus Grid Format

Import:
AN? ACR-NEMA Medical Image
BLN Golden Software Blanking
BMP Windows Bitmap
BNA Atlas Boundary
DICOM3 Medical Image
DDF SDTS TVP
DLG USGS Digital Line Graph
DXF AutoCAD Drawing
E00 ESRI ArcInfo Export Format
ECW ERMapper
EMF Windows Enhanced Metafile
GIF Image
GPX GPS Exchange Format
GSB Golden Software Boundary
GSI Golden Software Interchange
IMG ERDAS Imagine
JPEG Compressed Bitmap
JPEG-2000 Bitmap
KML Google Earth
MIF MapInfo Interchange Format
PDF (Raster) and GeoPDF (PDF)
PLT Golden Software PlotCall
PLY Stanford PLY
PNG Portable Network Graphics
PNM/PPM/PGM/PBM Image
RGB SGI-RGB Image
SEG-P1 Exchange Format
SHP ESRI Shapefile
SID LizardTech MrSID Image
SUN Sun Raster Image
TGA Targa (TrueVision)
TIF Tagged Image and GeoTIFF
VTK Visualization Toolkit
WMF Windows Metafile
X-IMG AVS X-Image

Export:
BLN Golden Software Blanking
BMP Windows Bitmap
BNA Atlas Boundary
CSV XYZ points
DAT XYZ points
DXF AutoCAD DXF Drawing
EMF Windows Enhanced Metafile
EPS Encapsulated Postscript
GIF Image
GSB Golden Software Boundary
GSI Golden Software Interchange
HTML Image Map
JPEG Compressed Bitmap
JPEG-2000 Bitmap
KML Google Earth KML
KMZ Google Earth KMZ
MIF MapInfo Interchange Format
PDF (Raster)
PDF (Vector) and GeoPDF
PNG Portable Network Graphics
PNM Image
RGB SGI-RGB Image
SEG-P1 Exchange Format
SHP ESRI Shapefile and 3D Shapefile
SUN Sun Raster Image
SVG Scalable Vector Graphics
TGA Targa (TrueVision)
TIF Tagged Image and GeoTIFF
TXT 3D Text
WMF Windows Metafile
X AVS X-Image

Using USGS and SRTM Data

Use USGS Digital Elevation Model (DEM), National Elevation Dataset (NED) and NASA Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) data with any Surfer command that uses grid files.

  • Directly use the files in native format without modification or conversion.
  • Display information about the files, such as X, Y and Z extents or grid statistics.
  • Create contour, vector, shaded relief, image, 3D surface, and 3D wireframe maps from the files.

surfer-usgsned 2

The above contour map was generated from a grid file in BIL format,
downloaded from the USGS The National Map Seamless Server

Variograms


Use the variogram modeling subsystem to quantitatively assess the spatial continuity of data. Variograms may be used to select an appropriate variogram model when gridding with the Kriging algorithm. Surfer uses a variogram grid as a fundamental internal data representation and once this grid is built, any experimental variogram can be computed instantaneously.

 

surfer-variograms 2

Instantly create variograms in Surfer to quantitatively
assess the spatial continuity of your data.

 

Variogram Features

  • Virtually unlimited data set sizes
  • Display both the experimental variogram and the variogram model
  • Specify the estimator type: variogram, standardized variogram, auto covariance, or auto correlation
  • Specify the variogram model components: exponential, Gaussian, linear, logarithmic, nugget effect, power, quadratic, rational quadratic, spherical, wave, pentaspherical, and cubic models
  • Customize the variogram to display symbols, variance, and number of pairs for each lag
  • Export the experimental variogram data
  • Download variogram tutorial

Vector Maps

Instantly create vector maps in Surfer to show direction and magnitude of data at points on a map. You can create vector maps from information in one grid or two separate grids. The two components of the vector map, direction and magnitude, are automatically generated from a single grid by computing the gradient of the represented surface.

At any given grid node, the direction of the arrow points in the direction of the steepest descent. The magnitude of the arrow changes depending on the steepness of the descent. Two-grid vector maps use two separate grid files to determine the vector direction and magnitude. The grids can contain Cartesian or polar data. With Cartesian data, one grid consists of X component data and the other grid consists of Y component data. With polar data, one grid consists of angle information and the other grid contains length information. Overlay vector maps on contour or wireframe maps to enhance the presentation!

surfer-vector 2

 

surfer-vector 3

A vector map of Mt. St. Helens overlaid on a contour map (left) and wireframe map (right).
Use a color scale bar or legend to indicate the magnitude of the arrows.

 Vector Map Features

  • Create vector maps based on one grid or two grids.
  • Define arrow style, color, and frequency
  • Symbol color may be fixed, based on vector magnitude or based on a grid file
  • Save and load custom color map files for the exact desired display
  • Use one of the built-in presets as the color map
  • Display color scale bars and vector scale legends
  • Scale the arrow shaft length, head length, and width
  • Control vector symbol origin
  • Choose from linear, logarithmic, or square root scaling methods
  • Adjust the layer opacity

surfer-vector 4

This vector map displays the ocean's surface currents. Image courtesy of
Chris Fullilove, Rip Charts.

Vectors-Wind

Overlay vectors over contours of the data to increase the visual impact of the data.

Viewshed maps

Perform viewshed analysis using a loaded grid file with a user-specified transmitter location, height, starting angle and radius. All visible areas from the transmitter location within the selected radius are filled with a user-specified color. Alternatively, choose to display the invisible areas from the transmitter.

Viewshed analysis is useful in many applications, such as determining if mining operations or drill rigs can be viewed from public locations, determining what is visible from trails or roads, and to locate communication towers.

 Viewshed1

Display areas visible from a specific XY point location by creating a viewshed map.

Wiewshed Map Features

  • Specify the sampling distance
  • Choose to show visible or invisible areas
  • Determine the line and fill properties
  • Select the transmitter symbol to be displayed at the transmitter location
  • Specify the XY point location for the transmitter
  • Select the view radius, start angle, and sweep angle
  • Set the transmitter and receiver height above the surface

Viewshed2

Create viewsheds to determine if specific features such as drill rigs can be viewed from public access lands, such as along the roads, trails or rivers.

Watershed maps

Watershed maps automatically calculate and display drainage basins and streams from your grid file.

Create colorful watershed maps to display regions draining into a stream, stream system or body of water. Display the catchment basins, streams, or both. Export the basins and streams to any supported file format, including SHP and DXF files, for use in other software! Surfer uses the accurate eight-direction pour point algorithm to calculate the flow direction at each grid node.

 

surfer-watershed 2

Detail every aspect of your map from creating watershed boundaries to adding city streets and
surrounding elevations, like the above map of Seward, Alaska.

 

Watershed Map Features

  • Fill the depressions, areas of internal drainage
  • Save the filled grid to a new grid file
  • Show streams
  • Specify the threshold number of upstream cells flowing into a grid cell that are required to create a stream line
  • Specify line properties for the streams
  • Specify fill colors for the catchment basins
  • Specify the pour point sources as stream intersections, none, or load them from a file
  • Adjust the layer opacity

surfer-watershed 3

Display watershed catchment basins and streams to determine which areas
are draining into which streams.


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Overlay watershed maps on top of aerial photos for a complete picture!
Geobasisdaten © Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung 2012,
http://www.geodaten.bayern.de

Worksheet

Surfer lets you massage your data in many ways to achieve the exact output you want. Surfer includes a full-featured worksheet for creating, opening, editing, and saving data files. Data files can be up to one billion rows and columns, subject to available memory. You can cut, copy, and paste data within the Surfer worksheet or between applications.

Worksheet Features

  • Import a database directly into the Surfer worksheet
  • Calculate data statistics
  • Perform data transformations using advanced mathematical functions
  • Sort data based on primary and secondary columns
  • Spatially filter data
  • Assign a projection or coordinate system to your data, and convert the data to a new projection or coordinate system
  • Select a predefined coordinate system from Geographic (lat/lon) or one of the supported projected systems (Polar/Arctic/
  • Antarctic, Regional/National, State Plane, UTM, and World)
  • Define a custom coordinate system by selecting a supported projection, specifying the projection settings, and either choosing one of over 400 predefined datums or creating a custom datum
  • Add a frequently used coordinate system to the Favorites list to be easily accessible
  • Assign which columns in the worksheet contain the X, Y and Z data
  • Use the Find/Replace function in the worksheet to easily find or replace your data
  • Print the worksheet

 

surfer-worksheet 2

Open, enter, edit and save data in the Surfer worksheet.