Golden Software, a developer of scientific graphics software, has enhanced the visualization capabilities in version 16 of its Surfer gridding, contouring and 3D surface mapping package. Geologists, environmental consultants, and geospatial professionals will find Surfer 16 makes it easier for them to interpret complex scientific data.
Surfer is a robust 3D data visualization and mapping software that routinely outperforms more expensive packages. It enables users to model their data sets, apply an array of advanced analytics tools, and graphically communicate the results in ways anyone can understand. Known for its fast and powerful contouring algorithms, Surfer is used extensively by geologists in mining and oil & gas activities and by hydrologists in environmental monitoring projects.
The primary improvements in Surfer 16 have been made in the color mapping and Contour Map capabilities:
- Equal Area Stretch – Similar to Histogram Equalization, this new feature lets the user stretch colors across the distribution of data, creating a proportionate representation of the data variation and enhancing the visualization’s contrast.
- Equal Area Contouring – Another new feature added to surface mapping functionality, Equal Area Contouring allows the user to calculate the geographic distribution of contours so they align more precisely with the geophysical data they represent.
Surfer 16 includes three other important enhancements:
- True 3D Point Data – Surfer has always accurately displayed LiDAR point cloud data, and this 3D visualization capability has been expanded.
- Enhanced Attribute Management – Surfer now has commands to calculate geometry – such as area or perimeter length – and add those values to object attributes.
- Kriging with External Drift – Surfer is known for its powerful kriging functions, and this capability is even better in v16 with the addition of Kriging with External Drift.