Discover Reference Manual

Integrated GIS for the Geosciences

Reference Manual
Encom Technology Pty Ltd
Leaders in Exploration Software and Services
General Information
Discover 5.0 is developed and supported by Encom Technology Pty Ltd.
Sydney Office
Level 2, 118 Alfred St, Milsons Point, New South Wales 2061, Australia
PO Box 422, Milsons Point, New South Wales 1565, Australia
Tel +61 2 9957 4117 Fax +61 2 9922 6141
Perth Office
Level 1, 43 Ventnor Ave, West Perth, Western Australia 6005, Australia
PO Box 1572, West Perth, Western Australia 6872, Australia
Tel +61 8 9321 1788 Fax +61 8 9321 1799
Gosford Office
Suite 5, 451 Pacific Hwy, North Gosford, New South Wales 2250, Australia
Tel +61 2 4325 7807 Fax +61 2 4325 7807
World Wide Web www.encom.com.au
Email [email protected]
Discover Release History
Version 1.0 December 1994
Version 1.1 February 1995
Version 1.2 September 1995
Version 2.0 August 1996
Version 2.1 November 1997
Version 3.0 February 1999
Version 4.0 July 2001
Version 5.0 June, 2002
Discover 5.0requires MapInfo

Professional 4.5 or later with Windows

95/98 or Windows
NT

/2000/XP. Some advanced features of Discover 5.0 require MapInfo

Professional 5.5 or
later.
Copyright 2002, Encom Technology Pty Ltd
Discover - Table of Contents i
Table of Contents
Table of Contents i
1 Introduction 1
Introducing Discover 5.0 ........................................................................1
About this Manual ..................................................................................1
Conventions Used in this Manual.......................................................2
Obtaining Help .......................................................................................2
System Requirements .............................................................................3
Discover User Interface ..........................................................................3
Discover Installation...............................................................................5
Setup From CD-ROM Installation......................................................5
Installation of Discover ...........................................................................5
About Discover and AutoLoad...........................................................6
Configuring Discover.........................................................................7
Map Status Bar Display .....................................................................8
Workspace AutoSave.........................................................................8
Running Discover on a Network........................................................8
2 Whats New in Discover 5.0 13
Map Making and Other Tools ..........................................................13
Surface Creation and Analysis .........................................................13
Drillhole Display .............................................................................13
Graph Map ......................................................................................14
General............................................................................................15
3 Map Window Tools 19
Map Grid Display.................................................................................20
Drawing a Map Grid........................................................................20
Projection ........................................................................................21
Grid Spacing....................................................................................21
Grid Style........................................................................................21
Overlaying Grids and Saving Grids..................................................22
Grid Table Name .............................................................................23
Map Linking.........................................................................................23
Interactive Cursor Positioning...............................................................25
Select by Graphical Style......................................................................27
Auto-Shade...........................................................................................27
Saving a Thematic Map Setting in MapInfo .....................................27
Saving a Thematic Map Setting with Auto-Shade.............................28
ii Discover - Reference Manual
Applying a Saved Shade Setting to a Map Window......................... 28
Using Other Shade Files with Auto-Shade....................................... 29
Using Auto-Shade with Other Discover Functions........................... 29
Standard Views.................................................................................... 30
Standard Projections ............................................................................ 31
Map Window Projection ...................................................................... 31
Set Default View for a Table................................................................ 32
Selecting All Map Objects from the Currently Editable Layer .............. 32
Make Selected Layer Editable.............................................................. 32
Fit Map Window to Selected Object..................................................... 32
Zoom to Extents of Selected Object ..................................................... 33
Save and Restore Map Window State................................................... 33
4 Map Making Tools 37
Scaled Output ...................................................................................... 38
User-Defined Scaled Output............................................................ 38
Map Scale and Map Extras.............................................................. 39
Frame Setup.................................................................................... 39
Positioning the Map........................................................................ 39
Accept Map Position....................................................................... 40
Entering TitleBlock Details............................................................. 40
ScaleBar Format ............................................................................. 42
Layout Window and Making Further Changes................................. 43
Using Standard Map Sheets............................................................. 44
Exiting Scaled Output ..................................................................... 45
Configuring Frame Settings ............................................................ 45
Hints............................................................................................... 46
Add Scaled Frame to Layout................................................................ 47
Frame Titles......................................................................................... 48
Opening a Custom Titleblock............................................................... 49
Styles Library...................................................................................... 49
Applying Styles from the List ......................................................... 49
Maintaining the Styles Library (Editing/Adding/Deleting)............... 50
Automatic Legend Generation.............................................................. 51
How the Legend is Created ............................................................. 51
Legend Tables................................................................................. 52
Legend Style................................................................................... 52
Legend Order .................................................................................. 52
MapInfo Label Angles ......................................................................... 54
Text Labeling....................................................................................... 55
Constructing an Expression............................................................. 56
Label Style...................................................................................... 56
Reformatting Text Objects ................................................................... 57
Discover - Table of Contents iii
Updating Text Labels............................................................................58
SeeThru Shading ..................................................................................59
Defining a SeeThru Pattern..............................................................60
Pattern Type ....................................................................................60
Pattern Density and Orientation .......................................................60
SeeThru Pattern Library...................................................................61
SeeThru Table Name .......................................................................61
Line Annotation....................................................................................61
5 Enhanced Layer Control 67
Enabling and Disabling the ELC...........................................................67
Introducing the ELC.............................................................................69
ELC Options.........................................................................................70
Layer Controls......................................................................................71
Layer Properties...............................................................................72
Layer Name Aliases.........................................................................73
Assigning Layers to Groups..................................................................74
Creating Groups and Adding Layers .....................................................76
Map Controls...................................................................................77
6 Data Utilities 83
Document Display................................................................................84
Displaying Different Types of Documents .......................................84
Displaying Images ...........................................................................85
Linking Documents to a Map Object................................................85
Text Search and Replace.......................................................................86
Select by Group....................................................................................87
Update Coordinates ..............................................................................88
Update Mode...................................................................................89
Coordinate Transformation...................................................................90
What Coordinate Transformation Does ............................................90
Control Points and Transformation Parameters.................................91
Affine Transformation .....................................................................91
Plane Transformation.......................................................................92
Plane Transformation Scale Factor...................................................93
Using Stored Plane Transformations ................................................93
Local Grid Layout ................................................................................94
What Local Grid Layout Does..........................................................94
Describing the Local Grid................................................................94
Assign Values.......................................................................................95
Assigning from Points to Polygons ..................................................96
Assigning from Polygons to Points ..................................................97
Proximity Search ..................................................................................97
iv Discover - Reference Manual
Data Normalizing................................................................................. 99
Transform Options .........................................................................100
Digitizing Data Entry..........................................................................100
Using the DigData Option..............................................................100
Incrementing and Constant Fields ..................................................101
EnterData ......................................................................................102
AutoData .......................................................................................103
Update with Line Direction.................................................................103
Polyline/Polygon Node Extraction ......................................................104
7 Importing Map Data from ASCII Files 109
Import ASCII Objects .........................................................................109
Introduction ...................................................................................109
Polylines Delimited by Row or Column .........................................110
Line on One Row...........................................................................111
XYZ Grid ......................................................................................111
Micromine Import...............................................................................112
Import Layered DXF...........................................................................112
Comparison of DXF Import MapInfo, Universal Translator or
Discover ........................................................................................112
DXF Layers and MapInfo Attributes ..............................................113
Storing Elevation Values................................................................113
8 Object Editing Utilities 117
Drawing Objects from the Keyboard...................................................118
Nominating an Object to Draw.......................................................118
Entering Node Coordinates ............................................................119
Entering Nodes by Distance/Bearing/Elevation ..............................120
Entering Values for Points, Lines, Arcs, Ellipses and Rectangles....120
Editing the Node Coordinates of an Existing Object .......................121
Offset Objects.....................................................................................121
Object Transform................................................................................122
Line Smoothing ..................................................................................123
Polyline Sub-Sampler .........................................................................123
Thinning by Node Number.............................................................123
Thinning by Node Position..................................................................124
Processing Inlying Polygons ...............................................................125
Overlapping and Inlying Polygons .................................................125
Removing the Overlaps..................................................................126
Polyline Clipping................................................................................126
Using PolyClip ..............................................................................127
Clipping Method............................................................................127
Clipped Data Tables.......................................................................127
Discover - Table of Contents v
Line Cut .............................................................................................128
Change Direction................................................................................129
Split Multiple Section Polylines and Regions ......................................129
Manual Polygonize.............................................................................129
Auto Polygonize.................................................................................130
Polygonizing Description...............................................................130
Cleaning Linework ........................................................................131
Building Polygons .........................................................................132
Clean and Build.............................................................................133
9 Table Utilities 137
Multi-File Utility................................................................................138
Multi-Open....................................................................................138
Multi-Append, Multi-Pack, Multi-Export .......................................138
Workspace Editor ...............................................................................139
Save Tables and Workspace................................................................139
Multiple Column Update ....................................................................140
Sort a Table ........................................................................................141
Alter Map Bounds ..............................................................................141
User Tables.........................................................................................142
User MBXs ........................................................................................143
User Workspaces ................................................................................143
10 Surface Creation and Analysis 147
Introduction........................................................................................147
What is a Surface Grid? ......................................................................148
Configuring Grid File Formats............................................................150
Band Interleaved by Line Grid Format ...........................................151
ER Mapper Grid Format ................................................................152
MapInfo Grid Format.....................................................................154
Vertical Mapper Grid Format..............................................................154
Importing a Grid Surface ....................................................................155
Creating a Surface ..............................................................................155
Gridding Tool Dialog Operation ....................................................157
Gridding Preview Display Control .................................................158
Gridding Input Tab........................................................................159
Grid Geometry Tab........................................................................160
Gridding Method Tab ....................................................................161
Additional IDW Controls...............................................................162
Gridding Output Tab......................................................................166
Alternative Gridding Methods........................................................167
Gridding Parameters ...........................................................................169
Filtering A Surface .............................................................................171
vi Discover - Reference Manual
Operating the Filter Tool Dialog .........................................................173
Contouring Parameters........................................................................175
Contouring a Grid File........................................................................177
Exporting Grids and Contours.............................................................177
Adding Labels to a Contour Plan.........................................................178
Surface Profile Over a Grid or Contour Plan .......................................178
Introduction to Surface Profile .......................................................179
Layers to Profile ............................................................................180
Draping Vector Layers...................................................................180
Display Options .............................................................................181
Profile Map Window......................................................................182
Profiles for Multiple Lines .............................................................183
Reporting Grid Cell Values .................................................................183
Assigning Grid Cell Values.................................................................183
Grid Query..........................................................................................184
Points to Regions (Voronoi Polygons).................................................184
Merging Grids ....................................................................................186
Grid Clipping......................................................................................187
Grid Display Tools..............................................................................188
Registering Grid Files .........................................................................189
Grid File Manager...............................................................................191
11 Drillhole Display 195
Introduction........................................................................................195
Steps to Displaying Drillhole Data......................................................196
Data Formats and Data Sources...........................................................196
Selecting a Project to Use....................................................................200
Defining a Drillhole Project ................................................................200
Importing and Exporting Drillhole Projects .........................................203
Drillhole Info Tool..............................................................................203
Generating Sections and Plans ............................................................204
Computing Drillhole Lengths..............................................................210
Displaying Downhole Data .................................................................211
Text Display ..................................................................................213
Linegraphs and Histograms ............................................................214
Trace Shade...................................................................................215
Structure Ticks...............................................................................215
Data Display Settings.....................................................................216
Data Display Legend......................................................................216
Creating and Editing Colour Patterns ..................................................217
Viewing Sections in the Layout Window.............................................219
Digitizing Boundaries and Exporting to 3D DXF ................................220
Drillhole Log Display.........................................................................220
Discover - Table of Contents vii
Defining the Log Display...............................................................221
Calculating Sectional Resources .........................................................222
Data Validation...................................................................................225
Data Compositing...............................................................................227
Drillholes to be Composited...........................................................227
Compositing by Unique Attribute...................................................227
Compositing by Cut-off Grade.......................................................228
Compositing by Elevation and Downhole Depth............................229
Calculate 3D Coordinates ...................................................................229
Saving Display Settings ......................................................................230
12 Geological Data Processing 233
Graph Map .........................................................................................233
MapInfo Graphs and GraphMap ....................................................233
Introduction to GraphMap .............................................................234
Starting GraphMap ........................................................................235
Graph Scaling................................................................................236
Multiple Graphs from Unique Column Values ...............................237
Viewing Graph Selections in the Map Window..............................237
Making a Ranged Thematic Map for GraphMap ............................238
Making an Individual Thematic Map for GraphMap ......................238
GraphMap Hints ............................................................................238
Graph Templates ................................................................................239
Selection of Data Fields .................................................................241
Standard Map Colouring.....................................................................242
Shading a Map with MapInfos Thematic Map Window.................243
Colouring Polygons with Discover .................................................244
Creating a Colour Table from an Existing Map..............................244
Creating a Colour Table from a Thematic Map ..............................246
Editing the Colour Table................................................................246
Colouring Maps with the Selected Colour Table.............................247
Structural Data Map Window..............................................................248
Introduction to Structural Data Map Window.................................249
Structural Data Map Window Display Options...............................249
Symbol and Label Style.................................................................251
Displaying Structural Data Processed from a Table........................252
Displaying Structural Data by Digitizing........................................252
Dip and Plunge Angles ..................................................................253
Structural Symbol Codes................................................................253
Tenement Searches .............................................................................255
Tenement Data ..............................................................................255
Licence Table and Licence Type....................................................256
Company Name.............................................................................257
viii Discover - Reference Manual
Dates .............................................................................................257
Shading By Date............................................................................257
Display Parameters ........................................................................258
Multiple Searches ..........................................................................259
Australian Exploration Tenement Applications ...................................259
Graticular Exploration Licence Descriptions ..................................259
Setting Up......................................................................................260
Defining an Application Area by Pointing with the Mouse.............261
Defining an Application by Keying in the Description....................262
Creating a Report ...........................................................................263
WA Form 21 Attachments 1 and 2.................................................263
13 Using Metadata to Manage and Explore MapInfo Databases 267
What is Metadata and Why do we Need it? .........................................267
How does MapInfo Deal with Metadata .........................................267
Metadata Management with Encoms Toolset ................................268
The Metadata Template..................................................................269
Propagating the Template...............................................................270
Editing and Viewing the Template.................................................270
The Spatial Catalogue....................................................................270
Using a Spatial Catalogue ..............................................................270
Running the Programs....................................................................271
Metadata Manager ..............................................................................271
Create New Metadata Template .....................................................271
Propagate Metadata Template To Tables ........................................274
View and Edit Metadata in a Table.................................................276
Updating Metadata..............................................................................276
Spatial Catalogue................................................................................277
Constructing the Spatial Catalogue.................................................277
Viewing and Querying the Spatial Catalogue..................................278
Create a New Spatial Catalogue .....................................................278
Updating a Spatial Catalogue .........................................................280
Viewing and Using the Spatial Catalogue Table.............................281
Tree View of Spatial Catalogue Table............................................281
Different Views of Catalogue Maps ...............................................283
Open Tables for Selected Polygons ................................................285
Glossary of Terms...............................................................................285
A TitleBlock Customizing 289
Introduction........................................................................................289
Usage of the TitleBlock ......................................................................289
B Discover Program and Configuration 293
Discover - Table of Contents ix
C Discover Structural Symbol Fonts 297
D Discover Geological Symbol Font 301
E Grid Filter Descriptions 306
The Filtering Process .....................................................................306
Available Filter Types.........................................................................307
Smoothing Filters ..........................................................................308
Enhancement Filters ......................................................................309
14 Index 313
11
Introduction
Introduction
Discover User Interface
Configuration Setup and Installation
Introduction 1
1
1 Introduction
Introducing Discover 5.0
Discover version 5.0 is an extension to MapInfo Professional (including
MapInfo Professional 7.0) specifically developed for geoscientists by Encom
Technology. Discover 5.0 runs with MapInfo

Professional version 4.5 or later

on Windows

95/98, Windows

NT/2000 and Windows XP.

Building on the many powerful Geographic Information System (GIS) features
of MapInfo, Discover converts MapInfo into a sophisticated and easy-to-use
tool for managing, manipulating and displaying exploration data sets.
Discover gives users the ability to process and view data in ways that previously
required a number of software packages. A geologist in the field, an exploration
manager in head office or a draftsperson in a regional office can use Discover to
track tenement activity, contour point data, view drill holes in plan and section,
analyze geochemical data, facilitate map creation, easily produce scaled hard
copy output, and more.
Discover 5.0 provides new and improved functionality in a number of key areas
and incorporates a significant number of changes requested by existing
Discover users.
About this Manual
This manual describes new and existing features in this version of Discover and
supercedes earlier Discover Reference manuals. The manual is organized into
chapters containing logically grouped functions that relate to the Discover menu
structure.
This manual applies to Discover 5.0 only. Encom Technology has taken care to
ensure that the information presented here is accurate but reserves the right to
make alterations to Discover at any time.
This is not a MapInfo manual and knowledge of MapInfo Professional is
required for Discover to be used to its best advantage. We recommend that you
refer to the MapInfo Professional Reference and MapInfo Professional User
Guide for further information on using MapInfo.
2 Discover Reference Manual
Users are also encouraged to refer to the on-line help for Discover, which is
accessed from the MapInfo help menu and contains a full explanation of all
functions in Discover.
Conventions Used in this Manual
Certain conventions are used throughout this manual.
keys on the keyboard appear in small capital letters. For example, the Ctrl
key appears as CTRL in the text.
menu options and dialog items are in normal text but bolded. For example,
choose File>Run MapBasic Program.
buttons to be clicked are bolded. For example, click the Remove Entry
button.
text to be entered from the keyboard is shown in Let t er Got hi c.
references to other sections in the documentation are italicized. For
example, see the Data Utilities chapter.
Obtaining Help
If you need to contact product support for Discover please have the following
details available:
Licence Number (shown in the Discover>About Discover dialog eg.
001121)
MapInfo Version (shown in the Help>About MapInfo dialog eg. 5.50)
a full description of the problem or query. This should include any system
messages (from Discover, MapInfo or the operating system) and other
pertinent information detailing the circumstances.
Select the Discover Technical Support item from the Help menu to generate a
form that can be emailed or faxed to Encom Technology.
Contact details are:
Email [email protected]
World Wide Web: www.encom.com.au
Telephone +61 3 9524 4915
Fax +61 3 9533 0234
Introduction 3
3
If you experience any problems with Discover, or have suggestions or
comments, Encom Technology would be pleased to hear from you.
System Requirements
Discover has no additional system requirements beyond that required to run
MapInfo

5.0 or later. Discover 5.0 runs on Windows

95/98 and Windows

NT/2000/XP but not on Windows 3.11, and is best used with a video resolution
of 800 x 600 or better.
Discover User Interface
Discover adds a new menu and a new set of buttons to the MapInfo interface.
As the mouse is placed over each menu option or button, a message is displayed
in the Status Bar (at the bottom left corner of the MapInfo screen) with a short
description of what that item does.
The Discover Menu with references to menu options in this manual
4 Discover Reference Manual
The Discover 5.0 interface includes a number of buttons contained on toolbars,
each of which may be set to be displayed or hidden and positioned as floating or
fixed button bars. The position of each button bar is remembered by Discover
between sessions.
The button bars available are:
Main Main functions of Discover such as Scaled Output
Map Window Map window tools such as select by graphical style
Map Making Map making tools such as text labels and see-through shades
Object Editing Object editing functions such as line cut and smoothing
These button bars are available at any time, and additionally there are module
specific button bars for drillhole display, surface creation and analysis and
graphmap that are displayed when those modules are run.
Discover button bars Main Map Window, Object Editing and Map Making
Discover button bars Drillhole Display, GraphMap and Surfaces
Each of the button bars can be shown or hidden using commands from the
Discover menu, or from the MapInfo toolbar dialog (right-click on the button
Introduction 5
5
bar or select the MapInfo Options>Toolbar menu item). The positions of the
button bars are automatically saved when you exit Discover. When you next
load Discover, the button bars are correctly positioned.
Discover Installation
Setup From CD-ROM Installation
Place the supplied Encom software CD in the CD-ROM drive and wait a few
seconds. The CD-ROM should register with your computer automatically and
present an installation menu list. To load the Discover software, click the
Install Discover 5.0 button. Once selected, the menu automatically executes the
DISCOSETUP.EXE file as described in Installation of Discover.
Note In the event that the CD-ROM does not autoload, you may need to execute the
program DISCOSETUP.EXE in the top level folder of the CD-ROM or double
click on the DISCOSETUP.EXE file in the DISCOVER folder.
Installation of Discover
Before installing Discover 5.0, ensure that MapInfo Professional (version 4.5 or
later) is installed on your system. Discover 5.0 does not work with older
versions of MapInfo. To install MapInfo on your computer, follow the
procedure detailed in the MapInfo manuals.
As the installation program for Discover (DISCOSETUP.EXE) proceeds, a
number of options are presented to you. Initially, acknowledgement and
acceptance of the Encom User Licence Agreement must be made. We
recommend you read the details of this Agreement since it limits your personal
and corporate use of the software.
Discover 5.0 requires an Encom licence to operate. The licence file must be
available for the installation to proceed. Two situations may exist:
If you have purchased a new licence of Discover 5.0, accompanying your
software distribution should be a diskette containing a Discover 5.0 licence
file. Alternatively, a licence file may have been issued to you by Encom
Technology (via email etc).
If you have an existing Discover licence and you have a maintained
licence, the issued Discover 5.0 Upgrade will have an Upgrade Code
enclosed. This code allows you to upgrade your licence from the earlier
version, to Discover version 5.0.
6 Discover Reference Manual
Note 1
Note 2
If you do not have either of a licence diskette or cannot locate the Upgrade
Code, please contact Encom Technology for support.
Within the installation procedure as a precaution, you can request previous
configuration files be saved and made available in the new Discover\Config
installation folder. These files may be project, style library files, colour look-up
tables and shade files created by you in previous projects. Saving these files is
the recommended default.
After registering the licence file, other installation options are provided.
Tutorials and sample data (totalling approximately 8.1 Mbytes).
Metadata Manager for managing metadata. Metadata is information that
relates to datasets and describes some characteristics of it (such as audit
trails, projects or projection information).
Spatial Catalogue for managing a database that contains an entry for each
MapInfo table and which lists both geographic and table attributes (such as
the coordinate system or the number of rows etc).
Tenement Application and Search functionality. Tenement application,
search and interrogation tools with Australian sample data can be installed.
Adobe Acrobat Reader for displaying and reviewing documents (for
example, the tutorials or User Guide).
You can also specify configuration paths (refer to Configuring Discover) for the
various options. Once you have installed Discover, you should read the file
README.TXT for any late-breaking information that has not been included in
this manual. Please call product support if you experience any problems
installing Discover.
Should you need to uninstall Discover, select Encom Discover 5.0 from
Add/Remove Programs item in the Windows Control Panel, or run the program
UNWISE.EXE from the Discover installation folder.
Note Note that if you do uninstall, the entire Discover folder is removed.
About Discover and AutoLoad
Once Discover has been installed, it should automatically load each time that
MapInfo is run. If you have exited Discover and need to re-run it, then choose
the MapInfo File>Run MapBasic Program menu option, and select the file
DISCOVER.MBX from the Discover installation folder. If you do not wish to
Introduction 7
7
have Discover loaded each time you run MapInfo, click the AutoLoad button
from the Discover>About menu option.
Choose the Discover>About Discover menu option to check that the licensing
information is correct. The organization to which this copy of Discover is
licensed is also displayed in the title bar of the MapInfo application window.
Encom suggests that you leave AutoLoad Discover set on, so that it loads every
time MapInfo is run. Autoloading Discover imposes little in the way of memory
or performance overheads for running MapInfo and means that Discover is
always instantly available.
Configuring Discover
During installation time you can specify 3 main paths for Discover for the
location of program files, configuration files and temporary files. See Appendix
B for more information on the files installed by Discover.
The Discover Program Files Directory is where DISCOVER.MBX and
associated programs are run. Some MapInfo tables required by Discover are
also stored here. This folder can be read-only.
The Discover Configuration Directory stores tables and text files containing
settings for various Discover functions. The files and tables in this folder are
written to by Discover so the folder must not be read-only. For single-user
installations of Discover, this folder can be the same as the Program Files
Directory.
The Discover Temporary Directory is used for storing temporary tables and
must not be read-only. This can be the same as the Windows temporary folder,
or may be a separate folder.
You may view and edit the configuration settings at any time by selecting the
Discover>Configuration menu option. Whilst Encom suggests that you follow
the folder structure detailed in the installation notes, you can easily alter the
installation folder structure after installation. The configuration screen (see
below) also provides additional options.
Previous versions of Discover stored this information in a file called
ENCOM.CFG. This information is now stored in a file called DISCOVER.INI
in the folder containing the main Discover application. You should not edit this
file directly.
8 Discover Reference Manual
Configuration option to assign directories and miscellaneous items
Map Status Bar Display
By default, MapInfo sets the status bar to display the map zoom width at the
lower left corner of your screen. Discover provides the ability to override this
default so that each time a Map Window is opened the status bar displays
whichever Position, Zoom width or Scale you require.
This override is only operative whilst Discover is running and you can still
change the status bar display for each map window manually from the status bar
or from the MapInfo Map>Options menu option.
Workspace AutoSave
Discover can automatically save a workspace every few minutes - you can set
the interval to any number, or zero to disable this feature. This workspace is
called DISCOVER.WOR and is saved to the Discover Configuration folder.
The Discover workspace is useful for recovering from user or program errors.
For example, if you have accidentally closed a complex layout before saving a
workspace, use the Discover workspace to resurrect your work.
Running Discover on a Network
If you are running MapInfo and Discover on a network, the folders containing
the MapInfo and Discover software may be read-only (that is, they may be
write-protected to ensure there is no accidental data loss). In this instance, you
Introduction 9
9
need to set the Discover Temporary folder and Discover Configuration folder to
ones that are not read-only. This allows Discover to write configuration and
temporary files as required. Running Discover on a network as a multi-user
installation is not recommended.
11
New Features in Discover
Discover Version 5.0 Features
New Features in Discover 13
13
2 Whats New in Discover 5.0
A range of powerful new features has been added to Discover 5.0 while many
existing items have been enhanced. A brief description of some new highlights
includes:
Map Linking Map linking provides the ability to synchronize views
between selected mappers so that any pan or zoom updates in one map
window are automatically applied to all other linked maps
Interactive Cursor A new interactive cursor (called Cursor Position)
allows automatic connecting of geographic locations in multiple mappers
by placing a symbol at the position you click. An option is provided to
automatically pan any map windows to show the geographic location of the
identified position if it not visible in the map a window.
Map Making and Other Tools
Frame Titling automatically labels each frame in a Layout window with
the name of the Map Window from which it was generated . If the label is
inappropriate, you can modify it.
Imperial scale bars have been added to the Scaled Output function
enabling you to create and automatically include imperial scale bars in a
layout.
Surface Creation and Analysis
Gridding Tool- An all-new gridding module that uses a wizard to rapidly
and graphically view data grids in a real-time preview window, as grids are
being created
Grid Filter A new grid-filtering module for applying filter algorithms to
most Discover supported grid formats.
Drillhole Display
Section Manager improvements provide facilities to Open and Close
existing drill sections as well as Add and Delete sections from an active
project. Links between downhole data tables and drill sections are now
restored when sections are reopened.
View direction can now be defined to view the direction of a drill section
Export and Import a Discover drill hole project to allow easy transfer
between computers. You can also modify the file path and project name of
14 Discover Reference Manual
previously defined Drill Projects. Improvements have also been made to
the downhole data selection process so tables are more easily added to a
project.
New function to extract the maximum EOH values plus the maximum data
value from holes within a drillhole project
The range and pattern display limit has been raised from 16 colours to 256
The Azimuth and Dip fields are now optional in the collar table if a
corresponding survey table has been provided
Links have been provided between the Edit Colour Patterns dialog and the
display downhole data setup form so it is no longer necessary to cancel
operations to define a colour pattern. Also multiple colour pattern tables
can now be loaded into the drillhole display.
A number of enhancements have been made to the drillhole plotting
process and several bugs have been eliminated.
Graph Map
Graph parameter settings are now stored as part of the graph metadata so
that links are maintained between the graphs and data tables between
sessions. It is now possible to recommence a Graph Map session where
you left off due to these maintained links
Provision of graph templates so that any graph type can be created, saved
and reused without having to go through the setup procedure. These are
also saved and available for use during subsequent sessions. The use of
templates also provides a means of generating frequently used graphs in
batch mode.
Graphed data can now be selected across multiple graph types and
highlighted in all map windows in one operation
Multiple data ranges can be created during a Graph map session and
applied across multiple graphs
A number of enhancements have been made to the use of expressions in
graphs
General improvements have been made to the graph layouts
The user can now select the required data fields to carry over onto each
graph so that analysis can be made between graphs and data tables.
New Features in Discover 15
15
General
The Enhanced Layer Control has been updated with additional
functionality and performance enhancements including:
- Open/Close tables from the Enhanced Layer Control
- Roll Up/Roll Down the Enhanced Layer when not in use
- Minimize and maximize the window to any position on the desktop
- Filter a grid or grid selected data points directly via the ELC
An improved installation procedure includes support for Windows 2000

and Windows XP

.
Discover is now compatible with MapInfo Professional version 4.5 through
7.0 (released mid-2002).
Tutorials have been updated.
On-line help has been updated and redesigned.
17
Map Window Tools
Introduction
Map Grid Displays
Grid Styles
Thematic Maps
AutoShade Feature
Map Display Utilities
Map Wndow Tools 19
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3 Map Window Tools
Discovers Map Window tools give you the ability to:
the Enhanced Layer Control tool can be used to control map layers
draw a map grid on the map window, in any available coordinate system
Autoshading of layers allows thematic shadings to be saved to a list and
applied to different data
set the geographic view of a map window to a named view from a list, and
save new views to the list
apply commonly used projections from a list
display the current coordinate system information for the map window
set the default map view for a table
select all map objects from the currently editable layer
fit the map window to a selected object.
20 Discover Reference Manual
Map Grid Display
Discover>Map Grid
Draw a map grid in any projection to the front map window. This function is
also available as part of the Scaled Output map making wizard (see Map
Making).
Drawing a Map Grid
Accessed from the button bar or menu, the MapGrid function allows you to
create a map grid in any of MapInfos standard projections or a custom
projection over the current map window. The grid can be in one of a number of
styles, and you can overlay one grid on another (for example a lat/lon grid on a
UTM grid). The map grid is drawn into a table called AUTOGRID, unless you
nominate a different table name.
The Map Grid dialog
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Projection
By default (Auto option) the map window projection is automatically detected
and used to construct the grid. To change the projection of the map window, use
the Discover Standard Projection function (see Standard Projections, later in
this section).
If you wish to draw a map grid in a projection different to that of the map
window, choose the Other option. A list of projections from the standard
projection list is displayed. Select the projection that you wish to use. The map
window projection is not changed, however the grid is drawn in the selected
projection. If the required projection is not available in the displayed list it can
be added by clicking the Add button.
You can also display local (non-earth) grids and real world grids together. To
display local and real world grids together, you should define and store a grid
transformation setting - see Grid Transformation in Data Utilities section
(Discover>Data Utilities>Grid Transformation).
With one or more grid transformation settings saved, choose the Transform
option from the Projection control and select the appropriate transformation
setting.
Grid Spacing
Discover suggests a rounded grid spacing based on the width of the map
window. The grid spacing is in the coordinate units of the grid projection -
usually metres, but degrees for lat/lon coordinate systems.
You can override Discover's suggested grid spacing by typing in your preferred
value. For lat/lon grids, choose between grid spacing in decimal degrees or
degrees, minutes, seconds by clicking the checkbox.
Grid Style
The grid is drawn in one of three basic styles:
Lines
Points
Edge ticks
22 Discover Reference Manual
These basic styles may be altered by changing the line, symbol type and colour.
Additionally, you may choose to have grid labels placed in a mask outside the
map frame.
For a grid drawn as lines, each grid line is a polyline with normally one node
placed at each grid line intersection. Where the grid lines show substantial
curvature (for example, when a lat/lon grid over a large area is displayed in a
projected coordinate system) you may need additional nodes for each grid line.
Set this value in the Label Options button.
Grid line labels are, by default, drawn at the left and top margins of the map
window. In a map window with metres labels, choose a small font size (9 or
less) so that the labels do not appear too intrusive. The grid label font size is
relative to the current map window scale.
You can also draw grid labels to the bottom and right margins of the map
window. You may wish to use this option when overlaying grids in different
projections, for example so that labels for a UTM grid are drawn at top and left,
whilst labels for a lat/lon grid are drawn at right and bottom.
Other options available allow you to control the frequency of grid lines labels
(choose from no labels, every line labelled or an intermediate setting), and what
prefix or suffix to add to the coordinate label (for example, choose to label as
E5000 or 5000 mE etc).
When you choose to have the grid labels drawn in a mask around the edge of
the map, Discover creates an extra table (called AUTOGRID_MASK) to hold
the mask. The map window is enlarged slightly so that the visible area of the
map window (inside the mask) remains the same. In some cases the page
margins accessed via Print Setup may need to be adjusted for the map to fit
correctly on the page.
Overlaying Grids and Saving Grids
If there is already an AutoGrid table in the front map window, Discover
overwrites it, unless the Append to Existing AutoGrid option has been
selected. If there is an AutoGrid table open but not in the front map window,
Discover prompts you for a name to save this table to. If you do not want to
save the old grid, click Cancel.
If you know you are overlaying another grid, choose the Overlay another
AutoGrid option. After drawing the first grid, Discover displays the map grid
Map Wndow Tools 23
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dialog again and you should choose different parameters (different projection
and probably different grid style).
When the OK button is clicked, Discover constructs the grid, and then displays
it as a layer in the front map window.
Grid Table Name
Save the map grid to an explicit table name with the Save As button, otherwise
the map grid is written to a table named AutoGrid in the Discover temporary
folder. If you then wish to save the map grid for use later on, you need to use
the Table>Maintenance>Rename Table menu option or the File>Save Copy
As menu option to save AutoGrid with a new name.
If you use the Save As button to specify a table name for the map grid, then
MapGrid does not overwrite the existing map grid. Use this option when you
need to save a map grid to disk for later use.
The three basic styles of map grid that can be generated by Discover
Map Linking
Map Linking provides the ability to "geographically link" mapper windows so
that any pan or zoom update applied to one mapper is automatically applied to
all other map windows included in the linked group.
Access to Map Linking is from:
24 Discover Reference Manual
the Discover>Map Window>Map Linking menu option
pop-up on a mapper window (by a right map click in the window)
Map Linking dialog to select and enable mapper windows.
The Map Linking dialog lists all currently open mappers and the projection of
each. Use checkboxes next to Map names to select/unselect mappers. Select All
and Unselect All buttons are also provided.
Two mapper linking methods are available:
Fixed extents - The windows are sychronised so that the window centre
point and the X axis extents are always visible in the map window
regardless of either the map scale or the window dimensions.
Fixed scale - Following a pan or zoom, the new map centre and scale are
applied to the other linked mappers. Thus, each linked mapper window has
the same centre coordinate and scale but the amount of data shown in each
depends on the individual window size and dimensions.
Individual mappers can also be linked via the Link this map option on the
pop-up menu from a right mouse click in a mapper. A tick next to this menu
item indicates that the mapper is linked. Selecting the option toggles the
linkage.
After selecting the map windows to be linked and method to use, press OK.
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The Map Link option can be deselected from either the Map Link window by
clicking Unselect All or by the right click pop-up menu in any linked window
and deselecting the Link this map option. When this option is enabled it appears
in the menu with a tick beside it (see above).
Interactive Cursor Positioning
Interactive Cursor Positioning allows an interactive cursor that automatically
connects geographic locations in separate mapper windows by placing a
symbol at the position you click. An option is also provided to automatically
pan any map windows to show the geographic location of the identified
position if it not visible in the map a window.
Cursor Positioning dialog and window selection..
The dialog controlling the Cursor Position operation allows selection of the
windows to receive the locator symbol. In some cases, if a cursor position is
selected in one mapper that is not shown in another (because its data coverage
does not include the selected position), you can enable the Pan map view to
show cursor position. This option automatically pans the hidden cursor symbol
to become visible in the related mappers.
The cursor symbol style used by the Cursor Position tool in a mapper can be
modified to any of the standard MapInfo symbols. To adjust the symbol style,
select the MapInfo menu item Options>Symbol Style.
26 Discover Reference Manual
Standard MapInfo Symbol Style dialog to control selection and appearance of Cursor Position symbol.
Cursor positioning is a useful function in circumstances where you wish to use a
mapper as a locator and review data at a different scale in a second or third
window. An example of two windows with the location symbol placed at the
same geographic position but with different scales and information content is
shown below:
The Cursor Positioning with a symbol placed at the same geographic location.
The Cursor Position operation can be deselected at any time by clicking on the
Cursor Position Off button in the toolbar. This button closes the temporary
table that stores the cursor position coordinates and the symbol style
information.
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Select by Graphical Style
Discover>Map Window Utilities>Select by Graphical Style
Select by Graphical Style allows you to select all objects from a table that have
the same graphical style attributes as the selected object.
The Select by Style dialog displays the style of the selected object and allows
the selection criteria to be altered. By default, Discover selects all objects with
exactly the same style from the same layer as the selected object. You can refine
the selection criteria to request Discover to select, for example, symbols of the
same colour but of any shape or size, or regions of a particular fill colour
regardless of the fill pattern or line style.
Select by Style dialog
Auto-Shade
Discover>Auto-Shade
Use Discover to save thematic shade settings from a Map Window and re-apply
the settings to any appropriate data set. Save and apply any type of thematic
setting.
Saving a Thematic Map Setting in MapInfo
Discovers Auto-Shade has been designed to greatly enhance the portability of
thematic maps. With MapInfo, when a thematic map has been created, the only
28 Discover Reference Manual
way to save the thematic map is to save a workspace that includes the map
window. However, if you then want to apply these thematic map settings to a
different column in the same table, or to a completely different table, you must
start again with the MapInfo>Create Thematic Map menu option, unless you
wish to edit the workspace yourself.
Discover can store these settings in a shade file (SHD). The shade files can then
be made available to other users to allow standard thematic map settings to be
maintained across a project.
Saving a Thematic Map Setting with Auto-Shade
When you have created a new thematic map (or modified an existing one) and
wish to save the settings with Auto-Shade, click the Add button from the main
dialog. Discover asks you to select the thematic map layer to add (it is called
LayerName(n) where n is the number of the thematic layer in the active map
window), and select the shade file to add it to.
If no shade files are currently stored, you should select New Shade File from
the Add to Shade File list. Note shade files have the file extension .SHD.
AutoShade dialog for selection and storing of shade files
Applying a Saved Shade Setting to a Map Window
To apply a saved shade setting to a table, the table must be displayed as a layer
in the front map window. Select the shade setting required (from the shade list
and the shade file list), and select the table and column to apply it to.
Map Wndow Tools 29
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By default, Discover attempts to select the same column that was used to create
the shade setting. If the data column chosen contains values that lie outside the
range of the shade setting, then those objects are not shaded.
If you are applying a pie or bar chart shade, then you must explicitly select the
same number of columns that were used to make the pie or bar chart originally.
The original columns used for this shade setting are displayed above a Choose
New Columns button.
If the data that you choose cannot be thematically shaded, Discover displays an
information message.
Using Other Shade Files with Auto-Shade
Using Auto-Shade, you can save a thematic map setting and then later re-apply
it to any data that you wish to. The thematic map settings are stored in shade
files and Discover keeps a list of the various settings and shade files that you
have saved. Although there is no real limit to the number of settings that you
can save, you will find that it is useful to group your saved settings into separate
shade files.
Shade files may be transferred from one Discover installation to another.
However, when this is done, you must copy the shade file into the new Discover
configuration folder and then register the shade file by clicking on the Add
button and entering the shade file name. If there is a thematic map displayed,
after clicking the Add button you should click the Add Existing Shade File
button.
The shade files are stored in the configuration folder, and the list of shade files
and shade settings is stored in the table AutoShad, also in the configuration
folder. You do not need to explicitly open this table to run Auto-Shade.
Using Auto-Shade with Other Discover Functions
With the ColourMaps>Colour Map quick shade option, a Discover
colour table can be quickly applied as a thematic map setting to a polygon
table. You can then save this shade setting with Auto-Shade.
When creating a polygon grid with Discovers Surface Creation and
Analysis function, the best way to visualize the grid is to thematically
shade it by ranges. With Auto-Shade, you can quickly apply a customized
shade setting to a new grid or contours.
30 Discover Reference Manual
Use standard shade settings in conjunction with Drillholes>Display
Downhole Data for a flexible downhole drill data display.
Create a thematic map for graphed data with GraphMap and apply it to
the source data, then save the setting with Auto-Shade for later use.
Standard Views
Discover>Map Window>Standard Views
Select a pre-set geographic view from a list. Save new views to this list.
Discover allows you to store any number of Standard Views in a list. You can
quickly zoom to one of your stored views by selecting that view from the list.
For example, you may have one view called "New South Wales", one called
"Northern Region", and one called "Dog Hill Prospect". No matter what data
you have displayed in the current map and what the coordinate system of the
map window, choosing a Standard View takes you to the required area.
To add a Standard View, or to choose one from the list, select the menu option,
or click the Standard Views button.
The Standard Views dialog
To zoom to a Standard View, double click on its name, or highlight the name
and click GoTo.
To add a new Standard View, first pan and zoom in your current map window
to frame the view as desired, then choose Standard Views. Click Add, and
type in a name for the new view. The view is added to the list in alphabetical
order. Click Done when finished.
To delete a view from the list, highlight its name and click Delete.
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Note The current map window is zoomed to this location irrespective of whether
there is any data in that area.
Standard Views does not record information about the size of the map window,
only its centre and zoom width.
Standard Projections
Discover>Map Window>Standard Projections
Select a map projection from a list and apply it to the current map window. Add
map projections to the list from the MapInfo projection file.
Discover provides a quick and easy way to access commonly used projections.
This means you don't need to use the Map>Options>Projection sequence, and
then wait while MapInfo loads the projection file. Instead, click the Projection
button or select the Standard Projections menu option to bring up a list of
commonly used projections. Double click on a projection in the list to apply that
projection to the current map window.
To modify the list of coordinate systems, use the Add and Delete buttons. The
Add button reads in the MapInfo projection file and allows you to select
additional projections to add to the list.
The projection data is stored in the file DISCOVER.PRJ in the Discover Config
folder, using a similar format to the normal MapInfo projection file.
Experienced users may wish to edit this file with a text editor or word
processor. This file is used in several of Discovers functions, where projection
information is required.
Map Window Projection
Discover>Map Window>Map Projection
The Map Window Projection option in Discover displays the full range of
coordinate system information for the front map window. You can use the
information presented in this window, together with Appendix F, MapInfo
Professional Reference (v4.5 or before) or Appendix H, MapInfo Professional
User Guide (v5.0 or later) to understand more about how MapInfo uses
coordinate systems and to create your own custom coordinate systems.
It is possible for a table to be stored in a projection that is not defined in
MapInfos projection file (MAPINFOW.PRJ). In this case, the coordinate
32 Discover Reference Manual
system name is undefined and is referred to as a custom coordinate system. It is
accompanied by a list of the projection parameters. You can use these
parameters to add the new coordinates system to MapInfos projection file.
Set Default View for a Table
Discover>Map Window>Default View
MapInfo stores a default view for each tables map. When a new map window
is opened for the table, it is displayed in this default view. Use Discovers
Default View option to change the default view. This feature is not applicable to
raster tables.
Selecting All Map Objects from the Currently Editable
Layer
Discover>Map Window>Select all from Editable Layer
This menu choice is useful if the editable layer is not the top selected layer.
Make Selected Layer Editable
Discover>Map Window Utilities>Make Selected Layer Editable
Use this tool to edit the layer from which objects are currently selected. This is
a shortcut to using the layer control dialog box and is especially useful where
there are many layers in a map.
Fit Map Window to Selected Object
Discover>Map Window>Fit Map Window to Selected Object
Use this option to resize the map window to the aspect ratio of the selected
object, and to zoom and re-position the map window to display the minimum
bounding rectangle of the selected object.
This is useful when adding a frame of specific size to a layout - use the drawing
tools or Discovers Object Editing>Key In Shapes to create a rectangle
covering the area to print, and then use Discover to resize the Map Window to
fit it.
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Alternatively, you may have selected a region or polyline object that is much
larger than the current Map Window zoom level and you may want to zoom the
map window to display all the object. In this case, remember that Discover also
resizes the map window to the aspect ratio of the objects minimum bounding
rectangle.
Note For objects that have an aspect ratio (height/width) of less than 0.1 or greater
than 10, the selected object does not completely fill the map window.
Zoom to Extents of Selected Object
Discover>Map Window Utilities>Zoom to extents of selected objects.
Zoom the map window to show the entire minimum bounding rectangle of the
selected object(s).
Note The Enhanced Layer Control (ELC) of Discover provides for unlimited
Previous Views of map windows. Not only does this feature operate on the
window that has focus, you can select any of the available map windows from
the ELC and Discover retains their individual previous zoom views. Refer to the
Enhanced Layer Control for additional information.
Save and Restore Map Window State
Discover>Map Window Utilities>Save/Restore Map Window State
Use the Save Map Window State tool to save the position, size, centre and
zoom width of the top map window. After saving the Map Window state you
can then restore it using the Restore Map Window State option. The Restore
Map Window State option is useful when you want to restore a map window
that is used in a layout window, after you have zoomed or panned across the
map window.
35
Map Making Tools
Scaled Output
Title Block Controls
Styles Library
Automatic Legend Generation
Text Labeling
See-Thru Shading
Line Annotation
Map Making Tools 37
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4 Map Making Tools
Map Making menu list
Discover facilitates map production in MapInfo with an integrated set of tools.
Discovers map making tools provide functions to:
produce accurately scaled standardized hardcopy maps complete with
titleblocks and scalebars
use standard styles when editing and creating data sets and maps
create a legend for multi-layer geological maps
create vector fill patterns for polygons
add geological annotation to linework
maintain and use standard map object styles
set MapInfo label angles for an entire layer
create text labels for map objects
reformat text objects for a specified map scale
update text objects from column values and vice versa.
38 Discover Reference Manual
Scaled Output
Discover>Scaled Output
Insert a correctly sized and scaled frame of the front map window (with map
grid) into a layout, optionally using a layout from an existing workspace.
Alternatively use a mapsheet boundary to size and scale the frame. Additional
frames for scalebar and titleblock are added to the layout.
Discovers Scaled Output function gives you a wizard-style interface to
simplify the creation of hard-copy output from a map window.
Step 1 Select the output map scale and paper size required
Step 2 Specify map grid parameters
Step 3 Specify titleblock parameters
Step 4 Save the map and exit.
User-Defined Scaled Output
To produce an accurately scaled map using Discover, open a map window, add
all the required layers and change layer settings as appropriate.
Select Scaled Output from the Discover menu, or click the Scaled Output
button on the Main Button bar. Discover displays the following dialog, from
which you should specify the map scale and frame size required.
The Scaled Output dialog
Map Making Tools 39
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A range of scale bars (including both metric or imperial) can be selected to
accompany the output.
Map Scale and Map Extras
You can select from one of the pre-set scales, or choose a custom scale. If you
choose a pre-set scale, the map size (for the currently selected frame setting -
see below) is displayed in the Actual Map Size box. If entering a custom scale,
the Actual Map Size does not change.
By default, the Draw Grid option is checked. If you wish to produce a map with
no map grid, uncheck this option. When Discover draws a map grid, the grid is
sized to fit the frame, and grid text labels are sized appropriate for the output
scale.
You should also choose a titleblock and scalebar style to use from the lists of
those available. The list of titleblocks may be maintained using the Configure
option, whilst the scalebar styles are pre-set in Discover and cannot be changed.
Frame Setup
By selecting a frame setup from the list, you are defining the size and position
of the frame that Discover places into the layout window. This frame contains
the map window, and the size (in centimetres) is shown in the Actual Map Size
box.
You should note that the frame size and orientation set here (for example, A3
Landscape) does not change the Printer Setup - you need to use the Printer
Setup button on this dialog or select the MapInfo File>Print Setup menu
option. When the Layout window is opened, you can quickly see if the Print
Setup matches the selected frame size.
Note For version of MapInfo 6.0 and later the Printer Setup option is no longer
available. The page size for the Layout window can only be altered after the
Layout window has been created. If you would like to set a preferred printer and
page size use the Options>Preferences menu item.
Positioning the Map
The position of the Scaled Output map rectangle can be accurately specified by
entering coordinates for either the centre or one of the corners of the map. Use
this option to ensure that the map is accurately positioned for consistent output.
40 Discover Reference Manual
When the main dialog is dismissed, Discover draws a rectangle in the current
map window. This rectangle (which is in a temporary table called MapSize)
shows the area that is covered by the map, and is always drawn in the centre of
the window. You can zoom and pan the map window as required, and drag the
map size rectangle to the exact position required by selecting it. However, do
not change the size of the MapSize rectangle.
If you decide that the map should be produced at a different scale or with a
different frame size, then choose Scaled Output>Respecify Parameters to
display the main dialog again and change the settings.
Accept Map Position
When the MapSize rectangle covers the area you wish to print, choose Scaled
Output>Accept Map Position. Discover now resizes the map window to the
required area, and displays dialogs requesting input for grid generation and
titleblock information.
Note
If you change the view (pan or zoom) in any of the map windows after
accepting the map position, the map scale and the appearance of the map in the
Layout window is altered. Whilst Scaled Output is still running you can use the
Scaled Output>Restore Map Window menu option to restore the map
window to the correct aspect ratio and scale.
The map grid is constructed as described in Map Window Tools, with the
important difference that the grid label font sizes are appropriate for the
specified output scale.
When the map grid is drawn, the labels often appear very small on the screen,
but are correctly sized for hardcopy at the nominated scale. By default, grid
labels are drawn on all four sides of the map window. You can draw multiple
map grids by checking the Overlay Another AutoGrid option.
If you want to use the map grid as part of a workspace later on, then use the
Save As button to save the map grid to a specific table name.
Entering TitleBlock Details
Discover prompts you for details to insert into the titleblock, which is then
displayed as a separate frame within the layout window. The titleblock is stored
as a template in a non-earth cm based table and can be customized. The
dialog displayed for data entry of titleblock details depends upon how the
Map Making Tools 41
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titleblock table is customized. See Appendix A for details on customizing the
titleblock.
The default titleblock shipped with Discover presents a dialog similar to that
shown below. The five Title Lines are concatenated (and centre justified). The
details (Author, Reference etc.) are placed in the appropriate positions within
the titleblock. The font styles used are defined in the titleblock template table on
disk.
TitleBlock Position defines where in the layout window the titleblock frame is
placed. The default is in the lower right corner of the main map frame.
Normally, the titleblock is displayed in the layout as a frame on top of the map
window frame. However, for customized titleblocks, you may wish to have the
titleblock behind the map and you should check the Send TitleBlock to Back
checkbox.
When entering titleblock information, you can specify a scale for the titleblock.
By default, if the map to be printed is more than 50 cm wide, the titleblock is
displayed at a scale of 1:1, otherwise the display scale is 1:2. Use this control to
enter the scale required for the titleblock.
By default, the titleblock is saved in the Discover temp folder as
TITLEBLK.TAB. However, if you are going to use this titleblock in future (as
part of a workspace), you should use the Save As button to save the titleblock
with other tables for this drawing (such as the map grid and any annotation
layers).
Scaled Output titleblock details dialog
42 Discover Reference Manual
Open Layout Template from workspace allows you to have a workspace for
a layout with a pre-defined format instead of opening a new empty layout. For
example, the layout could contain extra annotation (such as north arrows, extra
legends, fixed logos and legends) as well as other map windows such as an
overview window for the state or country that the map is part of.
A list of the various layer names of the source map can also be displayed at a
selectable location. Note that by default this list is produced, but you can select
the No List option if preferred.
When creating a layout to be used in this way, be careful that only those tables
and windows required for your layout are actually open when you save the
workspace. You may also need different workspaces for each different map
format (paper size, orientation etc) that you wish to produce.
ScaleBar Format
The titleblock shipped with Discover contains a range of scalebars to choose.
Both metric and imperial measurement system scalebars are available. The
scalebar can be drawn in one of the six selectable formats from the main Scaled
Output dialog.
Alternatively, you can create a scalebar in its own map window that can be
moved in the layout independently of the titleblock. Refer to Appendix A for
more information on customizing the titleblock.
The main scalebar formats that can be selected from the main dialog are as
follows:
ScaleBar 1 Format
ScaleBar 2 Format
ScaleBar 3 Format
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A scaled map inserted into a Layout window by Discover
Layout Window and Making Further Changes
When titleblock details have been entered, click OK and the scalebar and
titleblock are drawn. A layout window is opened and the map frame is inserted.
The titleblock (and optionally scalebar) is created as an individual map window
and added to the layout as a frame. This means you can switch to the titleblock
map window and edit the details as required.
Note Be careful not to zoom in or out or resize the titleblock map window - this could
change the size of the scalebar drawn on the hard copy map.
You can also change the positions of the titleblock and map window frames in
the layout window. Use the MapInfo Select tool to select the frame, then drag
the frame to a new position and use the Layout>Align menu command to re-
align the titleblock with the edge of the map frame. This is useful when the title
obscures required details on the map.
To obtain a hardcopy print once Discover has generated the Layout, choose
File>Print from the MapInfo menu.
If you wish to make additional maps of the same area, but using different data
to that currently displayed in the map window, then add, remove or customize
the layers in the map window. The changes to the map window are reflected in
the layout. If you want to make another map for a different area or for a
44 Discover Reference Manual
different scale without quitting Scaled Output, then choose the Scaled
Output>ReSpecify Parameters menu option. The size and position of the
frames in the layout are not changed, but the map window is zoomed to fit the
new scale.
Note If you alter the size, position or zoom width of the map window at any time, the
scale of the map in the layout window changes. Whilst Scaled Output is
running, you can use the Scaled Output>Restore Map Window menu option
to reset the map window size, position and zoom level. You should always save
a workspace to ensure the layout settings are saved.
Using Standard Map Sheets
Discover comes with MapInfo tables containing the 1:100,000 and 1:250,000
mapsheet boundaries over Australia. Each sheet is a discrete, attributed,
transparent polygon. You can use these boundaries, or other standard sheet
boundaries that you create yourself (such as with Discovers Object Offset
function), to have Discover produce correctly scaled standard map sheets.
Open the appropriate mapsheet table and display it in your map window with
the data that you wish to print. Then select the mapsheet you wish to use, using
any of MapInfos selection techniques, and run Scaled Output.
A standard 1:250,000 mapsheet ready to plot
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Discover displays the same dialog as that shown above for User-Defined
Output, however Discover detects and estimates an output scale. Because the
aspect ratio of the map is defined by the selected map boundary, you cannot
change the frame height and width in the frame settings configuration, but you
can alter the position of the frame on the page, and change the scale that you
wish to print at.
Ensure your printer setup has the correct paper size, and then click OK.
Discover correctly scales the map, and insert both the map name and number, if
available, into the titleblock. If you wish to create your own standard mapsheet
layers, ensure that they have fields called Name and Number so that the
mapsheet name and number is recognized by the titleblock. Check the tables
Map100 and Map250 in the Discover_Tutorial data folder for examples.
The scale that Discover suggests for your selected polygon is based on the area
that it covers. You should always check the scale to ensure that it is what is
required.
Exiting Scaled Output
To quit Scaled Output, select the Scaled Output>Quit Scaled Output menu
option. Discover then asks whether you would like to save the TitleBlock,
ScaleBar and Map Grid (if these tables are open) and a workspace that includes
the layout, for future use. The titleblock, scalebar and map grid tables need to be
saved under new names, or Discover overwrites them the next time that Scaled
Output is used.
Configuring Frame Settings
Discover is shipped with a list of frame settings for full page frames for all the
common page sizes. You can view, edit and add to the list of page settings by
choosing the Configure button on the Scaled Output dialog.
When you want to add a frame setting to the list, or modify an existing frame
setting, you need to configure Scaled Output. You can also add or remove
titleblock tables to the titleblock list in this dialog.
You generally need to adjust your frame size to account for non-printing
margins (which is different on different printers) and different page layouts.
Discover allows you to set up and maintain a list of Frame Settings that define
where on a particular size of paper, or a particular printer, the map should
appear.
46 Discover Reference Manual
Using this function, you can define page settings for all your common page
layouts. For example, you could have a page setting for printing maps in the top
half of an A4 sheet of paper. The paper sizes that Discover uses are standard
(for example, A4 is 297 mm x 210 mm).
The Page Setup Configuration dialog
The Non-Printing Margins define the area around the page edge which your
printer cannot use (refer to set-up information for your printer). In the layout
window, these are the light grey margins. The Map Frame Position offsets
define the position of the lower left corner of the map frame within the printing
area. Choose Save Settings and give your new settings a name (for example,
A4 Top), then choose OK to return to the Scaled Output dialog.
When creating a new frame setting, select the page size on which you wish to
base the frame and then alter the margins and frame positions. Discover allows
you to base the frame on any page size in the groups A0-A5, B1-B5, C1-C5,
and A-F.
Note The Printer Setup is not stored with Discover's Page Setup list.
Hints
If any polygon is currently selected in the front map window when Scaled
Output is run, the dimensions of this polygon are used to size the map
window. The selected polygon does not need to be a regular shape like a
map-sheet.
You can use MapInfos Set Clip Region command with Scaled Output to
quickly produce a plot of just that map data which lies within a given
tenement.
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Use the Layout>Align menu option to re-align the scalebar/titleblock
frames if you have moved them.
When running Scaled Output on a data set that takes a long time to redraw
the screen, use the ESC key to interrupt MapInfos redraw. Be careful not
to cancel from dialogs for map grid and titleblock details. Alternatively, set
complex or large layers to invisible until ready to print.
Use the Page Settings dialog to define other frame sizes such as oversized
A0 for large maps, or wide margin A4 and A3 for printing small maps on
large format printers (with large non-printing margins).
If you need to make changes to the map window after it has been inserted
into a layout, then you must use the pan/zoom functions with great care,
otherwise the positioning and scaling of the frame in the layout is not
correct. You can use the Scaled Output>Restore Map Window command
whilst Scaled Output is running. Otherwise the Map>Previous View menu
option may restore the map window to its previous position and scale after
you have zoomed to make some modifications.
When printing out drillhole cross-sections, use the Drillholes>Add
Section to Layout tool that provides much of the functionality of Scaled
Output.
Use the MapInfo Overview tool to quickly add an overview map to your
layout.
Add extra frames to the layout using Discovers Map Making>Add
Scaled Frame to Layout tool. This allows you to add an accurately scaled
frame to an open layout window, but does not provide map grid or
titleblock options.
Add Scaled Frame to Layout
Discover>Map Making>Add Scaled Frame to Layout
This tool allows a scaled frame to be added to the layout window for the front
map window. The scaled frame is added to a newly created layout window if
one is not currently opened.
48 Discover Reference Manual
Adding a scaled frame to a layout
Use this tool in conjunction with Scaled Output to add additional frames, such
as an overview or legend, to the layout, with the Add Titleblock to Layout
function or on its own when a scalebar and titleblock are not required.
Frame Titles
Frame Titling is a Discover feature available for the Layout window to enable
automatic labels to be added to map frames. The label corresponds to the map
title name that can be edited in the ELC (see Window Properties). To add Frame
Titles to a map in the Layout Window, right click on the layout window to
display a pop-up menu and select Add Frame Titles. A dialog allows you to
control the placement and text style.
Frame Title added in the Top Right corner of the map.
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Opening a Custom Titleblock
Discover>Map Making>Make Custom TitleBlock
Use the Make Custom TitleBlock tool to open a custom titleblock, add details to
that titleblock, and optionally create a scalebar to add to the titleblock. The
titleblock map window is sized to fit the extents of the titleblock so that it can
be easily added to a layout window.
Styles Library
Discover>Map Making>Styles Library
Maintain a library of standard map styles. Apply a map style to the currently
selected objects, or set the current drawing style. The style can optionally be
selected from a Discover Colour Table. Automatically insert a style code as an
attribute for a digitized object.
Applying Styles from the List
When the styles library is called from the menu or button bar, the following
dialog is displayed. All the styles that have been defined are shown in the list
box. When an entry is highlighted, the appropriate style (symbol, line and/or fill
style) is shown at the right of the dialog.
Select the style that you want, and click the Apply button. The current style is
reset to that chosen (in the case shown below, the polygon styles are set to
Basalt) and a note to that effect is shown in the message window. If there is a
map window open, and a layer is editable, then the appropriate drawing tool (in
this case the region tool) is selected.
50 Discover Reference Manual
Map Styles dialog and selectable available options.
When the styles library is first called, the list is loaded into memory, making it
available instantly for future calls.
To use a Discover Colour Table to select a style from, choose the Colour Table
option and nominate a valid format Discover Colour Table (see the section on
Geological Data Processing for more details on colour tables).
Note You cannot edit, delete or add a style for a colour table. Use the Colour Map
function to do this.
If you want the style name to be added as an attribute to the table that you are
editing, select the table and column name. Whenever an object is created or
edited, the style name is added as an attribute, as well as the style being set.
To disable the current map style, click Cancel from the Map Styles dialog.
Maintaining the Styles Library (Editing/Adding/Deleting)
The styles library that ships with Discover includes styles for each of the 50
geological symbols added to the MapInfo symbol file, as well as a number of
line and polygon styles. It is quite likely that you may want to extend and alter
this list to incorporate your own styles.
To edit an existing style, highlight the required style in the list box and click the
Edit button. You are presented with another dialog that allows you to change
the style and/or the style name.
Note You cannot change the object type of the style you are editing.
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To add a new style, click on the Add button and you are presented with the
same dialog displayed for editing. You should select an Object Type,
appropriate styles and then enter a name. To delete an existing style, highlight
the required style and click the Delete button.
After each of these operations, the list is updated to incorporate the changes.
Appendix C is a list of the styles library shipped with Discover. The list includes
all symbols in the ET GeoExplore TrueType font shipped with Discover, as
well as some polyline and polygon styles. The list shown was created using
Discovers automatic legend generator.
Automatic Legend Generation
Discover >Map Making>Legend
Create a customizable legend for up to 10 layers in a multi-layered map. The
order of items within the legend may be altered. The legend is created in a Map
Window for easy insertion into a layout.
In order to create a legend, you must have a map window
open. You are presented with a list of tables in the front map
window and asked to select those to be used for creating a
legend. Once selected the following dialog is displayed,
showing the selected tables.
Dialog for legend creation. The user has already selected 4 layers to incorporate into this legend.
How the Legend is Created
The column (or field) that you nominate for each table from the Legend
Column 1 defines what objects are drawn on the legend. For example, if you
nominate RockCode, Discover draws an object for each RockCode. If you
52 Discover Reference Manual
nominate Age, it draws an object for each Age grouping. The data held in
Legend Columns 2 and 3 is added as supplementary text.
The legend tool only produces sensible results if the data is structured
appropriately. That is, all records containing a specific value in Legend
Column 1 should have the same graphic style. In the above example, all
polygons having RockCode = Czc should have the same colour. If this is not
the case, the legend may be misrepresentative as the legend style is obtained
from the first record in the table that has this value.
The legend is created into a non-earth Map Window in cm. This allows it to be
easily edited and added to a layout using the Add Scaled Frame to Layout tool.
Legend Tables
The tables selected are displayed in map layer order. You must choose the
primary column to be used for legend creation in Legend Column 1.
If you wish to alter the order of the legend items, then check the Specify Order
option. This is often necessary if you wish the legend to reflect a meaningful
order (for example, geological age) rather than the record order within the table.
You may optionally nominate two further columns containing text, to be
displayed in the legend. If the text for columns 2 and 3 is to be obtained from a
related lookup table, select Lookup Table from the column list and then
nominate the table to look up in, the column to match with Legend Column 1
and the column containing the legend text.
Legend Style
By default, Discover generates the Legend in one column, with the title at the
top, and a legend item every 2 cm below that. Discover provides the option of
creating the Legend in 2 columns, with a selectable line spacing. However, you
can easily edit the legend later to move items. The font style for each text
column may be explicitly set by clicking the Style button.
By default, only those legend items that lie within the map window are
included. However, if you want to include all items from the mapped tables,
then uncheck the Legend from objects within map window only option.
Legend Order
The order of individual items in the legend can be specified in one of the
following ways:
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1. No ordering - the items are placed into the legend in the same order that
they are read from the table.
2. Custom ordering - you can alter the position of individual items in the
legend by moving them up or down the list.
3. Alphabetic ordering - either ascending or descending.
4. Reference to a column - ordering in the same table.
5. Reference to a column ordering in a separate table
For each layer that the Specify Order option has been checked, a dialog similar
to that below is displayed. A list of the legend items for that layer is displayed
and you can alter their order. With the Re-Order Mode set to Custom, you can
use the Up, Down and Delete buttons to alter the list. You can alternatively set
the Re-Order mode to Alphabetical, either ascending (A-Z) or descending (Z-
A).
If you have chosen the re-ordering with reference to a look-up column you must
select a column from either the same table or a different one. These options
would be used, for example, to re-order by age where this is entered into a
numeric column.
Dialog for changing the order of legend items
If you do not change the order, the legend is created in the order that the codes
are found within the table. Using this feature, you can easily change the order to
reflect other groupings (such as age, lithology, geography etc.).
54 Discover Reference Manual
You can also specify legend item positioning (width, height and spacing) with
greater flexibility. Once the legend has been created you can easily edit it as it is
created in centimetre space in a non-earth Map Window.
A map legend created by Discover
MapInfo Label Angles
Discover>Map Making>MapInfo Label Angles
This feature alters the label angle for a specified map layer.
MapInfo Professional labels are drawn horizontally. There is no way to change
the label angle for more than one label at once. Use the MapInfo Label Angle
feature in Discover to set the label angle to a value other than zero for all
objects in the layer.
Discover uses the current label settings (such as label column, zoom layering
and font) for the specified layer, but alters each label so that it displays at the
required angle. If the labels for this layer are not already displayed, then
Discover causes them to be displayed. If you wish to store the labels for later
use, you must save a workspace for the map.
Note You cannot use this Discover feature with query layers.
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Text Labeling
Discover>Map Making>Text Labels
Place text labels into a map window, with text size relative to a specified map
scale.
There are many occasions when you want to add text-style labels in MapInfo,
rather than use MapInfos object labels. When you place text in MapInfo, the
text size is normally relative to the current map window scale, and MapInfo
provides no easy way of showing whether the text is a sensible size when
printed. Discovers Text Labels option overcomes this problem.
Using the Text Labels feature of Discover you can label map objects over an
entire layer, writing those labels out to a specific map layer. The text may be
placed at any angle and at any location relative to the centroid of the object. The
label may be a column value or a more complex expression.
Choose Text Labels and the following dialog is displayed. Note that you should
have a map window open and active when you run this option.
Text labels dialog and layer specification controls.
Choose the table that you wish to label from the list of tables in the front Map
Window. If you have already selected objects and wish to label just them,
choose Selection from the list of tables. If no objects are currently selected, this
is not available.
56 Discover Reference Manual
To label by a column value, select that column name in the From column
pulldown list.
Constructing an Expression
You can construct the text label from an expression using the same syntax
required for the MapInfo Select and Update commands, for example -
str$(Zinc) + %Zn + str$(Lead) + %Pb. Select Expression from the
bottom of the column pulldown list. An expression construction dialog box is
displayed, similar to MapInfos. Build your expression by directly writing the
syntax, or picking the columns, operators and functions required from the
pulldown lists.
If the expression has valid syntax, Discover builds a temporary column
containing the calculated values. This temporary column remains available
whilst the table is open, and appears in the browser window. It is not, however,
saved.
If your expression has invalid syntax, you should seek further help on the
syntax of MapInfo queries by referring to your MapInfo documentation.
Label Style
The Label Style may be customized for size, angle, position and font. The label
Size defaults to 10 point at the current Map Window scale, but accepts any valid
numeric input. Enter the required map scale. The label size is correct at this
printed scale. The value suggested by Discover is based upon the map scale in
the front map window.
The text Angle defaults to 0, that is - left to right horizontal (normal text
orientation).
Note MapInfo text angles increase anti-clockwise from this direction so that 90 is
vertically up and 270 is vertically down.
The Offset East and Offset North values refer to the distance in millimetres at
the specified map scale that the label should start from the object centroid.
Check the Label Lines checkbox to display lines from the label to the object
centroid. This is useful if the label is offset from the centre, or if you need to
move labels to overcome overposting.
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Reformatting Text Objects
Discover>Map Making>Format Text
Set the current font size, or resize selected text, for a specified output scale.
Use Format Text to set the text font size for a specified output scale. You can
also resize any selected text objects to prepare a map for printing at a new scale.
Often you want to change the font size of existing text to prepare it to be
displayed at a different scale. With the standard MapInfo text tool, you must
have the window at the correct scale in order to get the text size correct. Using
the text formatting utility in Discover you can adjust the text size by entering
the font size that you want and the map scale that this size refers to.
Additionally you can change the angle at which the text is displayed.
You should have a Map Window open and active. If you have selected text, it is
altered to the style that you select. The following dialog is displayed.
Specifying text size, style and angles
Enter the text size and angle and the map scale at which this size is correct. The
map scale defaults to a rounded value of the current Map Window scale.
The Font Size defaults to 10 point at the current Map Window scale, but
accepts any valid numeric input. The Text angle defaults to 0, that is - left to
right horizontal (normal text orientation).
Note MapInfo text angles increase anti-clockwise from this direction so that 90 is
vertically up and 270 is vertically down.
Also, when you change the scale/zoom of the map window, you need to reset
your text size using this menu option.
58 Discover Reference Manual
Updating Text Labels
Discover provides a range of functions for modifying text labels that are already
on your map. Commonly text labels are stored in a table used just for map
annotation purposes, and it does not contain data. Once the label has been
created, the link between the data and the label is based on location only.
You may wish to alter the text labels for a number of reasons, such as:
having adjusted the position of sample labels to avoid overposting, you
want to change the label text from the Pb assay value to the Zn assay, but
keep the new label positions.
sample numbers have been provided as labels in a DXF file with a
corresponding spreadsheet with no coordinates. You need to be able to
create a MapInfo table with sample values joined to the location of the
samples.
colour code sample assay labels using the same colour patterns as in the
drillhole display module.
Note Note that these functions work with text objects and not MapInfo labels. If you
need to convert MapInfo labels into text objects use the MapInfo
LABELLER.MBX tool (MapInfo Professional 4.1 or later).
Discover>Map Making>Update Text Labels from Table
Use this option to update the text in text objects according to the values in a
nominated column. This column can be in the same table or a different table.
When updating with values from a different table, Discover joins the two tables
simply by record number in the two tables. If the record order in the two tables
is not appropriate then you need to join the two tables using SQL.
Discover>Map Making>Update Table from Text Labels
Updating the table from text labels provides a simple method of adding the text
label string into a column in the browser window. This feature is especially
useful when dealing with DXF files containing sample number labels.
Discover>Map Making>Colour Text Labels from Pattern
Use this option to recolour text labels with colour patterns defined in the
drillhole display module. Discover allows you to use any colour pattern that has
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been defined in the drillhole display module, and to colour the text objects
based on the text string or alternatively, based on the value in a column.
If you want to colour the text objects using the colour definitions stored in a
Discover colour table, then use the ColourMap tool (see Geological Data
Processing).
SeeThru Shading
Discover>Map Making>SeeThru Shading
Apply transparent shading, as lines or points, to selected polygons.
Use SeeThru shading to apply a standard shade pattern to selected polygons.
The shading is created as linework or points and (if the polygon has a
transparent fill pattern) does not obscure underlying map layers such as rasters.
The shading is created in a separate table.
SeeThru Pattern selection dialog
60 Discover Reference Manual
SeeThru Shading dialog with some example patterns
Defining a SeeThru Pattern
Discovers SeeThru patterns are composed of lines, stripes or points that fill a
polygon at a nominated spacing. Once a seethru shade has been defined, it can
be saved as a named Pattern.
You can easily select an existing pattern from the list. You should specify a map
scale to apply this pattern. This allows you to use the same pattern at a variety
of display scales.
Pattern Type
Choose between a line pattern, a stripe pattern and a point pattern. A line,
brush or point style can be selected from the normal MapInfo range of line,
brush and point types and colours.
You can select symbol styles from any of those available, including custom
bitmaps. If you have used a custom bitmap to fill a region, then note that the
bitmaps are placed as the bottom layer in the map and may be obscured by other
non-transparent region fill styles.
Stripe patterns are made up of equal width stripes in alternating brush styles.
Choose the stripe brush styles from the full range of MapInfo brush colours and
fill patterns.
Pattern Density and Orientation
For line and stripe patterns, choose an orientation between 0 and 180 degrees
for the line to be drawn at (0 is vertical, 90 is horizontal). For point patterns,
this option is unavailable.
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You should then choose a Pattern Density or Width. The value suggested by
Discover depends upon the current scale level of the map window, and is
specified in the distance units of the map window. The closer the spacing, the
longer time the pattern takes to generate.
You should also note that the pattern is suitable only for the current scale of the
map. If you zoom in or out, the pattern spacing remains the same in map units,
so that the pattern appearance changes (it becomes more dense as you zoom out,
and vice versa).
SeeThru Pattern Library
You can easily store seethru pattern definitions in Discovers SeeThru Pattern
Library. Click on the Add button from the main dialog to store a new pattern, or
select an existing pattern to edit or delete.
For added flexibility, you can combine line and point patterns to provide a
polygon fill of complex appearance. Simply select a different pattern style and
click the Add button.
Note If you combine stripes with other pattern types, the appearance of the pattern is
unpredictable as Discover cannot control the order in which MapInfo draws the
different elements in the pattern. To display these patterns together, select 2
seethru pattern layers, the lower one containing stripes, and the upper
containing the other pattern.
SeeThru Table Name
By default, Discover places the shading in a new layer called SEETHRU, stored
in the Discover Temporary folder. When you run SeeThru Shading, the existing
SEETHRU table is overwritten. If a table named SEETHRU is in the front map
window, you may append the new shading to it.
Use the Save As button to save the shading to a table that can be used later with
a workspace.
Line Annotation
Discover>Map Making>Line Annotation
Discovers line annotation function is specifically for adding geological
annotation to linework for map output. Annotation for a variety of styles is
62 Discover Reference Manual
added at a user-specified spacing and size, for a specific output scale. Similar to
Discovers text labeling function, the annotation appears at a different size if
output at a different scale to that specified.
Line Annotation dialog
The Annotation Type can define text characters selected from a list of all
available characters (ASCII codes 32 to 255) or can define a Non-Text type
such as fault or unconformity.
Special symbol fonts, such as ET Structural, can also be selected as a text
annotation. See Appendix C and D of Discover Reference Manual.
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Unconformity
Uncertain Boundary
Normal Fault
Thrust Fault
Antiform
Synform
Overturned Anticline
Dextal Strike-Slip
Shear
A selection of line annotation types available
65
Enhanced Layer Control
Introduction
Layer Controls
Window Properties
Options Available
Enhanced Layer Control 67
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5 Enhanced Layer Control
Encom Discover 5.0 provides you with a flexible and powerful way of working
with Map Windows and layers. The Enhanced Layer Control (ELC) allows you
to manage multiple Map Windows from a single control.
Layers can be organized in natural groupings that can be independent of their
display order and aliases can be used to provide a more natural and consistent
naming of data. Multiple layers can be selected and operated on simultaneously.
The ELC also provides complete control over the standard layer attributes such
as editability, visibility and label display.
Enabling and Disabling the ELC
When you first load Discover, the ELC is displayed in a floating window that
you can position and resize as required. If you want to remove it, click on the X
in the top right hand corner of the window. To restore it, select the ELC button
from the Discover toolbar.
As an alternative, double clicking the left mouse button in the ELC header bar
will roll-up the window. Double clicking again un-rolls the window. There
are also minimise and restore buttons on the title bar which allow you to
minimise the window to any position on the screen and then restore it back to
the original position.
If you want to disable the ELC altogether you can do so by deselecting the Use
Enhanced Layer Control option in the Discover>Configuration menu item.
Refer to Configuring Discover for additional information.
The figure below serves to demonstrate some of the key features of the ELC.
Note that the ELC displays information as a two-level hierarchy. The top level
describes the Map Windows and the second level describes the layers contained
within them.
If you have open Browsers, Layout Windows etc. they are also displayed and
can be controlled by the ELC.
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Introducing the ELC
An ELC controlling 3 open Map Windows and their associated layers.
In a similar fashion to Windows Explorer, you can expand or contract the tree
by clicking on the + or sign to the left of each Map Window. This has no
effect on your data it is just for your convenience. If, for example, you are
currently working with Area A Prospect 2 you may find it convenient to
collapse Area A Prospect 1 and Area B thus:
Refresh
Grouped View
Zoom to Selectable
Label Editable Layer Visible
Layer
Map Window
Zoom Previous
Apply Changes
Group
70 Discover Reference Manual
Example of Enhanced Layer Control with compressed Map Window trees
ELC Options
You can control the general characteristics of the ELC. For example, you can
indicate whether you want the ELC to appear automatically whenever Discover
is activated. You can also indicate whether you want the ELC to display layer
information for all open Map Windows or just the current Map Window. These
general characteristics can be set either by clicking on the Options button at the
bottom of the ELC or by selecting the Options item on the pop-up that appears
when you right click on a Map Window name or layer name in the ELC. When
you do this, the following dialog is displayed:
Enhanced Layer Control options dialog
Apply changes immediately If this box is checked, then each time you
check/uncheck the visibility box for a layer, move a layer or change its
display characteristics, the corresponding Map Window is redrawn. If the
box is unchecked, you can defer the redrawing of the Map Window until
all changes have been made.
This second mode of operation is convenient if you are making a number of
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changes at once. When you have made your changes, click on the Apply
Changes button and your Map Window and ELC are updated reflecting all
changes that you have made.
Show all windows in workspace If checked, all open Map Windows are
displayed in the ELC. If unchecked, the ELC only displays the active
window.
Use layer name aliases If checked, the ELC displays layer name aliases
(if they exist). If unchecked, the actual .TAB file names are displayed.
Allow layer logical grouping If checked, the ELC tree can be displayed
in Grouped view (see Creating Groups).
Open branches for all windows If checked the ELC displays all layers
and themes (or groups and layers in Grouped view) for all open Map
Windows. If unchecked, only the current Map Window appears expanded.
Open when Discover starts - Open the ELC on startup.
Metadata Keys
The two entry fields at the base of the Layer Control Options dialog allow you
to specify which .TAB file metadata keys are used to store layer aliases and
group names. These default to the keys, Alias and Group. Normally you leave
these alone unless you already have a convention in place for using different
key names (see Layer Name Aliases and Assigning Layers to Groups).
Layer Controls
The ELC provides a set of visual controls for controlling layers.
The visibility of each layer is controlled by the check box to the left of each
layers name. Check a box by clicking in it and the layer is displayed, uncheck
it and the layer disappears.
Note You can display or hide all layers (other than the Cosmetic layer) for a Map
Window by checking/unchecking the visibility box on the Map Window title in
the ELC.
The visibility boxes for Cosmetic layers and Legend Windows are always
checked you cannot uncheck them.
Editability, selectability and auto-labels are controlled by clicking on the
appropriate icons to the right of the layer name (these have the same appearance
72 Discover Reference Manual
and the same functions as the equivalent controls in the standard MapInfo layer
control).
The icon on the far right of each layer allows you to zoom to the data extents of
the particular layer. If you click on the cosmetic layer control (labeled All), it
zooms to the extents of all layers.
With the ELC, you can change the order of layers by dragging and dropping.
Select a layer by clicking on it and then while holding down your mouse button,
move to the place where you want to drop it and release the mouse button. You
can even move layers between Map Windows using this method.
You can select multiple layers by using your mouse cursor in conjunction with
the CTRL and SHIFT keys.
Layer Properties
If you select a layer by clicking with the right mouse button, a pop-up menu
appears that provides all the layer controls that are available from the standard
MapInfo layer control:
Pop-up menu from a layer selection and right mouse click.
The ELC is aware of the contents of the layers and consequently, the options on
the pop-up menu are determined by the layer type. For example, a layer
containing vectors or points has a menu as shown above but a layer containing a
grid image would not have the Grid option but instead a Grid Filter option.
The available options on the layer menus are:
Enhanced Layer Control 73
73
Display Change a layers line, pattern or symbol style.
Create Grid Initiate the Gridding Tool (refer to Creating a Grid
Surface)
Filter grid - Filter to gridded content of the selected layer (see Grid
Filtering)
Select All Select and Unselect All items on a layer.
Modify Theme Modify a thematic layer. Unlike Mapinfo, the
Discover ELC displays thematic layers underneath the parent layer.
Modify Hotlinks This allows you to control layer and object Hotlinks.
For details refer to your MapInfo documentation.
Modify Labels Modify label appearance and style.
Add Group Create a layer group. Refer to Creating Groups in the
Reference documentation for additional information.
Add Layer Add an open table to the current Map Window
Remove Layer Remove one or more layers from the current Map
Window
Open/Close Table Open or close MapInfo tables. Equivalent to the
File>Open Table menu item.
Options - Options of the Enhanced Layer Control (refer to ELC
Options)
Layer Name Aliases
It is often convenient to refer to a layer with a name that differs from the name
of its associated .TAB file. For example, you might have 3 .TAB files called:
area2_Collars_all_exp.tab
area2_lab1_assays_12-05-2001.tab
area2_StreamSamps.tab
Using the alias facility provided by the ELC you could associate more generic
names with these such as Assays, Stream_Samples and Drill_Holes and if you
name your Map Window, Area_A Prospect 2, then this:
74 Discover Reference Manual
Actual TAB file names displayed in the layers.
Is more clearly displayed as this:
The ELC with aliases used instead of the .TAB file names to better describe the layer content.
Defining an alias for a layer is straightforward double click on the layer name
in the ELC and type the alias. When you press the Enter key, Discover saves
the alias in the metadata section of the .TAB file for this layer.
At any stage you can decide whether you want the ELC to display aliases or
.TAB file names by toggling the Use layer name aliases option on the Layer
Control Options dialog.
Note Since layer name aliases are stored as metadata in .TAB files, you can only use
one alias for a particular file at any one time.
Assigning Layers to Groups
As described above, the ELC allows you to operate on all open Map Windows
from a single control. It is a persistent control that remains visible as long as
you want it to and provides easy access to all the standard MapInfo layer
control functions.
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75
The ELC also allows you to organize and group your layers in a manner that is
natural for your application and in a way that is independent of the drawing
order of the layers.
For example, Map Window 1 contains 16 layers as follows:
Geochemical Samples
Outcrop Samples
Veins and Dykes
Faults
Towns
Elevation Points
Elevation Contours
Drainage
Roads
Railways
Mining Leases
Exploration Areas
National Parks
Geological Units
Magnetics
Gravity
Some of these layers contain points and labels, others contain polylines, and
some contain filled polygons. Finally, there are images that are used as
backdrops.
The order of these layers in the standard MapInfo layer control (and in the ELC
in its default mode) corresponds to the order in which the layers are displayed
by MapInfo. Thus, the backdrop information (Gravity and Magnetics images
and Geology) are at the bottom of the list (they must be displayed first so they
dont obscure the other layers). Above them are the other polygonal layers
(National Parks, Exploration Areas and Mining Leases). Then come the layers
made up of linework (Railways, Roads, Drainage and Elevation Contours and
Veins and Dykes) and finally the point layers (Towns, Geochemical Samples,
Outcrop Samples and Elevation Points).
If you didnt have to concern yourself with drawing order it would be more
natural to think of the layers in a way that grouped related layers something
like this:
Samples
Geochemical Samples
Outcrop Samples
76 Discover Reference Manual
Geology
Veins and Dykes
Faults
Geological Units
Geophysics
Gravity
Magnetics
Topography
Elevation Readings
Elevation Contours
Infrastructure
Towns
Railways
Roads
Drainage
Leases Etc.
Mining Leases
Exploration Areas
National Parks
The ELC allows you to do this. The Grouped View button at the bottom of the
ELC toggles between Standard layer view and Grouped view.
In Grouped view, you can quickly show or hide groups of layers. For example,
to turn off all Topographic, Geophysics and Infrastructure layers in the example
above (8 layers) you only have to click 3 times in the check boxes to the left of
the appropriate group headers.
This really comes into its own as a powerful feature of the program when you
have a large number of layers (say 20) where at any one time you only want to
display 2 or 3 of them. Rather than uncheck currently displayed layers then
check new ones, you can organize all of them in a single group and then, when
you want to change from one set of layers to the next you uncheck the group
and then check the new ones that you wish to display.
Creating Groups and Adding Layers
To create groups, ensure that Allow Layer Logical Grouping is enabled in the
Options dialog. Select the Map Window containing the layer(s) that you wish to
include in a group and right click. From the popup menu, select Add Group. A
new group appears at the bottom and is assigned the default name, New Group.
Modify this name to something more appropriate then drag and drop one or
Enhanced Layer Control 77
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more layers into the group. If the layer was already a member of a group, it is
removed from that group and included in the new one.
Limitations of the Grouped View
When you associate a Group Name with a layer, Discover includes the name as
a metadata tag in the corresponding .TAB file. You can therefore think of
Group naming as being a way of categorizing .TAB files.
This restricts the way in which you use Groups as follows:
1. A layer can only belong to one group.
2. If a layer has been included in a group, then all layers (in all Map Windows)
that are attached to the same .TAB file, exist within the same group.
3. You cannot control the order that groups are displayed in Grouped View.
Discover displays them in alphabetical order.
Map Controls
The ELC allows you to control the Map Window name and zoom scale. Right
click on the Map Window in the ELC to activate the pop-up menu then select
Window Properties.
The pop-up menu items available from the Map Window level of the ELC.
The available options on the Map Window menus are:
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Add Group Create a layer group. Refer to Creating Groups for
additional information.
Create Grid Initiate the Gridding Tool (refer to Creating a Grid
Surface)
Add Layer Add an open table to the current Map Window
Window Properties Update the Map Window title, location, size and
status (maximised, minmised etc.).
Open Table Open MapInfo tables. Equivalent to the File>Open Table
menu item
Options - Options of the Enhanced Layer Control (refer to ELC
Options).
Window Properties
From the Window Properties item of the Map Window pop-up menu you can
update the Map Window title, its location and its status (maximised, minimised
etc.)
Window Properties dialog
Setting specific positions and sizes can be useful if you need to setup a
workspace that someone else is going to use. Window height and width are also
useful parameters to define for consistency in setting up map layouts.
Sometimes when a workspace is moved between computers that have screens of
differing resolutions, you might find problems in accessing minimized windows
(which are positioned off screen on one resolution or the other). By selecting a
Enhanced Layer Control 79
79
Map Window in the ELC and then selecting Window Properties from the Map
Control menu you can maximise the window and thereby regain control of it.
Previous View
The standard MapInfo Previous View function has been enhanced to allow
multiple previous views of Map Windows. As you pan and zoom a Map
Window, the ELC records its limits. If you click on the Previous View button
at the bottom of the ELC the current Map Window is redrawn with its previous
limits. Every time you click this button the Map Window is redrawn with the
appropriate limits. If you have resized your window then Zoom Previous does
not change its size back to what it was previously but centers the previous zoom
and redisplays at the previous scale.
Note A compatibility conflict may exist between the ELCs Previous View function
and your Windows display settings. For this function to operate correctly, the
Windows display property, Show window contents while dragging must be
disabled. To verify this, right click on your desktop and select Properties from
the popup menu. Click on the Effects tab. If Show window contents while
dragging is checked, uncheck it.
81
Data Utilities
Document Display
Text Search and Replace
Updating Coordinates
Local Grid Layout
Assigning Values
Proximity Searches
Data Normalizing
Digitizing
Node Extraction
Data Utilities 83
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6 Data Utilities
Encom Discovers Data Utilities provide a variety of tools for manipulating and
processing data in MapInfo tables. These allow you to:
perform case-insensitive searches for a text string across multiple columns
in a table, optionally replacing it with another string
select records by choosing the required values from a list of unique values
in the nominated column
add point coordinates as attributes, or update point positions from attribute
coordinates
transform map objects or coordinates as attributes from local to earth
projection or vice-versa
create a table of local grid pegs and coordinates to assist in laying out
assign values from points to polygons or polygons to points
select objects meeting specific data and geographic conditions
automatically add attributes to map objects as they are created
84 Discover Reference Manual
update a column with the directions of line objects
update a column with the Z-transform of another columns values
extract node coordinates from polylines or regions into a table of points.
Document Display
Quickly and easily display one or more documents that are linked to a selected
map object. The documents may be scanned photos, reports, drawings etc.
When you select a map object of any type and click on the Display Images
button, Discover checks to see if there are any documents linked to the selected
object.
If there is one document linked to the selected object, then it is automatically
opened. If more than one document is linked to the selected object, a list box is
displayed giving the user a choice of documents to open. The way the
documents display depends upon what type of document they are.
Document display is available from the button bar only. Use the
Discover>Table Utilities>Display Documents/Link Documents menu item to
toggle the behaviour of this button from displaying linked documents to
allowing new documents to be linked to map objects.
Displaying Different Types of Documents
Raster files If the document to be displayed for the selected object is a
recognized raster format (such as BMP or TIF), the image is automatically
registered, if it is not already, and opened as a MapInfo image table.
MapInfo table or workspace If the document is a MapInfo workspace or a
MapInfo table, this is opened within the current instance of MapInfo.
Text files Files with the extension .TXT are opened using Notepad. If the files
are too big, they are opened in WordPad.
Other documents These are opened if there is a recognized application
registered with the operating system. Thus a .DOC file is opened using
Microsoft Word if this application is present on your system. If there is no
application registered with Windows for the linked document, then Discover
displays an error message.
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Note Each time you ask a document to be displayed, a new instance of the associated
application is started.
Displaying Images
If Discover is asked to display an image that isnt registered, it assumes that it is
not geographically referenced and automatically registers the image in a non-
earth projection, then displays it in a new map window.
This feature can be used to, for example, display photos of mineralization, thin
sections or field sketches by clicking on a prospect, tenement or mine site. You
can have as many images as required linked to an object and display them all
simultaneously. These can then be added to the layout window and printed out
alongside the map objects to which they refer.
If Discover is asked to display an image that is already registered, it checks to
see where the image is registered. If the image is registered in an area that lies
within the current map window, then the image is loaded into the map window.
When this happens, the projection of the map window may change as MapInfo
adjusts the map window to the base projection used by the image.
MapInfo cannot warp an image to a different projection, as it does with vectors,
so that when two or more images are displayed, the map window is forced into
the projection of the image that occupies the largest proportion of the map
window. If an image has already been registered, but does not fall within the
map window (such as a location photo already registered into a non-earth
projection), then it is opened in a new map window.
Using Discover with registered images allows you to create a graphical imagery
index. For example you may have the outlines of a series of remote sensing
images saved as polygons. With each of these polygons you can associate the
name of the image file that it represents. Then when a polygon is selected, the
associated image can be displayed in the map window.
Linking Documents to a Map Object
Discover links a document with a map object by storing the full path of that
document in a field of the map object record. In order to link documents with
map objects, you should ensure that the Discover>Table Utilities>Link
Documents menu item is set (if set to Display Documents, then simply select it
to toggle to Link Documents).
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By default, Discover suggests that document links are entered into a column
named DocumentLink. However, you can change this name, or select the name
of an existing column. You should then select the document to link to the
selected map object.
Note You can also manually enter document names into appropriate record fields.
The only limit to the number of documents that can be linked to an object is the
maximum number of columns that a MapInfo table can contain (240). The same
document can be linked to any number of map objects.
Text Search and Replace
Discover>Data Utilities>Text Search and Replace
Search one or more columns in a table for a particular text string, optionally
replacing each occurrence with a new string.
You may want to identify all sample numbers that contain the letters "SS", or all
surveys that mention "Aeromagnetics". As Discovers text search is optionally
not case-sensitive, and does not require that the whole word is entered,
occurrences of the required string are easily and reliably found.
To initiate a search, select the Data Utilities>Text Search and Replace option
from the Discover menu, or click the text search button. After you choose which
table to search, Discover asks you to pick the columns to search in, and to enter
the piece of text you'd like to find.
Text Search dialog
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In the previous example, Discover searches for all occurrences of the text
"1234" in the SampNo field. It can also replace those sub-strings with a new
string if desired. Although the above example is for a character column, you can
also carry out a search in a numeric field and Discover looks for and optionally
replaces the required number.
When the search is completed, the records that fit the criteria are selected, and if
you chose to browse the result, a browser window in opened. Discover creates a
temporary table to hold the search result, and names it after the text you
specified. In the above example, a temporary table called 1234 is created.
The result of a search for all towns that have the text "ville" in their name. Discover has selected the towns,
and placed them in a table named Ville.
Text Search and Replace also allows you to replace text within a string.
For example, if you wish to replace the string North with Nth, you now
have the option to find all occurrences of this string, replace entire strings with
the new string, or replace just the search text with the new text wherever it
occurs in the nominated columns.
Select by Group
Discover>Data Utilities>Select by Group
Search one or more columns in a table for a particular text string, optionally
replacing each occurrence with a new string.
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Select by Group allows you to select all records with a specific value, from a
nominated column in a table. Use this option to quickly see a list of the different
values in a nominated column (similar to issuing a SQL Group By query) and
then select all the records that have the selected value(s). For example, you may
wish to select all drillhole collars of type Diamond, followed by all collars of
type Percussion. Discover remembers the table and column selected from the
previous use of this feature.
Dialog to select a group of layers within a table
Update Coordinates
Discover>Data Utilities>Update Coordinates
Insert object coordinates into data columns, or update existing values.
Alternatively, update positions of existing points using new coordinates from
data columns.
Discover provides an easy way for you to place the coordinate positions of map
objects (for example, sample points) into data columns in the same MapInfo
table. You can choose any projection in the Standard Projections list as a basis
for the coordinates. Alternatively you can update the positions of selected
objects with new coordinates from the data columns.
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The Update Coordinates dialog
Update Mode
To update the coordinates held in the table with the current object positions,
choose Points>Data. You can choose to add the coordinates to existing
numeric columns or to a new column.
To update object positions with new coordinates held in the table, choose
Data>Points and nominate the columns containing the coordinates.
For either update mode, you can select the projection that the coordinates
should use. As in the map grid module, you can leave the projection as Auto,
which uses the map projection that the table is stored in. You can select a
different projection by choosing Other.
This option allows you to for example, quickly add Lat/Lon coordinates to a
table containing points and AMG coordinate values. Alternatively, if you
receive new accurate positions for points, but in a different projection to the rest
of your data, Discover moves the required points to the new positions.
When processing a large table, Discover is able to update coordinates much
more quickly if you do not have the table being processed displayed as a
browser window.
Note You can update the browser with the centroid coordinates of any type of object.
90 Discover Reference Manual
Coordinate Transformation
Discover>Data Utilities>Coordinate Transformation
Convert coordinates (as attributes) or map objects from one coordinate system
to another based on transformation parameters. Discover provides a range of
transformation methods that have different uses from the dialog displayed.
Coordinate Transformation dialog
What Coordinate Transformation Does
Discover provides two options for how data is transformed:
1. Transform coordinates stored in columns according to entered
transformation parameters, or
2. Transform map objects (including complex regions and polylines) from one
coordinate system to another according to entered transformation
parameters.
You can use Discovers Coordinate Transformation tool to perform the
following transformations:
Plane A simple transformation defined by a scaling factor and two pairs
of common coordinates or one pair of coordinates and a bearing difference.
The plane transformation can provide only rotation and shift.
Affine The affine transformation provides for separate scaling, rotation
and shift along the X and Y axes. This is an extremely useful
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transformation and can be used where you need to adjust from an unknown
coordinate system to a known one.
Projective, Conformal, 2
nd
order polynomial, 2
nd
order conformal
polynomial and 3
rd
order polynomial These options provide for more
advanced non-linear transformations that allow you to convert from one
type of projection to another.
Control Points and Transformation Parameters
For all transformations other than the plane, you need to specify a table that
contains control point coordinate pairs. The control point table must contain at
least 3 records for control points with the old easting and northing in columns 1
and 2, and the new easting and northing in column 3 and 4. Of course you can
have more than 3 control points, and the more that are provided, the more
accurate the final transformations are.
The control points are used by Discover to calculate the transformation
parameters which differ in number for each transformation type. If you want
to examine the transformation parameters, residuals and standard deviation then
they can be displayed on the screen or alternatively a log file
(MAPTRAN.LOG) is created in the temporary folder.
On some occasions you may wish to just calculate the transformation
parameters and not actually transform any data. In this case, Discover performs
the calculation on the supplied control points and present the transformation
parameters in MAPTRAN.LOG.
Affine Transformation
In addition to displaying the transformation parameters for the Affine
transformation, Discover can produce a coordinate system description which
can be used in MapInfo.
MapInfo Professional (v4.12 and later) can display map objects in affine
coordinate systems, allowing you to overlay (for example) local mine grid data
and AMG data together. In order to do this, a custom coordinate system must be
built and added to the MapInfow.PRJ file in the MapInfo program folder.
Discover displays the appropriate custom coordinate system definition which
you can cut and paste into the MapInfow.prj file. Refer to MapInfo
documentation for more information on creating custom coordinate systems.
92 Discover Reference Manual
Plane Transformation
The Plane Transformation option should not be used to convert to or from
Latitude/Longitude coordinates. However, if you have data in a lat/lon
projection, you can easily add coordinates in a system such as UTM or AMG
with Discovers Update Coordinates option.
Transform Coordinates using a Plane conversion
After selecting a table and the plane transformation type, the above dialog is
displayed. You specify the transformation parameters in the same manner
whether transforming columns of coordinates or map objects.
You should either select a grid transformation from the list, or specify a new
one. For a new transformation, the data required depends upon whether you
choose to specify the transform by Origin, Bearing or Two sets of coords. If
transforming coordinates as attributes, you need to select the columns that hold
the coordinates and the columns into which the transformed coordinates are
written.
The transformation between two grid systems is specified as the origin of the
new system (in old system coordinates), plus the bearing (or angular offset)
between the two systems. When specifying the transformation in this form, you
should enter in the origin of the new system in old system coordinates.
When specifying the transformation as the coordinates of two points in each
system, the New coordinates refer to the system that you want to transform to
and the Current coordinates refer to the system that you want to transform
from.
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In addition to transforming coordinates from table columns or map objects, you
can also enter single sets of coordinates for immediate transformation. The new
coordinates are displayed in the dialog box.
Plane Transformation Scale Factor
If you define the plane transformation by a coordinate pair and a bearing offset,
then you also need to enter a scale factor. The scale factor is used to correct for
the difference between earth curvature and the map projection used.
When you define the plane transformation by two pairs of coordinates, the scale
factor is implicit (as is the bearing offset) and should not be entered.
Using the scale factor, you can also convert between coordinate systems in
different units. For example, converting imperial coordinates in feet to a metric
coordinates system you would enter a scale factor of 0.3048.
Using Stored Plane Transformations
The plane transformations list is stored in a table called LGTRANS (in the
Discover configuration folder) and should be maintained from within this
function in Discover.
Select Add New Transform from the list in the top left of the Transform
Coordinates dialog. Choose the transformation type and coordinates (and
bearing if appropriate). Click on the Add button and supply a transformation
name to add this to the list.
Note Grid transformation parameters saved here can be used with Discover>Map
Grid to display a local (non-earth) grid and a map (projected real-world) grid at
the same time.
When you choose a previously stored transformation from the list in the top left
of the Transform Coordinates dialog, the transformation parameters chosen are
displayed, but cannot be altered. Click the OK button to proceed with a
transformation by map objects or by columns, or select the Transform coords
now option to transform one pair of coordinates.
94 Discover Reference Manual
Local Grid Layout
Discover>Utilities>Local Grid Layout
Generate a set of local grid points, storing both map and local coordinates with
each point.
What Local Grid Layout Does
This routine is designed specifically to facilitate the laying out of a local grid.
The end result is a regular grid with both local coordinates and map coordinates
(for example, UTM) as attributes for each grid point. This routine is not
designed to convert coordinates between coordinate systems. For this task you
should use the Transform Coordinates option described elsewhere in this
section.
Describing the Local Grid
In the Grid Definition controls, you need to enter the coordinates of a point in
terms of both your new local grid and the map coordinate system (for example,
UTM). Discover also needs to know the bearing of the local grid from the map
coordinate system. For example, a value of 315 for the bearing means that local
grid north is 45 west of map grid north. You must specify the projection on
which the map coordinates are based. In the example below, we want to set out
a grid with lines oriented at 035 with respect to AMG zone 52 grid North.
As this is primarily an aid for setting out a grid, the user must specify the grid in
terms of survey pegs to give the dimensions and position of the grid relative to
the origin. You thus need to specify the Grid Direction whether the grid lines
are created to the right of the origin, or to the left. In most cases, you should
leave this option as Right.
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Local gridding entries for artificially creating survey locations
You then need to enter Line Parameters - values for peg and line spacing, and
peg and line numbers. If you click the Line Length button, Discover shows
how long the generated grid lines are (you should use this feature to check).
Note You need to specify 11 grid lines at 100 m spacing to get a grid covering 1 km.
Similarly, specify one more peg per line than the required line length divided by
the peg spacing.
Then, before clicking OK, you need to specify a table name to save the local
grid to. The local grid creates as points in a mappable table (the table name is
specified using the Save As button) that contains the local grid coordinates,
corresponding map grid coordinates and peg/line numbers as attributes.
Assign Values
Discover>Data Utilities>Assign Values
Use Discover to assign aggregate values from objects lying within polygons to
the containing polygons, or assign values from the containing polygons to the
contents.
An example of the use of Assign Values is in assigning the median of Au rock-
chip sample values to geology polygons.
The method of operation is chosen in the Assign Direction control - either
assign from Contents to Container, or assign from Container to Contents.
96 Discover Reference Manual
Assigning values from one table column to another with a selectable operator
Assigning from Points to Polygons
Discover provides an easy and flexible method of assigning aggregate attribute
values from points (or any other objects) to the polygons that contain the points.
You can assign an aggregate of an expression for the contents column, in which
case you should enter a normal MapInfo expression. If the expression is valid,
then a temporary column is added to the contents column containing the
expression value.
The aggregate operators that are available when assigning contents to container
are:
Frequency
Minimum
Maximum
Sum
Mean
Median
Weighted Mean (mean weighted by the value of another column in the
contents table)
Standard Deviation
Mean weighted by area (multiplied by a scale factor from 106 to 10-6)
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Examples of the assignment from Contents to Container are calculating the
mean assay value of stream sediment samples weighted by catchment area, or
constructing a simple density map by assigning the number of mineralised
samples within grid squares to the grid squares.
Assigning from Polygons to Points
Alternatively, you can use the Container to Contents method to assign a value
such as catchment ID or lithology from polygons to the points that lie within the
polygons. In this case Discover assigns the individual value from each polygon
rather than an aggregate. You can also specify an expression to use.
An example would be assigning the lithological code from geological polygons
to the sample polygons that lie within them.
Proximity Search
Discover>Data Utilities>Proximity Search
Select objects that fall a given distance from one or more selected objects.
Optionally select only those that fit other specified criteria.
The Discover Proximity Search allows you to quickly identify objects of
interest within a given distance of other objects. For example, you may wish to
identify those samples that fall within 2 km of an old mine site and have a gold
grade of at least 2 ppm.
The example below issues a search for all significant copper occurrences that
fall with 5 km of a selected fault.
Issuing a proximity search for mineral occurrences around a selected fault
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Before choosing the Proximity Search menu option, you should first select the
object(s) (for example, a fault in the example here) that you wish to search
around.
Note You can choose more than one object to perform the proximity search around.
Choose the layer in your map that you wish to search (the mineral occurrence
layer, in our example), and indicate the width of the search buffer to use.
Discover only selects those objects that fall within this buffer. If you have
chosen a number of adjoining objects, a search buffer is created that covers all
those adjoining objects.
You may nominate a Where condition, that tells Discover to only select those
objects from within the buffer that meet the selection criteria (in the example,
where the copper grade is greater than or equal to 1.0).
You may choose to save the search result to a file, to browse the search result,
and to add the search result to the Map Window. Normally, you choose the
option to add the result to the Map Window. Discover allows you to specify the
style with which the identified objects are displayed.
The search buffer is placed in the cosmetic layer, and may be removed at any
time. It is not erased by Discover when the Proximity Search is run again.
Copper occurrences selected because of their proximity to a series of selected faults, and their copper
grade.
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In the example shown above, each fault is made up of 5 to 10 separate
polylines. When they are all selected, a buffer is created around all adjoining
lines.
With Discovers Line Direction utility, you could insert the fault orientation as
an attribute for each fault line, then select all fault lines with orientations
between, say 40 and 60. Use Proximity Search to select samples lying close to
only those faults with the nominated orientation.
Data Normalizing
Discover>Data Utilities>Data Normalizing
Calculate the Z-values or percentile values for a column of data.
This function provides a straightforward way to normalize a set of geochemical
data. This offers an alternative method of visualizing the data distribution.
Transformed values are written to a different column in the same table. The
dialog for data normalizing is shown here:
Data Normalization dialog
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Transform Options
The following data transform options available:
Z-transform by mean is (sample value - mean) / standard deviation
Z-transform by median is (sample value - median) / standard deviation
Either of the Z-transforms may be performed on raw or log(10) transformed
data. The Z-transform values are used to normalise data to a normal
distribution. A Z-transform value of 0 is the arithmetic mean, +/- 1 is one
standard deviation away from the mean and so on.
The percentile transform value is calculated by ordering the raw values and
calculating (position of this value)/(total number of values) * 100%. Use the
percentile transform to remove the effect of outliers or where your data is not
normally distributed, or to compare data measured with different analytical
techniques.
The transform may be carried out for all the records in the selected table, or
alternatively the transform may be calculated separately for each attribute value
for a nominated column (such as lithology). Using this latter option, you should
choose the column with the attribute. This provides a good way to level soil or
stream sediment data for lithology.
Digitizing Data Entry
Discover>Data Utilities>DigData
Streamline the entry of attributes whilst digitizing map objects. Set up fields to
be automatically incremented or have values inserted for each object that is
added to the table.
Using the DigData Option
When digitizing point data (such as sample sites) from a field plan, you
generally need to add values in one or more of the fields as each point is
digitized. With MapInfo, you do this by entering data into the Browser window,
or via the Info tool - an awkward method at best. With Discover, you can add
incremented or constant values to the new record as it is digitized, or pop-up an
easy to use data entry dialog box.
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101
From the pop-up data entry dialog, you can enter data or select values for this
record from a look-up list (chosen at setup). Using a look-up list can greatly
improve ease-of-use, speed and integrity of the attributing process.
DigData also allows coordinates to be automatically
added to a table as a map object is digitized. This
feature is useful mainly for entry of point data. If the
object is not a point, then the coordinates inserted by
Discover are those of the object centroid.
When you run DigData, an extra menu (called
DigData) is added to the MapInfo menu bar, next to
the Discover menu. Select the DigData>Data File menu option to select a table
to digitize and enter data into, and then choose which columns from that table
you want to use for data entry. A maximum of 10 columns can be used for data
entry with DigData
Note DigData can be used when digitizing any type of object (not just points) and
works the same whether used with the digitizer or the mouse.
Incrementing and Constant Fields
Choose the DigData>SetUp Increments menu option to tell Discover which
columns are to have increments, and which are to have constant values assigned
to them. Automatic increments are useful for data such as sample numbers,
which can serve as the primary identification field for an object. The fields to be
incremented need not be numeric, but must have one or more numeric parts.
Commonly, sample numbers begin with an alpha prefix and may have another
alpha string in the middle (for example, SS87RC-69435). Discover increments
the last number it finds (to SS87RC-69436 in this case).
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Digitising increments using DigData
In the dialog shown, the sample number is incremented by one for each record
added to the table, whilst the current style (see Map Styles in the Map Making
section) is inserted into the Type field and the value A-1 into the Catchment
field. The other fields do not have data entered into them.
To use data values from a look-up list, you must have a table open which
contains these values. Discover can only use a MapInfo table to build the look-
up list. Check the look-up column, choose the table to use and select the
appropriate column.
DigData can be used in two ways - to provide a data entry screen for your input,
or to automatically insert only the incremented and constant values specified
above. In each case, digitize an object then proceed as follows.
EnterData
If you want to enter variable data (as well as any incrementing and constant
values) for each object as it is digitized then you should check the
DigData>EnterData menu option (this menu option is toggled on or off with
successive picks). On digitizing an object, a data entry dialog box is
automatically displayed for the columns selected, with the incremented and
constant fields appropriately filled in. Other fields have the last values used.
Enter the required data, click OK on the dialog and digitize the next object.
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AutoData
If you have set up the attribute columns with incrementing and constant values,
you often do not need to add extra values for many records. In this case you
should select the DigData>AutoData menu option, and the constant and
incremented values are automatically written to the new record as it is digitized.
At any time whilst you are running DigData, you can re-specify the increments
and constant values, via the Set-Up Increments menu option. You can also
combine usage of the EnterData and AutoData options. Check EnterData and
enter new values for the next digitized record, then return to AutoData, where
fields are incremented from the previous record values. This also allows any
changes you make to the last record with the Info tool or in the Browser
window to be utilised by DigData.
Update with Line Direction
Discover>Data Utilities>Line Direction
Store the direction of selected lines as an attribute.
This feature is useful when analyzing tables of lines - such as faults, fold axes,
or creeks, where no directional attributes exist. Using Discover you can easily
obtain the orientation of the selected line features (either lines or polylines) and
add the direction as an attribute into a selected column.
Line Orientation dialog
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The Line Orientation Column is the column into which the direction is added.
The direction itself is usually the average for each polyline, however, you can
optionally extract the starting or ending orientation. Additionally, you can
choose to only report angles in the range 0 - 180 if required.
Use the Change Direction utility in Discovers Object Editing menu to reverse
the direction of lines where this is necessary.
Polyline/Polygon Node Extraction
Discover>Data Utilities>Extract Nodes
Extract the nodes from polylines or regions to a table of coordinates, optionally
creating point objects for every extracted node, or lines for adjacent pairs of
nodes.
You can easily extract the nodes or lines from a polyline or polygon by using
the Extract Nodes utility. With the nodes that you extract from a contour map,
you could then re-process the 3 dimensional point data to create a new
interpolation grid.
When you have one or more polylines or polygons selected and run the extract
nodes routine, the following dialog is displayed.
Node Extraction dialog.
If you don't wish to create a point object for each node, uncheck the Create
point objects control. Otherwise select an appropriate symbol style. The points
are created in a map of the same projection as the polyline/polygon table. You
should then select a column that contains attributes to associate with each node
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(for example, the height of a contour). This column can be of numeric or
character type.
If you don't want to extract every point, then you should enter a number greater
than 1 in the Extract every n nodes control. For example, entering 4 extracts
every 4th node in the selected objects. Discover prompts you for the name of a
table to store the nodes in.
Because this procedure is designed to produce an X,Y coordinate pair with an
associated elevation value (such as the value of a contour line), the selected
objects cannot be from the cosmetic layer. They must be from a table with one
or more data columns.
When you have chosen the appropriate options, click OK. A new table is
created containing three columns - X (containing the X coordinate), Y
(containing the Y coordinate) and a column containing the required attribute
(for example, height).
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Importing Map Data from ASCII Files
Import ASCII Objects
Micromine Import
Importing DXFs
Importing Map Data from ASCII Files 109
109
7 Importing Map Data from ASCII Files
Importing graphic objects into MapInfo can be done with DXF or MID/MIF
files, or using the Universal Translator in MapInfo Professional v4.5 or later.
Discover provides extra functionality in creating map objects from ASCII
format data as it allows you to:
create polyline and region objects from line-by-line ASCII coordinates;
import ASCII XYZ grid files;
import Micromine survey and data files; and
import multi-layer DXF files to one table, adding the DXF layer name as
an attribute.
Import ASCII Objects
Discover>Data Utilities>ASCII Object Import
Create MapInfo objects from object descriptions stored as ASCII coordinates in
MapInfo tables or text files.
Introduction
If you have object descriptions other than points in a text file (in general a list of
X,Y coordinate pairs) then the only way that MapInfo imports them is if you
reformat them to the MapInfo Interchange Format (MIF) or the Drawing
Exchange Format (DXF). In most cases this is an impractical course of action.
Discover provides the ability to create objects from a variety of ASCII
description types.
In order to use your ASCII coordinate data with Discover, you should first open
it as a table in MapInfo. For large files, save the ASCII coordinate table to a
native MapInfo table for quicker processing.
For all import formats you must know which coordinate system the ASCII
coordinate data refers to. When importing polyline descriptions, there is the
option to convert closed polylines to regions for appropriate formats. Regions
are then created with the current pen and brush styles.
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ASCII Object Import options dialog
Polylines Delimited by Row or Column
Polyline descriptions must have a delimiter to tell Discover when the last node
in the object has been read in. The delimiter may be either a line (blank or
otherwise) between objects, a change in attribute (such as polygon code) or a
value such as start or end, in another column. For these cases you should
specify which columns contain the X and Y coordinate information.
If the polylines are delimited by row then you should tell Discover whether to
expect a blank line or a line with a different value in the X or Y coordinate
column. Use the Row delimited Polylines to import objects in the Arc Line
format, where the start delimiter line is a sequential record number and the end
delimiter line is END.
If the polylines are delimited by column, then you need to specify which
column the delimiter occurs in and what form the delimiter takes. Choose the
Unique Attribute option, if each node in a polyline is identified by the same
attribute value. Use Start Keyword if the start of each polyline is identified by
a word such as START, or use the Start and End Keywords if both the start
and end of each polyline are identified. If using the start/end keyword options,
you need to enter the appropriate keywords for Discover to search for.
Discover provides the option of importing data either as normal X, Y coordinate
pairs, or as distance, bearing, elevation triplets. For the latter, the distance is
taken to be measured in the current coordinate system units, the bearing is
between 0 and 359, and the angular elevation is between +90 (uphill) and
Importing Map Data from ASCII Files 111
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90 (down). If angular elevations have not been measured then Discover
assumes the traverse is flat.
EL877 317822 6994520
EL877 317911 6999620
EL877 309400 7001427
EL1234 309400 6994833
EL1234 233410 7665412
EL1234 236410 7665499
EL1234 236410 7668390
EL1234 233410 7668211
Example of polylines delimited by a unique identifier in column 1
317822 6994520
317911 6999620
309400 7001427
309400 6994833
233410 7665412
236410 7665499
236410 7668390
233410 7668211
Example of polylines without attributes delimited by a blank line
For both import options, Discover attempts to include any other values found on
the first line of the object description as attributes in the MapInfo table.
Line on One Row
This import format should have line descriptions with the coordinates of the two
endpoints of the line in one row of the import file/table, as X1, Y1, X2, Y2. For
example,
805600, 8475240, 805600, 8475260
If there are any attributes in the ASCII file they are not carried across to the
MapInfo table.
XYZ Grid
XYZ grids as generated by other gridding programs, such as Surfer, can be
imported with Discover. The grid cell size is automatically detected from the
X,Y coordinate pair spacing, and the grid is created as polygons centred on each
X,Y point. The Z-value is added as an attribute to each object to generate a table
similar to that produced by Discovers Grid/Contour module. The imported grid
can then be thematically shaded.
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Note This import option produces a grid of MapInfo polygons. Use Discovers
Surfaces>Register Grid File>Import ASCII Grid File to import an ASCII
grid into a raster BIL file.
Micromine Import
Discover>Data Utilities>Micromine Import
Import Micromine data and string files into MapInfo tables.
Micromine data files consist of a number of header records that describe the file
structure, followed by the data records. Discover reads a Micromine file, creates
an appropriately structured table and inserts the data. Use this option for
importing Micromine data files containing sample and drillhole information
(including survey and downhole data files) as well as Micromine string
(polyline) files.
For string files, you can automatically create regions by selecting the Convert
closed Polylines to Regions checkbox.
Import Layered DXF
Discover>Data Utilities>DXFImport
Import layered CAD data into one MapInfo table, writing the CAD layer name
as an attribute for each object. Optionally store a Z-value (for example,
elevation) as an attribute for a map object.
Comparison of DXF Import MapInfo, Universal Translator or
Discover
The Discover DXF Import function, (Table>Import menu option), has a major
advantage over the MapInfo DXF Import utility, or the Universal Translator
(UT, available in MapInfo Professional v4.5 or later).
The major differences between using MapInfo, the Universal Translator and
Discover are:
Discover assigns layer names as attributes to each object. With MapInfo or
UT, you cannot retain layering information unless you write each layer out
to a separate file, greatly increasing processing time.
Importing Map Data from ASCII Files 113
113
MapInfo is much quicker than Discover for DXF importing.
MapInfo allows you to transform the coordinates from CAD to World
coordinates if necessary.
MapInfo can store DXF object attributes in the MapInfo table.
Discover stores the elevation of all objects into a column. MapInfo stores
elevations only for lines or points, not polylines (such as contours).
All three import functions have merit. Use the one that is most appropriate for
your situation.
DXF Layers and MapInfo Attributes
In your CAD drawing, you should digitize each rock type (or other data type)
into an appropriately named layer. For example, digitize all basalt polygons to a
layer called "Basalt", all tenement boundaries to a layer called Tenement and
all stream polylines to a layer called Streams.
When Discover reads a DXF file created in your CAD package, all objects are
inserted into the one table, but the DXF layer name is written as an attribute for
each object. As an example, the end result is one table holding all geological
units, each of which has an appropriate name as an attribute. You can then
easily split out all objects of one type (such as basalts or tenements) and save
them to a different table, or join them to related attribute tables.
Storing Elevation Values
If you choose to store elevation values from the DXF file, an extra column
called Elevation is added to the new table. Note that for points, the elevation is
unambiguous, but for multi-node objects (that is everything else), only one
elevation is stored for an entire object. This elevation is the Z-value of the first
node in the object. If a polyline defines a watershed or fenceline for example,
the first elevation is likely to be unrepresentative of the average elevation of the
object.
Note MapInfos DXF import function allows you to store elevations of DXF lines,
but not polylines. To store elevations of DXF polylines, you need to use
Discover.
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Object Editing Utilities
Drawing Objects from the Keyboard
Transforming and Placing Objects
Line Smoothing
Node Position Operations
Processing InLying Polygons
Polyline Clipping
Splitting Sections and Regions
Polygonization
Object Editing Utilities 117
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8 Object Editing Utilities
Discovers Object Editing menu provides a comprehensive suite of tools to use
in conjunction with MapInfos own object tools. Whereas most of MapInfos
commands are for use with one object at once, many of Discovers tools are
designed to be used on any number of map objects within a table.
Key in Shapes - Create map objects with coordinates entered from the
keyboard.
Offset Object - Create a matrix of map objects at increments from the seed
object.
Transform Objects Apply shifting, scaling and rotation to one or more
objects.
Polyline Smoother Smooth polylines by applying a spline.
Thin Nodes - Reduce the number of nodes in polylines or regions.
118 Discover Reference Manual
Donut Polygons - Cut-out in-lying polygons for a whole table.
PolyClip - Clip and save all data from multiple layers which lie within a
selected object.
Line Cut - Cut any line or region object with a crossing line.
Change Direction - Reverse the direction of polylines and regions.
Split Multi-Polys - Split multiple-section polylines and regions into
single-section objects.
Polygonize - Create regions from intersecting linework automatically or
manually.
Drawing Objects from the Keyboard
Discover>Object Editing>Key in Shapes
Create map objects by entering node coordinates from the keyboard. Edit the
node coordinates of a selected object.
Usually when creating map objects, you can draw them using a digitizer or
mouse. However, in some cases you may have an object description in
coordinates (such as a property or tenement boundary) or you may wish to
create a polyline or region from a distance/bearing/elevation traverse.
Using Discover, you can enter coordinates directly from the keyboard and build
simple objects, such as ellipses, points or lines, or more complex multi-node
polylines and polygons. You can also edit the shape of existing objects by
altering the node coordinates.
If you have lists of coordinates already in a file, then use Discovers Data
Utilities>ASCII Object Import to create objects automatically from these
coordinates.
If the object that you have defined lies outside the Map Window extents, the
map window is panned to show the object.
Nominating an Object to Draw
From the first displayed dialog, you should select which map layer you wish to
use (choose from any layers in the map window or choose to create a new
table). Discover then uses the projection of the current map window to draw the
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119
objects. You can easily change projection by selecting a projection with the
Standard Projections option.
Drawing objects by coodinates dialog
You should then nominate the type of object to draw, the units to use and how
to specify nodes for polylines and polygons. If the map window is in a lat/lon
projection, the XYUnits control is set to Degrees and disabled. If you are
entering coordinates in degrees, select between decimal degrees and degrees,
minutes, seconds (DMS). DMS format is dd.mmss, for example 47 17 23.45
would be entered as 47.172345.
The dialog for entering the coordinate information depends on what type of
object you have nominated to draw.
Entering Node Coordinates
If you have selected Polyline or Region from the set-up dialog, you are
prompted to enter a list of nodes as X,Y pairs. Use the Add button to add a
coordinate pair to the list, and the Edit/Delete buttons to modify the Current
Nodes list. When you have entered all the nodes for the object, click the Done
button and the object is constructed in the appropriate map layer.
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The dialog for entry of metric polyline/polygon nodes
Select an object type and click Continue to create another object or click Done
from the main dialog to finish this routine.
Entering Nodes by Distance/Bearing/Elevation
If you selected the Distance/Bearing/Elevation option from the Enter Nodes
by control, the dialog is slightly different from that shown above. You should
enter the coordinates of the start point, and the distance and bearing to the next
point. Click the Add button, and the coordinates of the first two points are
placed into the Current Nodes list.
You should then enter the next distance/bearing/elevation value and click Add
to place the coordinates of the next point in the list. If you do not have measured
elevations, then leave these as zero. Otherwise, Discover uses negative
elevations for down and positive elevations for up.
Entering Values for Points, Lines, Arcs, Ellipses and Rectangles
You are presented with a dialog that asks for the appropriate coordinate
information. For an ellipse and a rectangle, these are diametrically opposed
corner coordinates. For an arc you should enter the diametrically opposed
corner coordinates of the ellipse, and a start and end angle for the arc of this
ellipse.
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121
The dialog for entry of metric and degree line nodes
Editing the Node Coordinates of an Existing Object
If you have an object selected when you choose Key in Shapes, Discover
allows you to edit the existing node coordinates with the same methods
described above. When editing a polyline or polygon, the Add button allows
you to add a node at any position within the object. You are asked where to
place the new node, and the coordinates are then added to the node list. You
cannot create or edit multi-section polylines or regions using this tool in
Discover.
Offset Objects
Discover>Object Editing>Offset Objects
Create multiple copies of a selected object at nominated offsets in the X and Y
directions. The selected object can be of any type. Attributes can be copied from
the seed object to the offset objects.
Create up to 10,000 objects offset from the selected object by specific distances
in the X and Y directions. Enter X and Y offsets (positive values are up and to
the right, negative values are down and to the left) and the number of objects to
create in the X and Y directions (up to 100 in each direction). Discover then
creates a matrix of objects.
Use this feature to quickly create a table of mapsheet boundaries. You can
create the seed object by using Discovers Draw feature to enter exact
coordinates for the object, then use Offset Objects to create a full coverage of
mapsheets. The mapsheet boundaries can then be used in ScaledOutput to
quickly produce a hardcopy map just for a specific mapsheet. Examine the
MAP250K table in the Discover DEMODATA for an example mapsheet table
(you should create the boundaries as regions rather than rectangles so they can
be re-projected).
122 Discover Reference Manual
Note You can offset an object by degrees even if the base projection of the layer is in
metres.
Object Transform
Discover>Object Editing>Transform Objects
Transform one or more objects by applying shift, scale and/or rotation.
Discovers object transform function provides a simple method to transform
multiple objects. This could be used in circumstances such as rescaling map
annotation for a different output scale or shifting and rotating all map
annotation for a different map projection.
Discover allows you to perform up to 3 transform procedures together for
example rotation followed by a scale and a shift.
Note Note that the order in which scaling and rotation operations are carried out may
produce differing results.
Rotation Specify the angle to rotate each object by, in degrees anticlockwise
from North (use negative angles to rotate clockwise). You also need to specify
the basepoint position for each object, about which the rotation is performed.
Shifting Specify the distance in X and Y to move each object by. Similar to
map units, positive values increase the easting and northings.
Scaling Specify the scaling factor for each object. Choose equal scaling in X
and Y to retain the object aspect ratio. You also need to specify the basepoint
position for each object, where the scaling is anchored.
The following points should be born in mind when using the Object
Transformer:
transformation of each object is relative to a basepoint in each object.
if you want to scale and rotate objects relative to one common point, then
use the Coordinate Transformation module.
scaling of points is not meaningful.
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Line Smoothing
Discover>Data Utilities>Polyline Smoother
Discovers Polyline Smoother is designed to improve the appearance of
digitized linework by smoothing abrupt changes in direction.
The line smoother works by interpolating a spline curve through the selected
polylines and adding nodes where necessary. This is in contrast to MapInfos
smoothing which is a running average type smoothing and operates on-the-fly.
Discover stores extra nodes for a smoothed polyline.
Poor results are obtained when a minimum number of nodes define a polyline.
For example, if a polyline in the shape of a rectangle, is defined by only four
nodes, the line smoother modifies the fundamental shape and produces an
elliptical shaped polyline.
The polyline smoother can be used to overwrite a polyline with the smoothed
line or write the smoothed line to a separate table. If the smoothed polyline is
written to a different table, then data attributes are only carried across with the
polyline if the structure of the two tables is identical.
Discover does not smooth polygons, because of the danger of destroying
topology relationships between adjacent polygons that share boundaries. In
general, if such polygons are smoothed, then the resulting boundaries have
small areas of gaps and overlap.
Polyline Sub-Sampler
Thinning by Node Number
Discover>Object Editing>Thin by Node Number
Decrease the number of nodes in the selected polylines or regions by removing
every nth node.
You may wish to use the polyline sub-sampler where you are using detailed
data at a much smaller scale than it was digitized at. For example, you may wish
to make a less detailed copy of a complex piece of coastline.
124 Discover Reference Manual
Node Thinning dialog
You should select the polylines or regions to thin (use any of the MapInfo
selection methods) and then nominate a sub-sampling factor. Discover allows
you to discard from 5% (1 in 20) to 95% (19 out of every 20) of the nodes in the
selected objects.
This method of thinning polylines and regions may not produce acceptable
results on some data sets such as geological boundaries, and you may need to
use the second thinning method described below.
Discover allows you to calculate statistics on the selection of polylines before
you nominate a sub-sampling factor. If you wish to retain the original, more
detailed, data set be sure that you save the processed data under a different
name. Use the MapInfo File>Save Copy As menu option.
Note Do not thin regions that have adjoining regions as common boundaries do not
necessarily remain the same.
Thinning by Node Position
Discover>Object Editing>Thin by Node Position
Decrease the number of nodes in the selected polylines or regions by removing
those nodes that lie within a tolerance angle of adjacent nodes.
Use this method of thinning nodes in a polyline or region for most natural and
geological map objects such as contours or geological boundary lines.
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Node thinning by scale or size
You define the sub-sampling to be carried out on the selected objects by
specifying either a thinning width or a thinning scale. For a nominated thinning
width, Discover examines the first 3 nodes in the object. If the second node lies
within the thinning width of a line joining the first and third nodes, then it is
discarded, otherwise it is kept and the second to fourth nodes are examined.
For the thinning scale, the same process is carried out with a thinning width
implied by the specified scale. The thinning width is calculated as 1 thousandth
of the specified map scale, so that for a map scale of 1:10,000 a thinning width
of 10 m (or whatever current units are in use) is implied.
Use the Thin for scale option when you know what scale you are viewing your
data at. Otherwise, use the Thinning width option if you know what size
features and level of detail you need to retain.
Processing Inlying Polygons
Discover>Object Editing >Donut Polygons
Where a polygon map contains overlapping, or in-lying polygons, cut out the
smaller polygons from the larger ones.
Overlapping and Inlying Polygons
Geological maps commonly show geological units occurring within, or cutting
across, other geological units. For example, a dolerite may cut across a
sandstone unit, or a conglomerate may lie within a greywacke. In MapInfo, you
must be careful that this situation is handled correctly.
126 Discover Reference Manual
Imagine you digitize two geological boundaries into a layer, one within the
other. The outer one is a Cainozoic unit, the inner one a granite. If you use the
MapInfo Select Tool to click on the Cainozoic unit, you'll see that it includes
the area of the granite. This inner boundary needs to be cut out of the outer
boundary, so that the outer boundary appears like a donut.
When this is achieved, and you ask MapInfo to report on all mineral
occurrences within the Cainozoic unit, it correctly ignores those that fall within
the in-lying granite.
Removing the Overlaps
Discover allows you to cut out all overlapping polygons for an entire polygon
table in one step. All the attributes that have previously been associated with the
polygons are preserved. The cutting is performed on the basis of polygon area
with smaller polygons always being excised from larger polygons.
All you need to specify are the names for the input and output files. As
Discover processes the polygons, it may come across some cases that cannot be
satisfactorily cut out. In this case a message is written to the file DONUT.ERR
in the temporary files folder.
The processing may take quite some time to complete. The more polygons, and
the larger the polygons, the longer the process takes. To decrease processing
time, you should ensure that the table to be processed is not open in a map
window (so that MapInfo does not spend extra time redrawing the window each
time an object is modified).
Note If the data being processed has not been accurately digitized (for example,
polygons overlap many times along a common boundary) then Discover may
take a lot longer than expected as it attempts to ensure that no overlapping
polygons remain in the map.
Polyline Clipping
Discover>Object Editing>PolyClip
Discard data that lie outside a selected region, clipping the retained data at the
region boundary. The clipped data may be written to new tables in the same
folder or to a new folder.
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127
Note Note that the Polyline Clipping does not clip objects contained in the Cosmetic
layer.
Using PolyClip
You can use PolyClip to create subsets of data from larger data sets. For
example, you may wish to keep all data for a particular tenement in one folder.
You can display all your data in a map window and select the required tenement
boundary. Discover can then discard all data that doesnt lie within the
tenement. This allows you to easily distribute the data for just that tenement or
produce maps showing only the relevant data.
Whilst this can be fairly straightforward to do in MapInfo with one layer, it is
very time consuming to do for multi-layered data sets. Discover works with an
unlimited number of layers, allowing unsupervised clipping to be performed
with just a few mouse clicks.
Clipping Method
Choose between clipping outside and clipping inside the selected polygon.
Clipping outside removes all data lying outside the polygon, whilst clipping
inside removes data lying within the polygon. Discover uses a combination of
techniques to discard the data that is to be clipped.
For clipping outside, objects that lie totally outside the selected polygon are
discarded. Similarly, objects that lie totally within the polygon are kept without
editing. For lines, polylines and regions that lie across the boundary of the
selected polygon, these objects are simply split. Other objects such as arcs,
rectangles and ellipses are converted to polylines or regions and then split. For
text objects, if the centroid of the text lies within the selected polygon, the text
is retained, otherwise it is discarded (text objects cannot be split).
Clipped Data Tables
Discover lists all of the tables displayed in the map window that can be clipped.
Raster images and thematic layers are ignored. If you wish to leave a table out
of the clipping operation uncheck the checkbox to the right of the table name.
The table name is greyed out to show that it is clipped.
By default, Discover suggests that you do not edit your existing data, but copy
the clipped data to new tables with similar names to the original tables, ending
in CLIP (as in the dialog shown below).
128 Discover Reference Manual
You can change these suggested names as required. Discover warns you if the
name you nominate is already in use by another table.
Dialog to clip inside, outside or copy from a selected polygon
When you click OK, Discover asks which folder to save the new tables to (if
operating on a copy of the data). When the clipping operation is carried out, all
tables are packed and saved, and removed from the map window. Any thematic
layers in the original map window are discarded, so you should ensure that you
have a workspace saved prior to re-running PolyClip. You cannot undo a
PolyClip operation, and for this reason we recommend that you operate on a
copy of the original data.
Line Cut
Discover>Object Editing>Line Cut
Cut any object (except points and text) with a line that crosses the object. Select
the objects to cut, choose the menu option and select the cutting line to execute
the cut.
Using MapInfos Object>Split menu option, you can cut objects where they
intersect a cutter region. In many cases this is cumbersome and requires that a
region be specially constructed for the purpose from existing polylines. With
Discover, you can use a line, polyline or arc as the cutter object to split
polylines or regions. If the object that you want to split is not a polyline or a
region, it is converted to one, then split. Thus splitting an arc results in two
polylines. Discover cannot split text or point objects.
When you have selected the objects to cut, choose the Object Editing>Line
Cut menu option. Discover asks you to select the line to cut with. As soon as
you have selected a line, Discover carries out the cutting operation.
Object Editing Utilities 129
129
If Discover displays a message such as An error occurred overlaying nodes,
the cutting operation is not completed and you should check the results.
Change Direction
Discover>Object Editing>Change Direction
Quickly reverse the direction of selected polylines or regions.
Use this feature to ensure that polyline coverages for drainage, roads etc. have a
consistent line direction. This is important for providing indications of direction
of flow, or when creating worm diagrams for stream sampling data.
Split Multiple Section Polylines and Regions
Discover>Object Editing>Split MultiPolys
Easily split multiple section polylines and multiple polygon regions into a
corresponding number of single section objects. Attributes from the multiple
section object are retained in the single section objects.
There is no straightforward way in MapInfo of disaggregating many multiple
section objects. Such objects are created using MapInfos Objects>Combine
menu option, and can be split one at a time using the Objects>Split menu
option together with a suitable splitting object.
To disaggregate any number of multiple section objects, select the objects and
choose Object Editing>Split MultiPolys. Selected objects that do not require
splitting, or are not polylines or regions, are unaffected. The attributes from the
multiple section objects are retained in the newly-created single section objects.
A region with a hole is stored by MapInfo as two polygons. If you split a region
such as this, then there is a polygon in place of the hole and another polygon
covering the entire area of the original region plus the hole.
Manual Polygonize
Discover>Object Editing>Manual Polygonize
The Manual Polygonize option in Discover is designed to aid you when
building polygons from linework.
130 Discover Reference Manual
Select the lines from which you wish to build the polygon and click the Manual
Polygonize button. The selected lines are copied to the editable layer, combined
and made into a region. If the combined lines do not make a closed line,
Discover places symbols at the open segments and notifies you of the
coordinates. These symbols are placed into the cosmetic layer and can be easily
cleared.
Auto Polygonize
Discover>Object Editing>Auto Polygonize
Assemble polygons automatically from existing polylines. Discover cleans up
the linework and closes open line ends onto neighbouring lines within a
misclosure tolerance. Adjoining lines can then assembled together into regions.
The polygonizer adds a separate menu item to the MapInfo menu bar to give
access to the following functions:
Cleaning Linework - specify a misclosure tolerance. If the misclosure is
greater than the specified tolerance then the misclosure is noted with a
symbol placed in the cosmetic layer and can be examined at the end of this
process.
Examining Misclosures - step through identified misclosures. As you step
through and fix the misclosures, delete the symbol to keep track of
progress.
Building Polygons - optionally cutting out donuts and/or adding attributes
from enclosed text items.
Polygonizing Description
Discovers polygonizer is designed to take linework from the digitizer or from
existing line-only drawings (such as from CAD packages) and create polygons
for enclosed regions. Performing this process manually using the MapInfo
Objects menu options is possible only one polygon at a time and involves
splitting lines at intersections, snapping open line ends on to neighbouring lines,
duplicating shared boundaries and combining individual polylines before
converting to a region. Discover performs all these tasks automatically and
attempts to deal with all linework whether it is clean or not.
Object Editing Utilities 131
131
Cleaning Linework
Polygonize>Clean Linework
The first step to building polygons is to ensure that you have clean linework. In
this case, clean means that the dataset is comprised of polylines each of which
starts and ends at the start or end of another polyline, and that no polylines
cross.
However, digitized linework often does not meet the above criteria. Even if
there are no misclosures where one line joins another, it is likely that lines join
or cross not just at endpoints.
To start the line cleaning process, you should have a Map Window open with
the required lines selected. You need to nominate a name for the table to contain
the clean linework, and set other options as below.
Polygonizing dialog with control options and tolerance
The closure tolerance determines whether open line ends are snapped onto
neighbouring lines. If there are no lines neighbouring a specific line end within
the closure tolerance, this line is tagged as unclosed or a dangle. As such it is
discarded from the set of lines to be polygonized.
132 Discover Reference Manual
If there are other lines within the closure tolerance, then the current line end is
snapped to the closest line. When it is snapped onto the closest line, a new node
is inserted into the neighbouring line at the snap point unless a node exists
within the closure tolerance.
Note If your linework does not contain any misclosures (that is, all line ends are
snapped together) then leave the Closure Tolerance at 1m.
Once the line cleaning process is complete, any identified misclosures are
shown in the map window as symbols in a layer called Misclose. You can use
the Check Misclosures menu item to step through misclosures.
You need to manually fix each misclosure, and then run the Clean Linework
command again.
If the closure tolerance is too small, then some of your misclosures may not be
automatically closed and you should carefully examine the results of the
cleaning. Check line intersections that have not been automatically closed and
find out how big the misclosure is, then run the line cleaning again. If your
closure tolerance is far too large, then the results of the line cleaning may be
unpredictable.
Building Polygons
Polygonize>Build Polygons
You usually check the Cut out inlying polygons checkbox. This operation
excises smaller polygons where they lie wholly within larger polygons, and is
similar to the Object Editing>Donut Polygons menu option.
If the original line map was from a CAD system, it may have text objects for the
polygon code within many of the polygons. These text objects can be detected
and automatically inserted as an attribute to a specified column in the polygon
table. If there are more than one text objects within a polygon, only the first
(determined by record number in the table) is used. Discover is not able to
detect if polygon labels for small polygons are displaced into an adjoining
polygon via a call-out line. In this case you should not use this option as
polygons may be incorrectly attributed.
Object Editing Utilities 133
133
Clean and Build
Polygonize>Clean and Build
Use the combined clean and build function where you are certain that the
linework is already clean and requires no intervention from the user. If any
inconsistencies are identified during this stage, the unclean linework is ignored
for the subsequent polygonizing.
If Discover cannot complete the polygonization, it reports a problem and creates
a table with the name that you nominated, but containing only the prepared
linework. The lines at this stage have been node overlayed and split at
intersections. Lines that would not close are discarded. However, the source
data remains unedited, and by overlaying the prepared linework and source data
you are able to see where the problem has occurred.
135
Table Utilities
Multi-File Utility
Workspace Editor
Multiple Column Updates
Tables and Application Programs
Table Utilities 137
137
9 Table Utilities
Discovers Table Utilities allow you to:
open and import multiple tables across folders
pack, export and append multiple tables
edit workspaces to remove table name inconsistencies
save open tables to a new folder and save a workspace
sort (permanently) a table, with one or two sort columns
adjust the map bounds for a mappable table
update multiple columns in one table from another table by joining on a
common column
138 Discover Reference Manual
open tables, workspaces and MapBasic programs selected from a list
showing their aliases.
Multi-File Utility
Multi-Open
Discover>Table Utilities>Multi-Open, Multi-Import
Open or Import many tables at once across folders.
The Multi-Open and Multi-Import utilities are extremely useful when working
with many tables. For example you may want to open a number of tables from
different folders and add them to a new map window. Rather than using the
MapInfo File>Open Table menu option once for each different folder you are
searching in, Discover allows you to choose all the tables from the one dialog.
Choose the tables to open by clicking on them with the mouse. If all the tables
to open are within the one folder, click Continue when all tables have been
selected. Discover then carries out the operation on the tables you have selected.
If some of the tables exist in other folders (or on another disk drive), change to
the appropriate folder. As you change folders, Discover adds the previously
selected files to the Selected Tables List. You can delete files from this list
with the Remove Entry button, or erase it entirely by clicking Reset List.
When all the files to be used are selected, click Continue.
Similarly, if you have multiple MID and MIF files to import into MapInfo, you
can have Discover import the ones you choose, one after the other. This saves
you returning to the computer to start each procedure. The imported tables can
be created in the same folder as the MID/MIF files, or in a different folder that
is especially useful when importing files from CD-ROM.
Multi-Append, Multi-Pack, Multi-Export
Using Discovers Table Utilities, you can also Pack, Export and Append
multiple tables. Discover presents a list of open tables, from which you should
choose those required.
Table Utilities 139
139
Note With the Append option, all tables selected must have the same number of
columns. If the tables have the same number of columns but do not have the
same structure then data conversion errors (such as when character values are
read into a numeric column) may occur during the appending process.
Workspace Editor
Discover>Table Utilities>Workspace Editor
Discovers Workspace Editor provides the following functionality to check and
modify table references in workspaces:
check a workspace for non-existent tables If non-existent tables are
located then you need to decide how to proceed. Either create (or copy) a
table of the correct name, edit the workspace to remove references to the
table, or delete the workspace.
check a workspace for tables that are opened but not used A useful way
to tidy up the workspace, including checking for hidden tables.
set all table paths to be absolute or relative Absolute paths include the
drive letter and full path, whereas relative paths show the location of the
table relative to the workspace.
alter the path to individual tables When you know that the workspace
references a table that has been moved.
turn off editable layers in all map windows. This is useful when a
workspace is to be written to CD-ROM.
Save Tables and Workspace
Discover>Table Utilities>Save Tables and Workspace
Use this function when you need to save a workspace with all open tables to a
nominated folder. An important use of this function is when data, including a
workspace, is to be written to CD-ROM or saved to a remote storage device
such as a zip drive.
Select the target folder, and all open tables are saved to this folder. A workspace
is saved for the tables in the new location, retaining the current settings. The
workspace references table names with no paths, so that the workspace should
open with no problem when the data is transferred to a new location. You may
140 Discover Reference Manual
also wish to use the Workspace Editor to check for unused tables and editable
layers.
Note As tables are saved to the new folder, they are saved in MapInfo format
regardless of their original format (Excel, Access etc) with the exception of
raster images.
Multiple Column Update
Discover>Table Utilities>Multiple Column Join
Update multiple columns in a table with values from another table by matching
a field such as sample number.
Updating columns in a master table with values derived from a table containing
a subset of the records in the master table is awkward in MapInfo, but is a
commonly required task. An example would be when new survey coordinates,
or an incomplete list of assay results, have been received for some of the
records.
Use Discovers Multiple Column Join to easily update up to 10 columns
matching records by one field (such as sample number).
Update Multiple Columns dialog
After specifying the join condition and the number of columns to update, click
OK and choose which columns to update and which columns to get the values
from.
Table Utilities 141
141
Sort a Table
Discover>Table Utilities>Sort
You can sort a table in MapInfo by including an Order By clause in an SQL
Selection. Then you need to save the selection as a new table, close the old table
and open the new table (optionally renaming it to the original table name). In
Discover, you can sort by a primary and secondary column, easily re-ordering
the base table with a few mouse clicks.
Sort Table dialog
By default, the selected table is sorted by the first column, with no secondary
sort column. The sort process takes slightly longer than a table pack operation,
since it involves a selection followed by writing the selection to disk.
Note This operation cannot be undone.
Alter Map Bounds
Discover>Table Utilities>Alter Map Bounds
Use this function to adjust the map bounds of a mappable table. Discover
prompts with bounds that encompass all of the map objects currently in the
table. However, you may wish to alter these bounds in the following
circumstances:
you need to add new objects beyond the bounds of existing non-earth map
tables.
142 Discover Reference Manual
map objects digitized from a raster layer and then saved may have bounds
that are too narrow.
when the bounds on a non-earth map table are large, a loss of precision
may result. Restricting the bounds can help improve the precision.
Note 1. When using this option, data outside the specified boundary is deleted from
the table file and cannot be recovered.
2. Map objects lying outside of the bounds that you enter are not displayed.
User Tables
Discover>Table Utilities>User Tables
Maintain a list of commonly used table names and aliases. Select one or more
tables from the list to open immediately.
The User Tables utility provides the capability to keep a list of aliases of
commonly used tables. When you want to open one or more of these tables,
select them from the list and the tables are opened.
Frequently used user-defined tables
When you choose the User Tables menu option, the above dialog is displayed
showing the aliases of the tables currently in the list. To see the full path and
table names, check the Show Locations of Tables checkbox.
Table Utilities 143
143
You can maintain the table list with the Add, Edit and Delete buttons. When
you add a table to the list, you should enter a meaningful alias for it.
If the nominated table cannot be found when you click OK, then you are asked
to locate it. If it still cannot be found, then this table can be removed from the
list.
User MBXs
Discover>Table Utilities>User MBXs
Maintain a list of commonly used MapBasic programs with aliases. Select a
program from the list to run immediately.
The User MBXs utility provides the capability to keep a list of aliases of
commonly used MapBasic programs. When you want to run a program from
this list, select it and Discover starts the program. This provides a simple
method of keeping track of various custom and shareware MapBasic programs.
User Workspaces
Discover>Table Utilities>User Workspaces
Discovers User Workspace utility allows you to maintain a list of workspaces
together with descriptive text, and open workspaces directly from this list. User
Workspaces is similar to User Tables and User MapBasics.
145
Surface Creation and Analysis
Introduction
Configuring Grid File Formats Grid Handlers
Importing a Grid
Creating a Grid
Gridding Tool
Discover 4.0 Gridding Option
Gridding Parameters
Contouring Parameters
Surface Profiling
Grid Query and Arithmetic
Grid Clipping
Grid File Manager
Surface Creation and Analysis 147
147
10 Surface Creation and Analysis
Discover>Create and Analyze Surfaces
Discovers Create and Analyze Surfaces module provides a rich and powerful
suite of functions and tools for creating and analyzing gridded surfaces. The
Create and Analyze Surfaces module has been designed to integrate seamlessly
with gridded data created externally from MapInfo and also for uses of this data
in other modules such as Drillhole Display.
Five industry standard grid formats are supported by Discover (refer to Grid
File Formats). These include:
Band Interleaved by Line (BIL)
ER Map Window (.ERS)
Geosoft (.GRD)
MapInfo (.MIG)
Vertical Mapper (GRD)
Introduction
Surface Creation and Analysis provides the following functionality:
148 Discover Reference Manual
create an interpolated grid from selected points by inverse distance
weighting or by triangulation.
import ASCII grid files
contour grid files
export binary grids to ASCII files
export contours to 3D DXF files
place annotation labels on contour lines
report grid cell values to the screen
assign grid cell values to co-located objects
report the volume between a gridded surface and a specified level
return polygons for those areas of a grid meeting query criteria
display a profile from one or more gridded surfaces draped with vector data
create Regions from points (Voronoi Polygons), optionally bounded by a
selected boundary
merge two grids by adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing
areate a slope or aspect grid from an input grid
adjust grid display with various colour schemes and stretching options
apply sun-shading to a grid
display a colour-value legend for a grid
register binary BIL, ER Mapper or Geosoft grids
move and rename grid files.
What is a Surface Grid?
A surface grid is a rectangular array of points, each of which has an interpolated
Z or height value. The Z value in a grid may represent either real heights (such
as topographic elevation, depth to weathering or coal seam thickness) or may
represent a geochemical, geophysical or other value (such as gold
concentration, radiometric total count or rainfall).
The surface grid is generated from a set of input points each of which have a
location and a Z value for that location. The regular surface grid is generated
Surface Creation and Analysis 149
149
from the irregularly distributed input points by calculating interpolated values at
regular positions.
It is important to understand that the interpolated values are approximations
only of the real values of the surface and that the interpolated values differ
depending upon the interpolation method used. With some interpolation
methods, it is possible that the interpolated value is slightly different to that of a
data point at the same position.
Regular grid of interpolated points generated from irregularly distributed input points
Once a regular grid of interpolated values has been calculated and stored, it can
be displayed in MapInfo. The grid can be displayed as a set of rectangular
polygons, each one representing a grid cell. The advantage of this method of
display is that MapInfos standard tools for thematic mapping and querying can
be used with the grid. And although Discover does allow grids to be created in
this format, the major disadvantage is that of file size and display speed.
If the grid cells are stored in a simple binary format, then Discover can display
them in MapInfo as a raster image. This method of display is significantly
quicker than for polygon grids, and allows large grids to be handled efficiently.
A third way in which a grid can be displayed is as contours. Contours are
generated by tracing lines of equal Z value across the grid. The contour lines do
not provide as much information as a grid, but do offer another visualization
method. This is useful for displaying contours of one grid over a second grid
(for example, soil geochem contours over a magnetics grid image).
150 Discover Reference Manual
Configuring Grid File Formats
When grid formats are created or imported into MapInfo, Discover can assist
these operations by:
creating surfaces in a format of your choice;
exporting a preferred format; or
internally using the preferred format to allow ease of use when MapInfo is
used with third-party software packages (such as ER Viewer, Vertical
Mapper, ER Mapper or Oasis Montaj

by Geosoft).
The preferred grid format can be specified from the Grid Configuration
Discover menu item. Use the displayed dialog to nominate your preferred grid
format.
Grid Format Selection for preferred operation
Once a grid format has been selected, grids created from this point use the
specified format. You can alter the type preferred by re-selection at any time.
Note 1. The Grid Handler support provided in this option is ONLY available for
MapInfo versions more recent that Version 5.5.
2. Third party software vendors, Vertical Mapper (developed by Northwood
Technologies Inc. a subsidiary of Marconi) create raster-based format grids.
These files are of a raster format that is compatible with this version of
Discover. A grid-read handler for Vertical Mapper formats is also supplied
with versions later than 6.0 of MapInfo.
Surface Creation and Analysis 151
151
Discover supports five grid formats that are used widely in the geoscience
industry. These grids are:
Binary Interleaved by Line (BIL)
ER Mapper Window (.ERS)
Geosoft (.GRD)
MapInfo (.MIG)
Vertical Mapper (.GRD)
Band Interleaved by Line Grid Format
The Band Interleaved by Line (BIL) format for storing gridded surface data is a
popular format and is readable by many other software packages, such as ER
Mapper and Arc/Info. The BIL format simply stores each grid cell value
sequentially starting at the upper left and proceeding by row towards the lower
right. The geometry of the BIL grid file is defined in an associated .HDR file
(that states the number of rows and columns as well as other information).
The BIL format used by Discover allows grid cells of any values to be stored, as
well as null cell values (for grid cells that do not have a value interpolated for
them). Discover can also read BIL files created in other software and on UNIX
workstations.
When imported into MapInfo, it creates a .TAB that defines the BIL filename,
format (raster) and the origin and extents of the data. The coordinate system
and projection information is also specified.
When a grid surface is created using Discover, the MapInfo grid format also
contains metadata (see What is Metadata?) that describes the parameters used to
control the gridding process. Below is an example of a TAB file containing
metadata:
! t abl e
! ver si on 300
! char set Wi ndowsLat i n1
Def i ni t i on Tabl e
Fi l e "t . bi l "
Type "RASTER"
( 129. 722, - 20. 5257) ( 0, 11) Label "Pt 1",
( 129. 722, - 19. 9757) ( 0, 0) Label "Pt 2",
( 130. 472, - 20. 5257) ( 15, 11) Label "Pt 3"
152 Discover Reference Manual
Coor dSys Ear t h Pr oj ect i on 1, 0
Uni t s "degr ee"
ReadOnl y
begi n_met adat a
"\ Encom" = ""
"\ Encom\ Sur f aces" = ""
"\ Encom\ Sur f aces\ Ver si on" = "5. 000"
"\ Encom\ Modul e" = "Sur f aces"
"\ Encom\ Type" = "Gr i d - I sot r opi c"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d" = ""
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Cr eat i on" = ""
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Cr eat i on\ Par amet er s" = "6 near nei ghbour s"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Cr eat i on\ Gr i dSi ze" = "0. 05 x 0. 05"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Cr eat i on\ Wei ght i ng" = "2"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Cr eat i on\ XYUni t s" = "degr ee"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Cr eat i on\ LUT" = "r ai nbow"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Cr eat i on\ Or i gi n" = "129. 722, - 19. 9757"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Di spl ay" = ""
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Di spl ay\ SunShadi ng" = "Of f "
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Di spl ay\ SunAzi mut h" = ""
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Di spl ay\ SunEl evat i on" = ""
"\ Encom\ Sour ce" = "C: \ Pr ogr amFi l es\
MapI nf o\ Pr of essi onal \ Di scover \ DEMO\ Vei nsDykes. TAB"
"\ Encom\ Dat e" = "06/ 04/ 2001"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Di spl ay\ Mi nCel l Val ue" = "326. 664154"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Di spl ay\ MaxCel l Val ue" = "426. 394135"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Di spl ay\ Mi n Cel l Val ue t o Col our " =
"326. 664154"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Di spl ay\ Max Cel l Val ue t o Col our " =
"426. 394135"
"\ Encom\ Gr i d\ Di spl ay\ St andar d_Devi at i on" = "17. 655758"
"\ I sReadOnl y" = "FALSE"
end_met adat a
ER Mapper Grid Format
The ER Mapper software image/grid format is described in detail in the ER
Mapper Open Standards documentation. The grid format is unchanged from
Versions 3.x, 4.x, 5.x and 6.x of ER Mapper. The standard raster image that
may be displayed by ER Mapper software can be imported as a Discover grid.
The image/grid is actually defined by two files, a header (.ERS file) plus a
binary BIL (Band Interleaved by Line) data file. The content of the .ERS file is
defined in ER Mapper documentation but an example is shown below:
Surface Creation and Analysis 153
153
Dat aset Header Begi n
Ver si on = 5. 5
Last Updat ed = Thu Mar 3 23: 38: 11 GMT 1995
Sensor Name = GEOTEM
SenseDat e = Fr i Nov 19 06: 07: 58 GMT 1996
Dat aSet Type = ERSt or age
Dat aType = Rast er
Byt eOr der = MSBFi r st
Coor di nat eSpace Begi n
Dat um = AGD66
Pr oj ect i on = TMAMG53
Coor di nat eType = EN
Uni t s = METERS
Rot at i on = 0: 0: 0. 0
Coor di nat eSpace End
Rast er I nf o Begi n
Cel l Type = Si gned32Bi t I nt eger
Nul l Cel l Val ue = - 9999999
Cel l I nf o Begi n
Xdi mensi on = 50
Ydi mensi on = 50
Cel l I nf o End
Nr Of Li nes = 128
Nr Of Cel l sPer Li ne = 320
Regi st r at i onCoor d Begi n
East i ngs = 327600
Nor t hi ngs = 8595050
Regi st r at i onCoor d End
Nr Of Bands = 2
BandI d Begi n
Val ue = Channel 16
Uni t s = ppm
BandI d End
BandI d Begi n
Val ue = Channel 3
Uni t s = ppm
BandI d End
Rast er I nf o End
Dat aset Header End
Note When ER Mapper grids are being output (see Grid Configuration) the Datum
and Projection recorded in the .ERS file are not related to the projection
information of the original data points. These coordinate system parameters are
set to an ER Mapper compatible default. These variables must be edited and
replaced with the correct ER Mapper projection information that equates to the
original point data used by Discover.
154 Discover Reference Manual
Geosoft Binary Grid Format
The Geosoft binary grid format is composed of two elements:
a 512 byte grid header
the grid/image data
Specific details of the contents of these files can be obtained from Geosoft
(Toronto, Canada). Some revisions of the grid format have been made and the
import utility within Discover has been established to comply with the grid
format current as of March 2000.
MapInfo Grid Format
MapInfo uses a standard binary grid format referred to as a .MIG file (also
referred to as the MapInfo Continuous Grid). This format is documented by
MapInfo and can be used as a transfer grid type where its end use is for a
MapInfo import application. The grid format was made available by MapInfo in
release Version 5.5.
The .MIG grid format is primarily used for the MapInfo Thematic Grids
(Map>Create Thematic Map). Discover can use this format for grid creation
however the colouring of the grid is limited to a red-blue shading. To modify
this grid colouring (Map>Modify Thematic Map>Styles).
Note Not recommended. MIG format is a floating-point grid format. There is no
choice of small or long integer, just 8-byte double float values.
Vertical Mapper Grid Format
Vertical Mapper supports a range of grid formats including:
ASCII Grids MONA
ASCII Classified Grids UK Ordnance Survey Grid
CRC-500 USGS DEM
Geological Survey of Canada Spatial Data Transfer Standard
DTED MIG Mapinfo Grid
Geosoft
For information on the formats of each of the above, refer to the Vertical
Mapper User Guide. Vertical Mapper can export a binary format grid with the
file extension default of .GRD.
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Importing a Grid Surface
To import an existing grid surface into MapInfo, the standard import facility can
be used. Select the Raster format file types or the Grid Image format option
enabled by Discover:
Grid or raster image import facility
Discover provides an alternative import to the MapInfo import. The Discover
Surfaces>Register Grid File option provides a method that enables the user to
check the grid header file during the import process.
Note Errors occur in the projection of a grid image via the File>Open Table menu
when there is no existing tab file. When importing grid images using this
method the grid projection is assigned incorrectly. This is because the user is
unable to assign the projection for the required image and as a result a default
projection of AGD66 AMG Zone 55 is assigned. The user is unable to modify
the image registration to correctly register the grid. To avoid this problem,
register BIL, ER Mapper and Geosoft grids using Discover. Choose
Discover>Create and Analyze Surfaces. From the Surfaces menu choose
Register Grid File.
Creating a Surface
Surfaces>Grid and Contour>Grid Create
Encom Discover 5.0 provides a new high performance, optimised gridding tool
to assist with the creation of grid surfaces in MapInfo. The Gridding Tool
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provides an easy to use tab dialog that steps you through the entire process. The
high level of optimisation in each of the gridding algorithms used in Discover,
has made it possible to include a real-time preview window to assist you in
choosing the best parameters for your data. This preview window allows you to
experiment with different gridding parameters in real-time and observe the
effect they have on the quality and appearance of your grid.
Note Discover 5.0 provides two separate tools for gridding your data. A Gridding
Tool that has been introduced as a new feature and the original gridding
methods that were provided in Discover 4.0. The original methods have been
retained since some features are not available in the more recent version.
To access the original gridding method, select the Surfaces>Discover 4
Gridding menu item.
The new gridding tool in Discover has an optimised internal data interrogation
system that automatically analyses the spacing and distribution of your input
data and computes an optimal set of gridding parameters for you. If you are not
satisfied with the default parameters and gridding method, you can override
these settings by selecting your own method, grid cell spacing, search criteria
etc.
Note The Gridding Tool operates as a separate executable from MapInfo and
Discover. Consequently, while using the tool, if you return focus to MapInfo or
another application, the Grid Tool window may become hidden. To restore the
display, click the Gridding Tool button on the Windows Status Bar.
This operational approach allows you to continue working in MapInfo/Discover
while gridding large datasets in the background.
The gridding tool can be accessed from either:
the Create Grid option on the pop-up menu of the ELC activated by a
right mouse button click on the ELC (refer to Layer Controls of the ELC
chapter), or
the Surfaces menu items Create Grid option.
Initially you will be required to define a set of input
data points to be included in the gridding process.
These can either be from a nominated table, or
from a selection made using the MapInfo selection
tools. Irregular or rectangular shaped collections of
selected points can be gridded. If you initiate the
gridding process from a right mouse click on the
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ELC then the selection dialog is not required and the layer you highlighted is
gridded.
First Gridding Tool tab allowing data selection within a selected table.
Gridding Tool Dialog Operation
The gridding tool is controlled via a series of tab pages to the left of the preview
window. The number of visible tabs in the dialog varies depending on the
gridding method selected (see the Gridding Method Tab), however four main
tabs, Input, Geometry, Method and Output are always visible irrespective of
the gridding method selected. Operation of each tab control is described below.
On the bottom left side of the dialog are Save, Cancel and Help buttons. The
Save button creates an output surface as specified on the Output tab. You do not
have to wait for the preview window to complete drawing before saving the
output grid file. If you are satisfied with the initial appearance of your grid you
can click the Save button and the grid is saved in the same folder as the input
data points. It is then loaded automatically into MapInfo and placed in the same
window as the input data points. The Cancel button dismisses the grid tool
without creating an output surface, and the Help button displays the on-line
help.
Two additional controls at the base of the dialog determine the operational
mode of the Gridding Tool. An Auto Apply mode is set by default, however
this can be deactivated by the checkbox control. In this mode Discover
automatically updates the appearance of the grid after each parameter change.
The Apply button allows you to manually override this behaviour on demand.
The two operational modes are described below:
Automatic mode - This is specified with the Auto Apply checkbox
enabled and is the default behaviour. As changes to any control parameter
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are made, the gridding process automatically re-computes and updates the
preview display. The Gridding Tool can detect when a parameter change
has been made and will apply this change when the cursor is moved to
another tab page or field in the dialog. At any stage you can manually
apply the change by clicking on the Apply button. If the button is disabled
then no changes are pending and no grid computation is performed.
On Demand mode Disabling the Auto Apply checkbox places the
gridding tool in manual mode. No grid processing is commenced until you
select the Apply button or change back into the Auto Apply mode. This
mode is best suited to situations where you wish to modify a number of
parameters prior to gridding, or have especially large datasets where the
gridding operation may take some time.
A vertical progress bar is displayed next to the preview window in both modes
and will show you the percentage progress of the gridding operation. You can
also monitor progress by watching the grid growing in the preview area.
Gridding Preview Display Control
The appearance of the preview display can be controlled by five toggle buttons
and a pull-down list located above the preview area.
These control buttons are:
Display a point symbol for each of the input data points. This function can be
useful for examining the relationship between your data points and the
interpolated grid while determining appropriate gridding parameters.
Displays a graphic illustrating the search ellipse used by the Inverse Distance
gridding method. The size, shape and orientation of this ellipse is displayed in
the preview window and dynamically adjusts to reflect changes made to the
search parameters. This control is only available for Inverse Distance gridding
method.
Applies a histogram equalisation stretch to the image in the preview window.
This button can be used to distribute colours more evenly across the image, and
is particularly useful for data with poor dynamic range.
Images in the Preview area can be displayed as either coloured or monochrome
(black and white). This button toggles the image between monochrome or
colour.
This button applies a sun illumination to the image in the previewed image area
and can be used to enhance detail. The sun angle is fixed from the north-east
direction.
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The colour table applied to the image in the preview window can be controlled
by selecting from the pull-down list of supplied look-up tables. The chosen
colour table will be applied to the gridded image when loaded into Discover.
The preview window has Zoom and Pan controls to enable you to examine your
grid prior to saving it. To zoom in (by 4 times magnification) on an area
position the cursor over the area of interest and click the left mouse button.
Click the left mouse button again to zoom out.
You can also pan a zoomed image by pressing the right mouse button and while
pressed, drag the mouse. When the button is released the image redisplays at the
panned location.
Gridding Input Tab
The input tab summarises the input data and provides a selectable list of all
numeric data columns that are available for gridding in the sourceTab file or
query. Basic summary information is provided for the selected data including
minimum and maximum easting (X) and northing (Y) values for the minimum
bounding rectangle that fully encloses the input data and a count of the total
number of input points (with X,Y pairs). Numeric data columns from the input
Tab file are listed in the Field to grid list. To change the column to be gridded
select the column name so it is highlighted. The data range for the selected
column is automatically displayed in the text boxes to the right and if the Auto
Apply option is enabled the grid is regenerated for the new column. If the Auto
Apply option is turned off then you need to click the Apply button.
The Input Tab with a selection of data points being used for gridding a nominated data field.
Note in the case of a selected subset of a table, the east and north data values
indicate the selected data coverage and not the data range of the original table.
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Grid Geometry Tab
This tab controls the main parameters for determining the geometry of the
output grid. The grid cell parameter determines the size of each grid cell in the
output image and is measured in the same data units as the input tab file. For
most geographic data these units are in meters, however Discover supports all
of MapInfos units of measurement. During the loading process, Discover
automatically computes an optimized grid cell size based on the distribution and
density of the input data. If you wish, you can alter the cell size to best suit your
needs. The Grid bounds parameters control the boundary extents of the output
grid and can be used to reduce the size of the output grid if required. To return
to the original data extents, select the Reset to Input Extents button on the
Method tab. The number of Rows and Columns in the output grid is also
displayed. These values are calculated from the grid extents and cell size and
cannot be edited.
The Grid Geometry tab indicating the cell size, extent and number of rows and columns.
Note When creating a surface, the grid cell size that you choose is important. As a
general rule of thumb the grid cell size should not be made smaller than
approximately one fifth of the average data spacing. Reducing the grid cell size
beyond this limit may cause the grids appearance to become smoother but can
also introduce unwanted irregularities in the output image. Assigning an
excessively small grid cell size will also increase computation time and file size.
Discover suggests an optimal grid cell size for your data but you may want to
experiment with alternative values.
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Gridding Method Tab
Three gridding methods are provided by Discover and these can be controlled
via the Method tab on the gridding tool dialog. These methods are described
below. Changing the gridding method determines which additional dialog tabs
and control parameters are displayed.
By default, Discover computes the optimum
gridding method by analysing the spatial
distribution of the input data. Even if you
modify various parameters in the gridding
dialog you can recompute the optimum
parameters at any stage by using the Calculate
Optimum Values button. Discover provides a
Save.. button for you to save your preferred parameters for later use. This can
be useful if you are planning to generate a number of grids from the same data
or if you wish to regenerate a particular grid at a later date. To re-apply saved
settings use the Load.. button.
Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW)
Inverse distance gridding is a universal technique that can be applied to a wide
range of spatial data. Because it uses weighted average interpolation to estimate
grid cell values it can be used as either an exact or a smoothing interpolator.
Each grid cell value in an output surface is calculated using a weighted average
of all values surrounding it that lie within a specified search radius.
The IDW method is optimal where you have a fairly uniform distribution of
input points across the area to be gridded. If your input data points are not
evenly distributed (for example, you have soil samples taken on a fairly regular
grid), then using an oriented search ellipse may produce a more representative
grid.
The weighting values assigned to each point within the search ellipse is
determined by its distance from the grid node being interpolated. The further
away a data point lies from the subject grid node, the less its value contributes
to the final value assigned to that node. The distance weighting parameter can
be adjusted under the Advanced control group (see Advanced Control).
The IDW technique for grid estimation is best suited to data where some degree
of smoothing is beneficial. An example of this would be geochemical sampling.
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With this type of data, a repeat measurement at a point does not necessarily give
the same results as the first measurement.
A search ellipse of fixed size and orientation can be defined, and a grid cell
value is then calculated from the weighted average of all data points that lie
within the ellipse centred on that grid cell.
The search ellipse can produce quite different results from the nearest neighbour
method, especially in areas where data is sparsely distributed. If no samples
occur within the ellipse for a grid cell, then that grid cell is assigned a null value
and is displayed as white in the grid image. If the search ellipse that you specify
is too small, then the result is too many null values between data points.
Additional IDW Controls
If the Inverse Distance Weighting method is selected, an Inverse Distance
control tab appears on the Gridding Tool dialog. This tab contains all the
controls necessary to fine tune the appearance of the output grid. This tab is
arranged into three sections:
search distance
search parameters and
advanced.
Search distance
The Search Distance controls determine the shape, size and orientation of the
search ellipse used to locate data points during interpolation. Specifying an
appropriate size and orientation for the search ellipse is important. Setting it
smaller than the average data spacing may result in a large number of the
interpolated grid cells being assigned a null value and therefore displayed as
white in the output grid. Conversely, if the search ellipse is set to be too large
then significant edge effects or grid artefacts may result around the edge of the
grid. By default Discover uses a circular search distance, however you can use
an elliptical search distance by selecting the Elliptical search check box.
The dimensions of the search ellipse can be controlled by specifying the length
of the major and minor axes. The Orientation control determines the rotation
angle of the major axis and can be defined in one degree increments starting
from zero (north). The Use elliptical weighting option adjusts the distance
weighting value for data points within the search ellipse depending on their
relative position with respect to the ellipitical shell. Points located on the same
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elliptical shell will be assigned equivalent weighting even though their distance
from the ellipse centre is different. If required this option can be disabled.
Inverse Distance Weighting tab for search ellipse specification.
If the Elliptical Search option is enabled, you can view the search extent by
pushing the Ellipse button.
Search Parameters
The Search Parameters control enables you to divide the search ellipse up into a
Number of sectors. Discover provides options for specifying 1, 2 or 4 search
sectors. By adjusting the number of search sectors and Minimum points
required (in each sector) you can vary the appearance and smoothness of the
output grid. If any of the sectors contain fewer than the minimum number of
specified points, then the interpolated grid cell value for that node is assigned a
null value. Using 2 or 4 search sectors can significantly improve the appearance
of a grid if the input data has been collected on widely spaced lines. Using a one
sector search ellipse may result in grid node values being estimated from data
points from a single direction. This might generate unrealistic or sharp slopes
between the lines producing a rough or stepped grid. Using a two or four sector
search with an appropriate search distance should generally eliminate or reduce
this effect. You can experiment with the use of search sectors and examine the
difference these can have on the output grid.
The Use nearest points only control can be used to control the maximum
number of data points that are used when interpolating each grid node value.
When this option is selected Discover uses the closest points (up to the
maximum specified) to interpolate each grid cell. Any excess data points within
the search ellipse are ignored in the calculation.
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Advanced Controls
The Advanced parameter controls can be used to adjust the appearance and
smoothness of the grid. The weight power determines the rate at which each
data points influence declines with increasing distance from the grid node being
interpolated. Increasing the weighting power reduces the influence distant
points have on the calculated value of each grid node. Large power values cause
grid cell values to approximate the value of the nearest data point, while smaller
power values will result in data values being more evenly distributed amongst
neighbouring grid nodes. The weighting value defaults to 2 (that is, the weight
of any data point is inversely proportional to the square of its distance from the
grid cell) which is appropriate for most situations. If required the weighting
value can be altered to any positive value.
Portion of the Inverse Distance tab dialog providing control of Distance Weighting.
The Exact hit distance parameter allows you to set the tolerance distance for
assigning actual input data values to coincident grid nodes. Because the inverse
distance gridding technique is attempting to interpolate a continuous surface
through your data, a certain number of grid nodes coincide with the input data
points. Where grid nodes and data points coincide, the distance between them is
zero, so by default the data value is assigned a weighting of 1.0 and all other
data points in the search radius are given a weight value of zero. This means
that grid nodes that are coincident with input data points are assigned the value
of the coincident data point rather than an interpolated (averaged) value derived
from the data points surrounding it. This effect can produce significant
spotting in the output grid, particularly if the data value of the coincident
point/grid cell deviates significantly from the points surrounding it. By
adjusting the exact hit distance it is possible to increase the tolerance distance in
which input data values are assigned to grid nodes. Assigning this value to a
high number can produce unacceptable spotting or concentric banding in the
output grid, while reducing the value below 1 has little or no effect.
The Apply density corrections control dynamically adjusts the search
algorithm to optimise grid cell interpolation in areas of data clustering.
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Activating density corrections can help to enhance detail in datasets where
sample points are unevenly spaced (for example regional geochemistry
sampling) and may in some cases produce a smoother or more representative
grids.
Triangulation
The Triangulation method produces a regular gridded surface through a set of
data points by using an optimised Delaunay triangulation algorithm. The
triangular mesh is created by drawing lines between adjacent input data points
and forming an irregular network such that no triangle edges are intersected by
other triangles. A regular grid is then computed from the triangular irregular
network and grid cell values computed using a natural neighbour interpolation
process. Because the original data are used to define the triangles, this method is
very useful for situations where the data must be honoured very closely (for
example, elevation data in a digital terrain model).
The triangulation method is best applied to data that is evenly distributed over
the gridded area. If you have large areas of sparse or missing data you may end
up with distinct triangular facets in the output grid. Because triangulation uses
all the input data to construct the triangular mesh, the only parameter that needs
to be adjusted is the grid cell size. You can adjust this to an appropriate value
for your dataset.
Gridding tool screen used to determine the cell size and grid bounds.
Spatial Neighbour With Inverse Distance Weighting
This method is similar to the Inverse Distance Weighting described above (see
Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW)) but does not use the search radius to
interpolate data values from surrounding cells. For each grid cell, neighbouring
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input points are located based on a spatial neighbours selection criterion. The
value of the computed grid cell is the average of the neighbours, weighted such
that the closer the neighbouring point, the greater the influence it has over those
further away.
Search criteria are only radial in this method but the distance and applied
weighting can be specified in the Spatial Neighbour tab, displayed when this
grid method is selected.
Spatial Neighbour weighting and search specification tab.
Gridding Output Tab
The output tab provides a number controls for saving the gridded image. The
top section of the dialog provides a summary report for the grid process and
lists the primary gridding parameters chosen. You can copy this information to
the windows clipboard by selecting it with your mouse and using windows copy
and past commands. This may be useful for reporting or archive purposes.
Below the summary box is a pull-down list containing the supported grid
formats. Discover currently supports ER Mapper (.ERS) and Geosoft (.GRD)
uncompressed grid formats. To save a grid select the appropriate format from
the list and click the Save button. The output grid file is assigned a default name
and will be saved in the same directory as the input data. You can however,
alter the file name and directory path by clicking on the small button at the right
end of the path name box. The Output tab is accessible at any stage during the
gridding process so it is not necessary to wait for the preview window to
complete drawing before saving the final grid.
Two extra check box controls are provided on the Output tab of the gridding
tool. A Smooth grid control and a Clip to input area control. The Smooth
grid control allows you to smooth the appearance of the output image by
applying a gaussian smoothing filter to the grid. In most situations enabling the
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smooth grid function removes high frequency noise in the grid and enhance the
appearance of your image. The Clip to input area control provides a means of
clipping the extents of the interpolated grid so that it more closely approximates
the distribution of the input data. Enabling this option can improve the
appearance of the output grid for non rectangular input data.
The final Grid tool tab with statistics and grid saving options.
On the left side of the Output tab a summary of the gridding process is
presented. This list provides detail of all the grid controls used in creating the
surface.
When the Gridding Tool and the grid surface are completed, press the Save
button. This dismisses the Grid Tool, saves the grid surface into the specifed file
and updates the original map window with the surface using the same look-up
table as chosen in the Grid Tool prior closing.
Alternative Gridding Methods
Surfaces>Discover 4 Gridding>Triangulation
Surfaces>Discover 4 Griddingr>Inverse Distance Weighting
Gridding options providing an alternative, dialog controlled specification of
grid parameters are also available. These methods were originally implemented
in the release of Discover Version 4.0. These methods can be accessed from the
menu option Discover>Surfaces>Discover 4 Gridding.
The main dialog access after selecting the menu item is:
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Specifying the gridding parameters
Note It is recommended that the grid be created in the coordinate system of the point
data file. To create a grid in an alternate projection, save a copy of the point data
file into the new projection and use the new point file. In the Save Copy As
option select the Projection button and choose your new projection. Now create
the grid from the new point data.
Selection of table and layer for gridding
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By using a selection, you can easily create a grid for only part of your data, or
ignore data points that do not meet certain criteria.
Note Ensure that the map window is in the coordinate system that you wish to view
the grid image in, as a raster image of a grid can only be displayed in the
coordinate system it is registered in.
The data value to be interpolated (the Z value) must be selected from a list of
columns. If you select a character column, then the numeric equivalent of these
values are gridded.
Discover provides the option of automatically ignoring zero and/or negative
values during the gridding process. This can be very useful where the data
points contain negative numbers that indicate, for example, that no
measurement was taken.
Once the Z value column has been selected, you must enter the gridding
parameters and, optionally, specify how contours are to be displayed.
Gridding Parameters
The grid cell size and grid bounds parameters are relevant for both IDW and
triangulation gridding methods. The other parameters are required only for IDW
gridding. Discover provides a sensible default value for each parameter, to
allow you to quickly generate a grid.
Grid Cell Size
The grid cell size is entered in map units but internal assessment of the data
distribution for the selected input points is undertaken and a computed, logical
default is recommended by the software. If the grid is to be stored as MapInfo
polygons, the X and Y grid cell dimensions can be different, otherwise the grid
cell height and width must be the same.
Grid Bounds
By default, the grid is generated so that it covers a rectangle that just encloses
the input points. This ensures that extrapolation in the grid is minimized.
However, you can extend (or shrink) the bounds as required.
Note For triangulation, grid cell values are not extrapolated outside the bounds (the
convex hull) of the input data.
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Neighbour Search
For IDW, when not using a search ellipse, the number of nearest neighbouring
data points used for the interpolation needs to be entered. A computed default
can usually be relied upon to create optimal results and is set to a value that
represents the optimum balance between computation time and best
interpolation. Higher values take longer to compute but produce a smoother
result. This parameter is not required for triangulation.
Using the nearest neighbour search, Discover always interpolates a value for
each grid cell. However, this may lead to significant edge effects where the grid
cell is distant from the nearest data points. To get around this problem, the
search ellipse should be used.
Search Ellipse
For IDW, if the input data points are not randomly distributed (for example you
have soil samples taken on a fairly regular grid), then you should use the search
ellipse IDW option.
A search ellipse of fixed size and orientation is specified, and grid cell values
are then calculated from the weighted average of all data points that lie within
the ellipse centred on that grid cell. An asymmetric search ellipse is defined by
specifying the semi-major axis (or long radius) and the semi-minor axis (or
short radius) lengths, together with an orientation (of the semi-major axis),
measured clockwise from North.
The minimum points used per cell controls whether a grid cell has a null value.
If fewer data points than this minimum number lie within the search ellipse for
a grid cell then a null value is assigned to this grid cell.
The search ellipse can produce quite different results from the nearest neighbour
method, especially in areas where data is sparsely distributed. If no samples
occur within the ellipse for a grid cell, then that grid cell is assigned a null value
and displays as white in the grid image. If the search ellipse that you specify is
too small, then the result is too many null values between data points.
Weight Power
For IDW, the weight given to a data point is determined by some function of its
distance from the grid cell. The weight power defaults to 2 (that is, the weight
of a data point is inversely proportional to the square of its distance from the
grid cell) but can be set to any positive value.
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Using a weight of zero produces a simple arithmetic averaging of data points,
with all data points contributing equally to the grid cell value.
Grid Output
The grid output using Discover 4 Gridding may be any of:
BIL grid (.ERS, .GRD and .MIG)
polygon grid
contours
combination of any of the above
If you choose to save the grid as a BIL grid, you can also select one of 25 colour
look-up schemes to use with the grid image display. The colour patterns used
for the image are stored in the Discover configuration folder in .CLR files, and
are similar to those used in ER Mapper (an image processing and display
program).
See the section below on Alter Grid Display for more information on options
to change the grid display colours.
If you choose to save the grid as MapInfo polygons, then the polygons are
generated as polygons with no line or fill style. You should use the thematic
map function to display the polygon grid. Note that whilst MapInfo can
efficiently display raster grids of millions of cells, a polygon grid larger than a
few thousand cells takes a long time to redraw and colour.
Filtering A Surface
Grid filtering is a common method of applying digital image processing
techniques to gridded data. Filters can be used to improve the general
appearance of gridded images by smoothing or suppress high frequency noise or
they can be used to enhance detail in an image by enhancing the contrast
between features (i.e. identifying edges). The Gridfilter tool in Discover
provides a broad suite of linear convolution filters for these purposes, including
contrast enhancement filters, smoothing filters and edge detection filters.
General user defined filters are also provided so you can create and apply your
own designs. All gridded surfaces imported or created in Discover can be
filtered using the GridFilter tool. The interactive design and real time preview
window allows you to experiment with different filters types and see the effects
they have on your grid before saving an output file.
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The GridFilter tool is part of the Create and Analyse surfaces module and is
initiated from:
The Surfaces>Filter Grid menu item (displayed after selecting the
Discover>Create and Analyze Surfaces item), or
From the pop-up menu Filter Grid displayed by clicking the right
mouse button on a grid layer in the Enhanced Layer Control.
The GridFilter tool has an interactive dialog to allow you to see the effect of
filters you apply. More than one filter can be applied with a cumulative result.
The dialog also contains two display windows. The top window shows the
original input image while the bottom preview window shows the result of
applying the filter.

Grid Filter tool with multiple filters applied to an input grid and the resultant output grid.

The Input grid file is shown with the available filters listed on the left side. To
apply filters to the input grid, select them from the expandable tree and move
them to the Selected items list using the arrow buttons or double click on the
filter name. You can also change the order of filter operation by selecting a
filter and moving it up or down in the processing sequence.
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The filters available use convolution operations. These are applied by a set of
filter weights being passed through each grid cell of the input grid (or output
cell of the previous filtered result). The filter weights are displayed in the lower
left of the dialog. You can enter or modify existing filters and then save your
own designs.
A detailed description of the various filters and their application is provided in
Appendix E (Filter Descriptions).
Once a filter output or a series of filters has been applied to a grid and you are
satisfied with the preview, the output grid can be saved using the Save As
button. Statistical Information on the values of the input and output grids are
also available via the Information button. The display of the original and
filtered grids can be altered from coloured to monochrome by using the Colour
button. The display can also be switched between a linear or histogram
equalised stretch. Refer to Creating a Gridded Surface for a description of the
operation of these buttons.
Operating the Filter Tool Dialog
The Filtering Tool dialog has a number of features designed to optimize filter
selection. See the diagram below:
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The various operations available from the Filter Tool dialog.
The various operations available from the Filter Tool dialog include:
the initial appearance of the displayed grid image is determined by the
colour look-up colour table of the original grid
selecting multiple filters sequentially applies each filter to the output grid
to derive a final output image. A preview of the final output image is
displayed in the Image preview area.
filters are applied to the grid by selecting one from the available filters list
by either double clicking on the name or highlighting and pressing the
button to move the filter into the select box. Remove a selected filter (from
the Selected Filter list) using the button.
the computational order of selected filters can be arranged from the Move
Up or Move Down buttons. Select the filter to be moved and then select
the required button. For the standard linear convolution filters provided
with Discover the order in which the filters are applied is not important as
the resultant image is a sum of the result of each convolution operation.
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either the input or output image can be zoomed and panned. To zoom,
place the cursor in one of the image windows and left click. Click the left
mouse button again to zoom out. To pan, press the right mouse button and
while holding down the button drag the mouse. When the button is released
the image redisplays in the updated location.
the level of zoom for the preview window can be controlled via the
Settings button. The zoom level can be varied between a scale of 1-10.
the Filter Weights and Filter Description define the operational effect of
the selected filter
to save the filtered grid, use the Save As button. The file location and grid
format can be set at this point. You can elect to save the output grid in
either ER Mapper or Geosoft format that can also be useful if you need to
convert between these grid formats.
you can obtain Grid Information using the button
Note File names greater than 30 characters in length can be ambiguous when used
with certain tools in MapInfo (such as the Layer Control). Discover warns you
of this limitation if the specified file name of the filtered grid exceedes this
limit.
Contouring Parameters
Contour intervals can be specified in one of two ways:
1. Discover suggests contour intervals based on the range of values in the first
Z value column. The Major Contour Interval must be divisible by the
Minor Contour Interval. You should also specify different line styles for
optimal visual effect. You can specify maximum and minimum values to
contour between. This can be extremely useful when contouring data with
some outliers (extremely high or low values), as it prevents Discover from
spending extra time generating unwanted contour lines.
2. Alternatively you can instruct Discover to read a Contour Level file
containing a simple text list of contour levels to produce contours for. The
text file should contain only this list of contour levels, in increasing order,
with a normal separator (comma, space etc.) between each level. An
example contour level file is as follows:
5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 100, 150, 200, 250, 500
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A contour level file is very useful when you have a non-normal distribution of
sample data, and want the contours to show more detail in one part of the data
range than others. For example, when contouring a soil grid for gold values in
the range of 0.01 to 25 ppb, you may wish to have closely spaced contours in
the range 10-25ppb, but more widely spaced values below this.
Using a contour level file, Discover gives every contour line the same line style.
If you want to alter the style of some lines, you then need to select them and use
MapInfos line style picker. To select all contour lines that are, for example,
multiples of 50, you can also use the following clause in your select statement:
where Pb_ppm MOD 50 = 0
(replace Pb_ppm with your contour column name).
Specifying Contour line generation parameters
If contour smoothing is turned on, each contour line is smoothed using a spline
interpolation. This greatly improves the appearance of the contours though the
size of the contour table is increased as each line contains more nodes.
Note In certain instances (for example where many contour lines describe a saddle
feature), turning contour smoothing on can result in some cross-over between
adjacent contour lines.
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Contouring a Grid File
Surfaces>Contour a Grid
Whilst the grid creation functions in Discover can optionally create contours at
the same time, there is often a requirement for generation of contours from
existing grid files.
Discover can generate contours for any registered BIL, ER Mapper, Geosoft
and MIG grid, including those grid files generated by Discover. Simply select
the grid table to contour, and specify contouring parameters as described above.
Note Discover always creates contours as attributed polylines in a permanent
MapInfo table. If contouring a read-only grid (such as on a CD-ROM) you need
to save the contour lines to a folder with write permission.
Exporting Grids and Contours
Surfaces>Export Grid and Contours>Export Contours to 3D DXF
Discover can export attributed contour lines to 3D DXF files. Whilst MapInfo
exports any map objects to a DXF file, it does not use an attribute (such as
height) for the elevation field in a DXF file.
Use Discover to create 3D DXF files containing the Z value attribute from the
contour line that can then be imported into AutoCad, MicroStation or other 3D
visualization software.
Surfaces>Export Grid and Contours>Export Binary BIL to ASCII
You may need to use a Discover grid with other software that cannot read BIL
grids. In this case, the safest way to transfer the grid is in ASCII format.
Discover provides the option of exporting the grid as either XYZ or Z values
only per line.
This option cannot be used with Geosoft grids.
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Adding Labels to a Contour Plan
Surfaces>Label Contour lines
Discover can add Z value labels at user-specified intervals to contour lines. The
labels are created as MapInfo text objects in a chosen layer, such as the
cosmetic layer. Discover adds labels to any attributed contour plan that has a
column for contour level value.
You can also use this option to add line-parallel labels to other linework such as
rivers or roads.
Specifying contour labelling parameters
The contour labels are placed parallel to the contour lines as normal text
objects. If the contour plan and labels are then viewed at a different scale to that
specified in this dialog, the Z value labels appear at a proportionately different
size.
Surface Profile Over a Grid or Contour Plan
Surfaces>Make Profile
Discovers Make Profile function provides a powerful tool for identifying and
analyzing trends and spatial relationships on gridded surfaces. Profiles for any
line or polyline can be generated across gridded surfaces or contour plans.
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A profile across a topographic, geochemical or geophysical data grid can be
integrated with vector information from polygon and line layers to allow the
relationships to be interpreted.
Profiles for multiple surfaces may be displayed together to show, for example,
topographic and base of weathering surfaces, together with magnetics and soil
geochemistry, with the surface geology and fault lines draped over the
topographic surface.
Diagram of a multi-surface profile
Introduction to Surface Profile
To create a profile over a surface, you must have a map window open with a
grid or contour plan displayed and have a line (along which the profile is to be
generated) selected. Discover then generates a profile by checking the Z value
for each grid cell or contour line that the selected line crosses. Commonly the
profile is for a topographic, geochemical or geophysical surface but it may also
be for any gridded variable such as tree height, number of mineral occurrences,
laterite depth etc.
You can drape the profile with polygon intersections from a second layer, such
as geology, or soil type. The profile is split into separate lines at each polygon
intersection and the separate lines are coloured and attributed according to the
intersecting polygon. Additionally, you can display as points on the profile the
intersections of the profile line with lines from other layers (such as faults or
rivers).
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Discover can create profiles from Discover, ER Mapper or Geosoft grids,
polygon grids or contour plans. When creating a profile from polygon grids or
contour plans, the Z values must be stored in a numeric column.
Layers to Profile
If a gridded surface is present in the front map window, then Discover suggests
this as the surface from which to generate a profile. If you wish to display more
than one surface in the profile map, then it is important to specify the primary
surface here. The primary surface forms the basis for the positioning of
additional surfaces.
To select additional surfaces to display in profile, click the Show Other
Surfaces button and pick the surfaces to use. For each of the additional surfaces
you need to specify how the surface is to be positioned and offset relative to the
primary surface.
Absolute Positioning Use this option when the Z values in the surface are of
the same type as the primary. For example, if the primary surface is topographic
relief, then depth of weathering would be displayed with absolute positioning,
but soil Au geochemistry would be displayed with relative positioning (see
below). For absolute positioning, the Z values are scaled the same as for the
primary surface.
Relative Positioning A surface should be positioned relatively where it is of a
different type to the primary surface. For relative positioning, you can specify
the offset and scale, or leave them on auto for Discover to adjust. If the surface
is to be auto-positioned, then it places about 1cm (at screen scale) above the
preceding surface. Refer to the section below on Display Options for more
information about specifying vertical scale.
If Discover is creating a profile across a contour plan, then the profile starts at
the first contour line intersection and ends at the last, even if the selected line
extends further. Discover does not attempt to extrapolate Z values beyond the
last contour crossed. Similarly, where the selected line extends beyond the
boundaries of a grid, the profile terminates at the grid boundary.
Draping Vector Layers
The primary surface may be draped with polygon and line intersections from
other layers in the map window. Polygon intersections are shown in the profile
as coloured line segments. The line segment has the foreground colour of the
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intersecting polygon and is also given an attribute from the polygon so it may
be labelled.
If line intersection display is turned on, Discover shows each line or polyline
that intersects the profile as a point. The point is coloured according to the
intersecting line and has the symbol type and size of the current default symbol.
Discover only displays those line intersections from layers that are selectable in
the map window.
Discover can also create a horizontal profile for a polygon table where no
surface information is available. In this case you would nominate a polygon
drape table, but no profile layer. Use this option when you want to get a simple
intersection profile across a geology map.
Specifying profile display options
Display Options
If the vertical exaggeration of the primary surface profile is not important, leave
the Autoscaling of Z-axis option checked. With this default, the Z axis height is
approximately 1/3
rd
of the X-axis length. If you wish to enter a specific vertical
exaggeration, it must be calculated by comparing the range of Z values (that is,
the maximum minus the minimum Z value in the profile) to the length of the
profile (as measured in MapInfos current distance units, and noted in the dialog
box).
For example, you want to enter a specificZ scale for displaying a profile of
length 0.5 km across a geochem grid with values ranging from 7 to 120. In this
case, a vertical exaggeration of between 0.001 to 0.003 would be appropriate,
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producing a profile whose height is between 25% and 75% of the profile length.
Note Check the profile length and units of measurement in the dialog box when
entering a specific vertical exaggeration. To create an accurately scaled profile
the units of measure (coordinate units and distance units) in the Map window
must be equivalent. If the coordinate units of the map window are in meters (eg
UTM projection) and the distance units are in kilometers your profile will
appear squashed in the x axis direction. To make sure the profile is correctly
scaled set the distance units so they are equal to the map units. This can be done
via the Map>Options menu.
Profile of topography and geology (with vertical exaggeration) across a survey line
Other surfaces selected with Absolute Positioning uses the same Z scale as
applied to the primary surface. Other surfaces chosen with Relative Positioning
use the scale selected for those surfaces.
Profile Map Window
When complete, the profile is labelled with minimum and maximum Z values,
as well as the start and end coordinates (using the map window coordinate
system). These labels are MapInfo labels, and need to be saved in a workspace.
Additionally, for a profile generated along a polyline (such as a road or river),
intermediate nodes in the polyline are shown as tick marks on the X axis, and
can easily be labelled using MapInfos label tool.
When profiles for multiple surfaces are shown, the Z axis covers all of those
displayed with Absolute Positioning. Surfaces displayed in relative mode do not
have a Z axis.
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Profiles for Multiple Lines
If you have selected more than one line to create a profile for, then Discover
provides the option of displaying the different profiles in separate map
windows, or stacked with a small vertical offset between each profile.
If you are creating profiles for parallel lines (such as adjacent grid lines) then
displaying the profiles in stacked view can be very useful in identifying trends.
The vertical stacking offset can be specified, or left as auto. If you wish to
display stacked profiles for multiple surfaces you may find that the view
becomes too cluttered. In this case, reduce the number of surfaces or display the
profiles in individual windows.
If the lines to create profiles for are not parallel then a stacked view is
inappropriate and a separate window should be used for each profile.
Reporting Grid Cell Values
To report grid cell values directly to the screen, choose the Get Grid Cell
Values button from the Surfaces button bar. If the tool is selected and the
mouse clicked when the cursor is over a surface grid, the cell values for that
location plus the surrounding cells are displayed in a dialog.
Assigning Grid Cell Values
Surfaces>Assign Grid Cell Values
Assign Grid Cell Values assigns grid cell values from the grid to map objects
that overlie them. This is used, for example, to assign elevations to sample
points or to drillhole locations, from a digital elevation model, or to assign mean
geochem values from a geochemistry grid to geology polygons.
Discover can also assign minimum and maximum values to polygons from the
grid cells that lie within the polygon.
As well as assigning the values to columns, the values can be reported to the
screen.
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Grid Query
Surfaces>Grid Query>Select areas from Grid
Surfaces>Grid Query>Select areas by Elevation, Slope, Aspect
The grid query tools provide a convenient method of creating MapInfo
polygons that cover the areas of the grid that meet the grid query criteria. The
Elevation, Slope, Aspect query tool has relevance only for digital elevation
model surface grids. It provides the functionality to perform a complex query,
such as would be required to identify steep slopes. Other options enable regions
of certain elevation or slope to be isolated.
Querying a grid to return polygon covering the required areas
Points to Regions (Voronoi Polygons)
Surfaces>Points to Regions
The Points to Regions function generates Voronoi Polygons from a set of input
points.
What are Voronoi Polygons
Voronoi Polygons are polygons that each enclose one point and the border of a
Voronoi Polygon runs through the midpoint between neighbouring points. They
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are the inverse of a triangular irregular network and cover an area that may be
thought of as the area of influence for that data point.
Voronoi Polygons thus provide a method for creating a surface without
interpolation and gridding. In many cases, for example when analyzing coal or
mineral sands drillholes, creating a surface of Voronoi Polygons based on the
drillhole locations may be preferable to gridding.
When the Voronoi Polygons are created by Discover, all of the attributes of the
points are transferred to the polygons, thus allowing quick estimation of
volumes and concentrations.
Example of Voronoi Polygons generated from sample locations
Creating Voronoi Polygons in Discover
Discover generates Voronoi Polygons from selected points in the front map
window. By default, the Voronoi Polygons extend no further than the outer
boundary of the group of selected points (called the convex hull). However, the
Voronoi Polygons can be extended by any distance outside of the convex hull.
Alternatively, the Voronoi Polygons can be bounded by a selected polygon. In
this latter case, the bounding polygon is selected prior to choosing the Points to
Regions menu item, and all points that lie within the selected bounding polygon
are used to create Voronoi Polygons.
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Specify the parameters to control clipping a region as Voronoi polygons
When the polygons are created, they have the same table structure as the points
table they were based on, so that they can easily be coloured, queried or
thematically mapped.
Merging Grids
Surfaces>Grid Arithmetic>Merge Grids
Add, subtract, divide or multiply grids together. Use this option to perform any
of the following options:
1. Subract one grid from another for example, base of weathering from
topographic surface. The resulting grid shows the difference, which may be
positive or negative values.
2. Add one grid to another for example, adding gridded Pb and Zn together
to produce a combined base metal grid.
3. Multiply or divide two grids together for example, coal seam thickness
multiplied by calorific value to return a grid showing economic product (in
derived units).
4. Stitch adjoining grids together to make one large grid. This is an addition
operation, but where there is no overlap between the two grids. The output
grid covers the combined area of both input grids, with null cell values
filling the minimum bounding rectangle.
Note Both grids used in the grid arithmetic operation must be registered in the same
coordinate system. However, the two grids can have different cell sizes. The
output grid has the minimum cell size of the input grids.
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Surfaces>Grid Arithmetic>Constant Grid Arithmetic
Use Constant Grid Arithmetic to add to or subtract from the grid fixed values,
or to multiply or divide by fixed values.
You would use this option to, for example, divide a soil grid by 1000 to change
units from ppb to ppm. Alternatively, add 1000 to an elevation grid to change
from AHD to mine datum.
Surfaces>Grid Arithmetic>Horizontal Grid` Arithmetic
Discover provides a special grid calculation function for deriving slope and
aspect from digital elevation models. The slope and aspect are calculated for
each grid cell using elevation values in the surrounding cells.
Surfaces>Grid Arithmetic>Volume to a Level
Use this function to calculate the volume contained between a gridded surface
and a specified level. If no polygon objects are selected, then the volume of the
whole grid to the specified level is reported as a single value to the screen. If
one or more polygons overlying the grid have been selected then the volume for
that part of the grid under each polygon is reported to the screen or assigned as
an attribute to each polygon.
Uses of this function include calculating the volume of rock in a stockpile
(using a DEM of the stockpile) or calculating the volume of water in a dam
(using a DEM of the bathymetry).
Grid Clipping
Surfaces>Clip Grid to Region
The Clip Grid to Region tool provides a simple method of reducing the size of
the grid to cover just the area of interest. Use this to reduce a large grid to just
that covering a tenement for reporting or data sharing purposes.
Simply select a polygon covering the area required to clip and choose the
appropriate clipping option from the clipping dialog.
Clip Outside polygons discard all grid data that lies outside of the selected
polygon(s). If the selected polygon is not a rectangular shape, then the
clipped grid covers the minimum bounding rectangle of the polygon with
null values in those parts of the grid outside of the polygon.
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Clip Inside polygons write null values into the area covered by the
selected polygon(s).
Grid Display Tools
Surfaces>Modify Grid Display>Sun-shading
Discover provides the option of adding real-time sun-shading to your gridded
surface to improve the appearance of relief in 2D. Sun-shading works by
brightening areas of the grid that face the direction of the sun and darkening
those areas that face away from the sun, or are in shadow.
Discover allows you to select a sun azimuth by octant (NE, E etc.) and sun
elevation between 0 and 90. The sun-shading is applied in real-time.
Surfaces>Modify Grid Display>Alter Grid Colours
Use the Alter Grid Colours menu item to adjust the appearance of the grid in a
map window. Using these options does not change the gridded data, just how it
is displayed.
By default, when a grid is created, or registered, Discover applies a linear
colour pattern. This means that each colour in the look-up table is applied to the
same sized data range. Whilst this method of grid display is adequate in many
cases there are good reasons for altering the display method for certain types of
data.
Grid display colouring options
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Full Linear Stretch Discover applies colours linearly to the grid between the
minimum and maximum values.
Auto-clip Linear Stretch Discover applies colours linearly between the
middle n% of the data. Commonly, a 99% clip is used to avoid outlying low and
high values distorting the grid display. Data values below the minimum and
above the maximum are displayed with those minimum/maximum colours.
Histogram Equalization Stretch Using this display method, Discover
analyses the distribution of data in the grid and applies colours so that there are
approximately equal numbers of grid cells displayed in each colour.
Percentile Range Break With geochemical data, it is often appropriate to
show the grid coloured into just a few ranges, based on the data distribution. For
example, gridded geochemical data may be coloured with ranges of 0, 30, 60,
80, 90, 95, 98 and 100%. Each of these ranges would be shown in a different
colour to highlight the areas of interest.
Data Range Break Similarly to percentile ranges, colouring by data ranges
allows the grid to be displayed with a discrete number of colours, specified by
data value rather than percentile value.
Note For colouring by Percentile and Data Ranges, the real-time sun-shading feature
is disabled.
Surfaces>Modify Grid Display>Make Legend for Grid
In order to display a legend relating the grid colours to data values, choose this
item. A legend appropriate to the display style is generated and may be added to
a layout window for printing. The legend is created as a table in the Discover
temporary folder.
Registering Grid Files
In addition to grid surfaces created within Discover, you can register other grids
created externally, so that they display just as a Discover generated grid.
Surfaces>Register Grid Files>BIL Grid
Discover can register and display any BIL grid. If an .HDR file (ASCII header
file such as that generated by Discover or ArcInfo/ArcGIS) exists for the grid,
then the grid geometry is read from this, and you just enter the coordinate
system and registration cell coordinates.
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The grid file size is checked against the number of cells and the cell size to
ensure that the grid geometry is valid.
Surfaces>Register Grid Files>ER Mapper Grid
Discover automatically registers an ER Mapper dataset (an .ERS file and
accompanying grid file). You must select the appropriate coordinate system,
and the registration dialog displays the information from the ER Mapper header
file.
Note Any .ERS files from a virtual dataset are not registered.
Surfaces>Register Grid Files>Geosoft Grid
Discover automatically registers Geosoft grids. You must select an appropriate
coordinate system so that the Geosoft grid is correctly geo-located.
Discover supports the all of the various Geosoft grid orientations.
Surfaces>Register Grid Files>Import ASCII Grid File
Discover can read ASCII grid files consisting of X, Y and Z values in
whichever orientation the coordinates are sorted, although most grid files start
at the top left or bottom left with values listed row by row. Additionally,
Discover can read in ASCII files consisting of Z values only, with no
coordinates.
If you choose the Z values only option, you must specify the cell dimensions
and grid origin as well as the orientation of the grid. The orientations are
described by row (where the grid values go across the columns from left to right
along a row, then move to the next row), or by column (where the grid values
go up or down a column, then move right to the next column).
To import an ASCII grid file to display as a MapInfo polygon grid, you should
use Discovers Data Utilities>ASCII Object Import function.
Note The ASCII grid file must describe an exact rectangular grid otherwise an error
message is displayed.
Surfaces>Register Grid Files>Convert v2.1 Grids
Versions 2.0 and 2.1 of Discover created BIL grids in 8-bit per cell format.
Whilst these still display with no problems, they cannot be used for grid
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analysis (profiles, contours etc.) with version 3.0. This function converts the old
grid files so they can be used with Discover version 5.0. The old grid file is
overwritten unless it is a read-only file.
Grid File Manager
Surfaces>Grid File Manager
If you want to rename, move or delete a Discover grid, use the Surfaces>Grid
File Manager menu option. This ensures that the grid image file and other
associated files are renamed, moved or deleted along with the MapInfo tab file.
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Drillhole Display
Introduction
Steps to Displaying Drillhole Data
Data Formats
Drillhole Projects
Defining Drillholes
Display Drillhole Data
Section Manager
Display Controls
Calculating Sectional Resources
Data Validation
Data Compositing
Saving Display Settings
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11 Drillhole Display
Drillhole menu and toolbar items.
Encom Discover provides a comprehensive environment for processing and
visualizing drillhole data. The Drillhole Display module links in with
functionality in the Surfaces module and also the map-making tools.
Introduction
Discovers Drillhole module provides the following key features for processing
and visualizing drillhole data in section and plan view.
project oriented interface for ease-of-use
use drill data stored in any database that MapInfo can read
flexible data model
3D coordinates are calculated on-the-fly
display drillholes in sections of any orientation or plan view
topographic surface and plan geology can be displayed in the section
display downhole data as histograms, linegraphs or text
196 Discover Reference Manual
up to 16 data display variables can be displayed for each drillhole
display profiles of multiple surfaces in section view
log style display for individual drillholes, with up to 24 data columns
sectional resource calculator
data validation methods
data compositing by attribute, cut-off grade, elevation or depth
section layout with grid and titleblock
drillhole info tool
export sectional interpretations to 3D DXF files
Steps to Displaying Drillhole Data
A drillhole data set forms a relational database comprising drillhole collar
location and geometry, downhole survey, downhole data and other related
information.
In order to take a set of drillhole data and display it, there are a number of tasks
to be performed.
1. Organize all drill data in the database of choice (MapInfo, Access, Excel
etc), and ensure that the collar table is mappable.
2. Create a new drillhole project, assigning tables and column names.
3. Perform data validation to check for drillhole name mismatches etc.
4. Draw or select a line of section in the collars map and generate the section.
5. Add downhole data annotation for the drillholes on the section.
6. Place the section in a layout to scale with grid and titleblock, ready to be
printed.
Data Formats and Data Sources
Drillhole display in Discover has been designed to allow the use of data from a
wide range of possible sources. Discover can use drillhole data stored in any
database format that MapInfo can read, including Access and ODBC databases,
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and Discover does not need to make any alterations or additions to the source
data.
Discover calculates 3D coordinates for downhole samples as it displays the
drillhole, which means that it is not necessary to store these coordinates. This
improves ease of use with Microsoft Access database tables and read-only
tables (such as Excel spreadsheets). Also, changes to the collar coordinates or to
the downhole surveys do not require downhole coordinates to be recalculated.
Drillhole data is stored in a number of related tables, with the Hole ID acting as
the key to link the different tables. Some or all of the following data tables are
used to define the project.
Collar Location
The collar location table is a mappable table containing point objects for each
drillhole collar. It has columns for the following data: HoleID, Easting,
Northing, Elevation and Total Depth that are mandatory. The rest are optional.
Downhole Surveys
The downhole survey table is not mappable and contains a list of depths and
surveys for each hole. If you have no downhole survey information, then you do
not need a downhole survey table. If present, it must contain columns for Hole
ID, Depth, Azimuth and Dip. It is unlikely that you would want to include other
data in this table and Discover does not check any other columns.
Drillholes having no downhole surveys are displayed as straight lines using the
collar dip, azimuth and total depth.
Downhole Data
There can be multiple downhole data tables that are not mappable, and contain
sample data (or other sorts of data such as lithology) for each drill hole. The
downhole data tables must contain columns for Hole ID, Depth From and Depth
To, and the position of these mandatory columns must be the same in each
downhole data table. You may include any other data columns (such as sample
number, rock type, gold grades etc) as required. Discover can display data from
any of the columns in the downhole data tables.
Discover allows you to display data sets measured over different sample
intervals (for example, Au from 10-11m,11-12m, 15-16m, 18-21m etc., and
Rock Type from 0-11.4m, 11.4-19.1m, 19.1-21.0m etc.). Only data that
conforms to the same sampling intervals should be stored in the one table. In the
198 Discover Reference Manual
example above, you would have one table for assay data, and a separate table
for rock type. You can use as many downhole data tables as you require.
Note All mandatory columns, as noted above, should be numeric except for the Hole
ID. The actual names and order of the mandatory columns is not important, as
Discover allows you to nominate which column contains which information.
The tables dh_collars, dh_survey, dh_assay and dh_lith in the
Discover_Tutorial folder form an example data set in a format suitable for use
with Discover. Examine the structure of these tables to help you prepare your
own data, and use this test data set to run through the drillhole display program.
ODBC Data
Discover can use drillhole downhole data from ODBC databases in one of two
ways. Using MapInfos open ODBC table command, a normal ODBC linked
table can be created and it is then treated as any other MapInfo table.
Alternatively, Discover can directly access just the ODBC data required for a
specific section. This greatly reduces the local storage requirements for linked
tables and can speed up operations. This manner of data access requires a
special configuration file to be generated for each ODBC table used and is
designed for database administrators to set up direct ODBC access, so that users
can then easily take advantage.
In order to use direct ODBC access for downhole data, you need to already have
a linked table (that is, opened from MapInfos Open ODBC table command)
which connects to the ODBC database using the appropriate SQL statement.
This table (which need contain no data) is then used by Discover to create a
template file (.XFG), when creating or modifying a project definition.
The structure of the data retrieved from the ODBC data tables must conform to
the guidelines described above for downhole data tables, but as this is accessed
via an SQL query, the structure of the base ODBC tables is not limited. When
generating a section the .XFG file is then read by Discover to connect to the
ODBC database and download just the information required for this section.
To use the direct ODBC access feature, create a new project or modify an
existing project. Choose ODBC definition as the data table for survey or
downhole data, and select the New option to create a new .XFG file. At this
stage you need to select the linked tab file that the .XFG template file is based
upon.
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Once you have nominated the linked table to use, you are then requested to
enter the column numbers to use for downhole data (column positions for
HoleID, From and To columns) or downhole survey data (column positions for
HoleID, Depth, Azimuth and Dip). You should also enter the SQL delimiter that
Discover uses when amending the selection statement. The delimiter is probably
dependent upon your database but may be (ascii 39).
Having created the ODBC template (.XFG) file, there is one task that needs
performing and which must be done manually. In order for Discover to
download the data for just the current section, it needs to add a list of Hole IDs
into the SQL clause, in the form of Where HoleID IN (ddh1, ddh2.).
Discover requires that this sub-clause be present in the SQL statement but with
the Hole ID string replaced by a placeholder (<listofholes>). Thus, you need to
ensure that the following text is placed at an appropriate position in the .XFG
file:
where (`HoleID` in (<listofholes>))
noting that you use the correct column name in place of HoleID and that this
may need to be added to an existing where condition.
An example SQL statement from an XFG file (for a simple Access database) is:
"select `HoleID`, `from`, `to`, `sampno`, `au`,`MAPINFO_ID` from
`c:\tmp\drill_test`.`Dhole1` where (`holeid` in (<listofholes>))"
Once the .XFG definition has been completed, sections can be generated as
normal. Because an ODBC query is run for each data source in each section,
processing is not as quick as if data is being read from local files. Once the
section has been generated, the mappable section tables remain in MapInfo
format, but the downloaded ODBC data is deleted.
Current limitations are that the ODBC access feature cannot be used with the
drillhole info tool, data compositing or data validation features in Discover.
Grid and Contour Surfaces
Discover can extract sectional profile information from gridded and contoured
surfaces (such as surface topography and soil geochem) to display in the
drillhole section.
The grids can be in Discover, ER Mapper or Geosoft format, whilst contour
plans must have polylines attributed with the appropriate Z value. See the
section on Make Profiles in the Surface Creation and Analysis section for more
information on the grid formats.
200 Discover Reference Manual
Geology Plans
To display a geology layer an appropriate surface file must also be used. A
gridded DEM surface provides the best surface profile however attributed
contour data can also be used. When using contour data the surface geology (or
polygon) layer is only shown in the area covered by the contour data. Discover
does not extrapolate data outside the limits of the topography surface.
Selecting a Project to Use
Defining a drillhole project is the first step in the procedure to processing and
visualizing your drillhole data in Discover. This is done from the Setup menu
option and uses a Drillhole Project Manager. From the Drillhole
Display>Setup menu item, you can either select a project to use or alternatively
Use Section tables that are currently open but not assigned to a project.
Drillhole Project and Display Manager dialog
Defining a Drillhole Project
Part of creating a new project (from the Drillhole Display and Project Manager)
is to define the various tables used in a drilling project. The specification dialog
is shown below.
Drillhole Display 201
201
The Drillhole Project Definition dialog
Using the Project Definition dialog box, you need to select the appropriate data
tables to be used in the drillhole project. A brief explanation of the various
tables is:
Collar Mappable table for drillhole locations, also containing drillhole collar
geometry and total depth. A collar table must be specified for each project.
Downhole Survey Non-mappable table containing depth, azimuth and dip
data for drillholes. The downhole survey table is optional and if present does
not need to contain surveys for each drillhole.
Downhole Data Non-mappable tables containing depth interval (from and to)
and assay, lithology or other downhole information. As many downhole tables
as required may be selected. Use the Select and Deselect buttons to move tables
from the Available to the Selected list.
Topography Surface Gridded or contoured surface topography, can be used
by Discover. The grids must be registered BIL, ER Mapper or Geosoft grids or
MapInfo polygon grids. Contour surfaces must have a numeric column
202 Discover Reference Manual
containing theZ-value attribute. If the topography surface table is not specified
then a surface profile is generated by joining drill collars together.
Polygon Surface Mappable table containing attributed polygons in, for
example, geology. The polygons are draped over the surface topography when
displayed in section. The polygon surface table is optional.
Other Surfaces Other grid or contour surfaces can be displayed in profile in
the cross-section. The grid surfaces must be registered BIL, ER Mapper or
Geosoft grids or attributed contour tables.
Assigning Columns
Having selected the tables to use, you must specify the columns to be used for
the mandatory data in the collar, downhole survey and downhole data tables.
Nominate here whether to use positive or negative dip values for down
direction, and which depth units to use. This allows depth units to be different
to the X and Y units used for collar coordinates.
Assigning columns during Project setup
Note 1. All columns except the Hole ID and Polygon code columns should be
numeric. The Hole ID columns for each table should be of character type.
2. The column position of the Hole ID, From and To columns in the each
downhole data table must be the same.
Drillhole Display 203
203
Importing and Exporting Drillhole Projects
Discover>Drillholes>Import-Export
Drillhole projects can be
imported and exported to allow
transfer of projects to other
computers and for the safe
archiving of projects. This
option is available from the
Discover>Drillholes>Import-
Export menu item.
Each Drillhole Project file has a
.DXP file associated with it. This
file is a marker file for the
Discover Import routine. When a
Drillhole Project is exported
from Discover all related files
including the downhole colour
patterns, section definition files,
collar, survey and downhole data
tables are included.
Drillhole Info Tool
The drillhole info tool provides information from the various related data tables
for the drill collar where it is clicked. Once a drillhole project has been defined,
the drillhole info tool can be used to summarize the collar, survey and all
downhole information for any drillhole where the cursor is clicked.
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Drillhole information from the graphically selected hole
Generating Sections and Plans
Drillholes>Section Manager
The Section Manager provides facilities to Open or Close existing drill section
as well as Add and Delete sections from an active drillhole project. To
open/close or add/delete sections, select Discover>Drillholes>Section
Manager and select the sections required from the available list.
Section Manager dialog.
Drillhole Display 205
205
The drillhole display Section Manager is designed to help with the management
of section and plan tables, allowing easy retrieval of previously created sections
or plans. If you have chosen the Add section to Section Manager option when
generating a section, the section tables are stored either in the project folder, or
in a sub-folder underneath the project folder, and the section is registered with
the Section Manager.
Using the Section Manager you can easily open an existing section and this
section can then be used for plotting, amending the data display, calculating
resources etc.
The option Add Section to Section Manager allows the section tables to be
stored in the project folder or in a uniquely named sub-folder under the project
folder, a very useful option for data management. If the section is not added to
the Section Manager, then the section tables are stored in the Discover Temp
folder.
If you have a section open, but it has not been assigned to the Section Manager,
then you can select it to use as above. Alternatively, you can use the Section
Manager to add it to the list of registered sections.
Previously defined Drill Projects can also have their file path and project name
modified within a drillhole Section Manager. Display the Section Manager
dialog from the Discover>Drillholes>Section Manager menu item and select
the Settings button to display the Modify Project window.
Drillhole Section Manager to Modify a Projects details
Under the Section Manager settings option there are two options for automatically
saving each section or plan created in Discover. To have all the sections saved together
in the one directory select the Add Section to Project Root Directory option (the
directory in which the project was established) and all the sections will be saved
206 Discover Reference Manual
together. If you wish to have each section saved into a separate Directory below the
project root directory then select the Create New Directory option.
Drillholes>Select New Section
Having chosen the drillhole project to use, Discover opens a map of the collar
table, and you can define a section or plan to display.
Defining a Cross-Section
A cross-section can be generated for a vertical plane at any location and in any
orientation, or a plan may be generated for a horizontal plane at any elevation.
Sections cannot be generated for polylines (or fences), and also cannot be
generated for inclined planes.
The geometry of the cross-section can be defined either by using a line drawn
into the collar map window, or by entering the section start coordinates and
orientation into the Section Definition dialog box.
Defining a cross-section to be displayed
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207
Selection of which drillholes are to be displayed in the cross-section is
controlled by options in the Hole Selection by group.
You normally want Discover to select all drillholes that lie within the section
envelope specified, using the default Specify section option. However, you can
manually pre-select the drillholes that you wish to be plotted using the
Manually Select option. In this case, the entire length of each selected drillhole
is displayed and the section envelope width is not used. This latter option is the
only one available for plans.
If you have drawn a line into the collar map window and selected it, then the
Use Selected Line option is available. Otherwise it is disabled. If you have
selected a line and this option is still unavailable, then the selected object is
probably a polyline containing more than 2 nodes and Discover does not use
this.
Note When using a selected line, the default orientation is taken from the direction in
which the line was drawn.
Using a selected line, the section start and orientation are defined, but the
section length and envelope width can be altered. The envelope width is that
distance either side of the section line, within which drillhole data is displayed.
The Search all Holes option tells Discover to search through all the drillholes
in the database to check for drillholes that start outside the section but cut
through the section envelope at depth. This option is unavailable for plans.
Plan drillhole collars map
208 Discover Reference Manual
Defining a Plan
Generating a plan is similar to a cross-section. However, prior to entering the
plan display parameters, you must select the drillhole collars to plot.
A plan may be generated for all selected drillholes with no elevation limits, or
alternatively, level plans may be generated where the elevation of the plan plus
a distance above and below the plan is entered. This is analogous to specifying a
section envelope.
Direction of Section View
A view direction of a section can be defined in the dialog. Once the drillholes
have been selected (from the Drillholes>Select New Section), you can choose
to view the section from either direction. The view direction is automatically
calcualated by Discover based on the selected line orientation or from the
section definition parameters. Section view orientations can only be set at +/- 90
degrees of the section line orientation that enables you to view the section from
either direction.
Specifying Downhole Tables and Surfaces to Plot
You may have multiple downhole tables and surfaces in the drillhole project,
but not wish to use all the data and surfaces for each section. To nominate the
downhole data and surfaces to be used for the section, choose the Downhole
Data and Surfaces buttons.
The selected downhole data and surface tables are remembered from one
section to the next.
For each surface that is selected, the profile of the surface is displayed where it
crosses the line of the section. The surface profile may be positioned either
absolutely or relatively. If the surface measures real elevation (for example,
proposed pit plan or depth of weathering) then you would position it absolutely
(with no scaling or offsets, other than the same vertical exaggeration as the
section).
If the surface is not in elevation units (for example, a geochemical or
geophysical grid), it should be positioned relatively. The relative positioning
and scaling can be either automatic or you can specify the offset and scale
explicitly. This method of surface profile placement is the same as used in the
Surfaces>Make Profile function.
Drillhole Display 209
209
Section/Plan Annotation
In addition to the parameters discussed above for defining the section or plan,
additional options are available from the Annotation button to control the
appearance of the section as follows:
Default Text Style affects text labels for hole name, hole depth etc.
Preferred Scale is the scale at which you expect to view or plot the
section. Text label sizes and other annotation are relative to this scale. Base
of hole symbols are taken from a TrueType font file shipped with Discover
and so appear at the same size regardless of the Map Window zoom width.
Vertical Exaggeration provides control over the vertical scale, with larger
values giving greater exaggeration and a value of 1 giving no exaggeration.
Display Surface Line controls whether to display the topographic surface,
created either from a topography table or from joining up the drillhole
collars.
Use Data Display Setting allows you to apply downhole data display such
as linegraphs, histograms and text labels to the drillholes at the time the
section is generated. See the next section for more information on data
display settings.
Show Depth Ticks and labels down the hole. Discover can place a tick and
a text label at nominated depths, for example every 5 metres, down the
hole. This can be used as an aid to interpreting and correlating with other
information.
Drillhole Display Section Annotation dialog
210 Discover Reference Manual
Generating Multiple Sections
Discover can generate multiple sections or level plans by entering a few
parameters, using the Multiple Sections button. Normally, the multiple sections
are created parallel with an equal offset from one to the next. In this case, the
geometry of the first section is defined as described above.
You can then enter the number of sections to generate, the offset in a direction
perpendicular to the first section (the offset defaults to twice the envelope width
specified for the first section). The section is named automatically using the
coordinates of the section.
Alternatively, if you have selected multiple lines, then Discover can create a
separate section for each of these (they do not need to be parallel). In this case,
the Multiple Sections button is disabled and Discover automatically names each
section according to its coordinates.
Drillhole Section with geochemical assay values and histogram representation
Computing Drillhole Lengths
Discover>Drillholes>Max Values Extraction
The maximum and EOH (End Of Hole) values can be extracted from all drill
holes within the drillhole project for selected any downhole data table. The
maximum EOH values can be computed from the menu option
Discover>Drillholes>Max Values Extraction. Select the appropriate
Drillhole Display 211
211
downhole table (eg Assays) and Discover extracts the maximum value in the
drill hole as well as the EOH value. Note the maximum value in the hole may
not correspond with the EOH value. On completion a browser is displayed
showing the maximum value and EOH value for each drillhole. A new collar
map is also created automatically for this data allowing you to rapidly grid and
contour the results to look for enrichment zones or mineralised trends in the
drilling data.
Displaying Downhole Data
Drillholes>Display Downhole Data
When you have generated a drillhole section or plan using Discover, you
probably want to display the downhole data against each drillhole. Discover
provides a rich set of functionality to allow the downhole data to be displayed.
The drillhole data display system has the following characteristics:
up to 16 attributes (or variables) may be displayed for each drillhole
an attribute may be from any appropriate column from any downhole data
table
each attribute can be displayed in one of five different ways - text,
histogram, linegraph, trace shade or structure tick
colour patterns may be created for different attributes
the display settings may be used to create a legend
once defined, the display settings may be saved to a file and recalled later.
You can display up to 16 attributes at the same time on a section or plan
although generally you want a less cluttered display to maximise the visual
impact.
212 Discover Reference Manual
Part of the Downhole Display settings dialog
For each display attribute (1 - 16) that you wish to use, you need to select a
Downhole Data Table, a Column from the column list, and then select a
Display Type from:
Text
LineGraph
Histogram
Trace Shade
Structure Tick
As you select a display type, a dialog is displayed for you to specify parameters
for that display variable.
Discover offers the following data display types:
Text label Ideal for assays
Histogram Scaled bars for each sample interval indicating the value of
that sample
Linegraph Continuous line down the drillhole with distance from the
trace indicating the value for that depth
Trace Shade Coloured log style display ideal for lithology
Structure Ticks Lines drawn across the drillhole trace showing the true
or apparent dip of measured structures
In addition to these data display types, you can use MapInfos Thematic
Mapping and labelling tools to display data on the section or plan.
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213
Each of the display types (except for linegraph) can have a colour pattern
applied to it with different values (grades, rock type etc) displayed in different
colours. See the section below for information on how to define a ranged colour
pattern for numeric data or an individual colour pattern for unique value data.
Text Display
When specifying how text labels appear on section or plan, the label size is the
most important parameter. Because the size of the text label is related to the
map scale, you need to enter both the font size and the map scale to which this
size refers.
Entering parameters for text labelling of drillhole data including the range limits
The appearance of the text may also be controlled by selecting a colour pattern,
choosing the position and angle of the label relative to the sample interval, and
the formatting (for numeric values).
If labelling from a numeric column, you may elect to have no formatting, or for
decimals to be formatted to between 0 and 5 decimal places (0 dp to 5 dp in the
list). For example, 0.08 displays as 0 when formatted to 0 decimal places, and
as 0.1 with 1 decimal place.
The text string itself for numeric data may also be controlled by specifying the
maximum and/or minimum values to display (with values outside this range not
being plotted), and by replacing negative numbers with abbreviations (see
below).
214 Discover Reference Manual
Text Display Abbreviations
You can set up a list of abbreviations and replacement text for Discover to use
when displaying numeric downhole data as text. This can be particularly useful
when you have been storing negative numbers to represent non-numeric values
such as no sample taken, or below detection limit. To set up the
abbreviations, simply open and edit the MapInfo table d_abbrev from your
Discover Configuration Files folder.
The value in the number_field is replaced by the alpha_code field value (for
example -7 may be replaced by BDL). The entry in the description field is for
commenting purposes only and is not used by Discover.
Linegraphs and Histograms
Linegraphs and histograms are used to display numeric data in graphical form.
The data limits are shown at the top of the dialog and if you wish to restrict the
range of data displayed then click the Limits button and enter a restricted range.
Use this to visually cut high grade assays.
Additionally, Discover can log transform the raw data to display linegraphs and
histograms.
Specifying linegraph and histogram display parameters
The scale of the histogram or linegraph is specified in mm per data unit and is
therefore related to the map scale at which the section or plan is to be viewed.
The larger that the histogram/linegraph scale is, the larger the histogram and
Drillhole Display 215
215
linegraphs are. If Discover detects that the scale you have entered is
inappropriate for the data range, then a message is displayed.
You cannot use a colour pattern for a linegraph because it is constructed as one
continuous polyline for each drillhole, however you can select from the normal
range of line styles. Linegraphs display much faster than histograms as there is
just one map object per drillhole.
The histogram and histogram can both be offset from the drilltrace that allows
you to display multiple line graphs and histograms next to each drill trace.
Trace Shade
The trace shade display type is designed for displaying nominal data such as
rock type, and produces a set width polygon for each sample, shaded from the
specified colour pattern.
You must specify a colour pattern for the trace shade. If the attribute value for a
sample does not match any of the values in the colour pattern, then no trace
shade polygon is displayed for that sample.
The width of the trace shade polygons can be specified (in mm related to the
current map window scale), and an offset away from the trace can also be
specified. The offset refers to the centre of the trace shade, so that a trace shade
2mm wide, offset 1mm to the left of the drillhole is displayed with its right
margin flush with the drill trace.
Structure Ticks
The structure tick display type is suitable for the display of structural data.
Discover generates a line that crosses the drill trace at the appropriate dip angle.
The structure measurement may be displayed as an apparent dip for unoriented
core, or true dip for oriented core. For apparent dip display, two structure ticks,
symmetrical about the drill trace, are displayed.
For oriented core, the azimuth column needs to be entered. Note that the dip for
oriented core is relative to the core rather than true, as Discover then calculates
the correct dip of the structure using the downhole surveys.
216 Discover Reference Manual
Specifying drillhole structural data display parameters
By specifying a structure code and a colour pattern, you can display different
types of structural data measurements with different line colours and styles.
Data Display Settings
When the display parameters have been set up, they can be saved to a Display
Setting, using the Save Setting button. Alternatively, use the Use Setting
button to recall existing settings from file, or remove unwanted display settings
from the list using the Delete Setting button.
Once a setting has been saved, it may be used during section generation by
choosing the setting name from the list in the Annotation screen.
If you are not using an existing display setting from file, then the display setting
that you have defined is referred to as Current.
Data Display Legend
When data display settings are applied to a section, a data display legend can
optionally be generated. The legend consists of a schematic drillhole trace with
text showing the location of each data display attribute, and a list of colour and
attribute for each colour pattern used in the section.
The data display legend shows the data scale for histograms and linegraphs.
This scale can also be displayed graphically in the section (or plan) map
Drillhole Display 217
217
window. The scale is placed at the top left of the section. To move the scale,
ensure the annotation table is editable, select all the scale objects (lines and text)
using the marquee select tool and then move them to the desired location.
Creating and Editing Colour Patterns
Drillholes>Edit Colour Patterns
Drillhole colour patterns are used for colouring either numeric data (ranged
colour patterns) in text labels, histograms or linegraphs, or nominal data
(individual colour patterns) in text labels or trace shades.
When creating a new colour pattern, you need to choose which colour pattern
type to create, and how many categories or entries the colour pattern is to have.
Colour patterns (individual or ranged) can have up to 256 categories, but where
more are required for an individual pattern, a Discover colour table may be
used.
The Discover Colour Table provides an essentially unlimited number of
categories. Use Discover>Colour Maps to create the colour table and store this
table in the Discover configuration folder. The use of a Discover Colour Table
for drillhole sections also allows you to standardize colours across plans and
sections.
Alternatively, when creating an individual colour pattern, you can choose the
Build colour pattern from values in table option to automatically generate a
list of the individual values required.
When creating or editing a ranged pattern, the Colour Pattern dialog shows
ranged values, whilst for an individual pattern (for example, rock type), a single
Value column is displayed into which you should type the string value (for
example, Shale).
218 Discover Reference Manual
Creating a new colour pattern or editing an existing colour pattern
You can specify a fill and line style for each class (up to 256 colours). If the
pattern is to be used for histogram fills, a transparent hatching pattern may be
better than a solid fill so that the histogram does not obscure other objects (for
example, other drill traces or annotations). Alternatively, you may want to use a
transparent fill style (N) and a coloured line style, possibly with line thickness
varying.
When applying a colour pattern to a text display, the line style colour is used to
colour the text. Next/Previous and End/Beginning buttons are available to
allow mobility through the range of values. In addition, links between the Edit
Colour Patterns dialog and the display downhole data setup form is provided so
these operations can be undertaken concurrently.
Multiple colour patterns can be loaded into drillhole displays by selecting
Discover>Drillhole Display>Edit Colour Patterns>Load. The displayed
dialog allows you to select the desired pattern or to edit it using the Pattern edit
dialog as described above.
Drillhole Display 219
219
Drillhole Display and pattern selection dialog.
Viewing Sections in the Layout Window
Adding one or more sections to the layout window is easy to do using the
Drillhole Display>Add Section to Layout menu item. From this dialog you
need to nominate the scale, size and position of the section frame in the layout
window. When adding multiple sections to the layout window, the sections are
automatically offset from each other so as not to overlap, and the number of
pages in the layout increased to fit all the frames.
Adding scaled sections to the layout window, ready to print
This menu option is specifically for cross-sections. If you have multiple plans to
print use Discover>Add Scaled Frame to Layout as described in Map Making
Tools. With either of these functions, you can add frames to existing layout
windows, allowing you to add accurately scaled frames for sections and plans
together in the one layout.
A titleblock and scalebar can be added to the layout window, similarly to using
Discovers map making tools such as Scaled Output. See the section on Map
220 Discover Reference Manual
Making and Appendix A for more information on titleblocks and creating a
customized titleblock.
Digitizing Boundaries and Exporting to 3D DXF
Drillhole Display>Boundary Digitizing>Digitize Boundary
Drillhole Display>Boundary Digitizing>Export Boundaries
Having generated one or more cross-sections with Discover, it is easy to digitize
ore boundaries or geological interpretations. Discover facilitates this by creating
a section table, the boundary table, to digitize into. The boundary table must be
created with the Digitize Boundary menu item and is called
<Section_Name>_B. Objects digitized into the boundary table can then be
exported to 3D DXF files for visualization in other systems.
You can digitize any type of object (polylines, regions, points etc) into the
boundary table. When these objects are exported to DXF, any attributes that you
have added to these boundary objects are also exported.
Each section has a separate boundary table that is stored with the other section
tables. Discover exports from multiple sections to the same DXF file if
required, optionally placing objects from each section into separate layers which
can have the same name as the section.
The boundary table can also be used with the sectional resource calculation
function to restrict the area over which the resource is interpolated.
Drillhole Log Display
Drillhole Display>Log Display
The Drillhole Log Display function in Discover provides the means to display
up to 24 columns of downhole data for one drillhole in a plain log style display.
The log style of display is a valuable method of visualizing relationships
between multiple variables such as a suite of element, lithology and downhole
geophysics within a drillhole.
If you have selected one or more drillholes from the collar map, a log display
may be defined. If you have selected multiple drillholes, then a separate log is
created for each drillhole. The log is stored in a table named for that drillhole
Drillhole Display 221
221
and mapped in a non-earth (cm based) coordinate system that can be further
annotated or added to the layout window and printed.
0.74 0 100
Ag_ppm Au_ppm
3 0 7
Zn_ppm
500 0
As_ppm
Log for DDH-09
0 0
Pb_ppm
10
0
20
30
Lithology
80
90
60
40
50
70
130
110
120
100
Drillhole data displayed in log style
Defining the Log Display
The log display is defined by choosing a downhole data table, selecting the
columns from this table to display, then selecting how each of these columns is
to be displayed. The log can display up to 24 columns, with column 1 being at
the left of the log, and column 24 at the right.
Similar to displaying downhole data in section view, the log display may be
made up of data from more than one downhole data table. When columns are
chosen, they are assigned column positions in the log. Each column can be
displayed as either text, histogram, linegraph or trace shade (similar to
displaying data in section or plan).
Non-numeric columns cannot be displayed as histogram or linegraph, and
columns displayed as trace-shade must have an associated colour pattern.
Discover provides an additional option for display of data in linegraphs. The
linegraphs may be filled with solid colour. Alternatively, linegraphs can be
filled with the colour patterns used for a trace shade. This data display method
222 Discover Reference Manual
can be very valuable to highlight data relationships, and requires that one
column (such as lithology or alteration etc.) must be displayed as a trace shade
with a colour pattern.
Parameters such as the column width, the vertical scale, default graphic styles,
treatment of negative values and annotation options can be set for all columns in
the log using the Global Log Display settings button. A number of these
settings, such as the column width and graphic styles, can be overriden in the
Individual Log Display settings either when the column is first chosen, or from
the main dialog.
When you have defined the log display as required, you probably wish to save
the log display setting. This provides a method of easily recalling the settings.
Calculating Sectional Resources
Drillhole Display>Calculate Resource
Discover provides a simple method for interpolating resources from cross-
sections or level plans. Using a two dimensional inverse distance weighted
interpolater (similar to that used in Discovers Surfaces module), a grid of
interpolated values can be generated for the entire section, or for a chosen
boundary that has already been digitized.
Note Encom does not advise using this function for ore reserve calculations.
The resource grid is stored as a table named with the section (or plan) name plus
a suffix to show it is a resource grid, and stored in the project or section folder.
The Sectional Resource Calculator is a function of the Drillholes subsystem of
Discover. It requires a drillhole project and either a cross-section or plan of the
drillhole results to be used for the calculations. In order to ensure that all
drillhole assay results which intersect the cross-section are included in the
interpolation check the tick box Search all holes in the Drillhole Plotting form.
(Drillholes>Select New Section). This recognises drillholes, which have collars
outside of the section envelope, but those drillhole traces pierce the envelope at
depth.
Once the resource grid has been generated, it may be contoured, queried, re-
coloured etc. using the functions in Discovers Surfaces module.
Drillhole Display 223
223
Drillhole plotting dialog and Search all holes option to be enabled
To create a drillhole project and section refer to Defining a Project and
Generating Sections and Plans.
With a drillhole project defined and cross-section generated to calculate a
sectional resource, with the drillhole assay results, an ore boundary or shell
must be computed and interpreted, based on a geological and geochemical
assessment. To generate the ore boundary interpretation refer to Digitizing
Boundaries. The boundary defines an area of the cross-section, that is used to
select the drillhole assay results used for the resource interpolation.
Use the menu item Drillholes>Sectional Resource Calculator and follow the
steps below:
Step 1 of 3 - First select the section to be used in the sectional resource
calculation (Section Name) from the dialog above.
Step 2 of 3 The calculator dialog (labelled 2 of 3 see below) is to set up the
resource calculation tables. It refers to the assay and lithology tables of the
drillhole project. In order to calculate a tonnage and grade, select the Use
Digitized Boundaries that refers to interpreted ore boundaries. This excludes
224 Discover Reference Manual
all results that lie outside the computed envelope. Width is inferred from the
cross-section definition in Drillholes>Select New Section option.
To accurately calculate the resource tonnage, entries must be made in the
Drillhole Plotting dialog and the Specific Gravity (sg) or density of the
boundary must also be entered. Enable the Store Resource in column item if
you wish the results to be stored in the resource field of the bounday table
(cross-section B layer).
Sectional Resources dialog Step 2 of 3
Step 3 of 3 The third dialog defines the parameters for the interpolation.
Discover uses a simple two dimensional inverse distance weighted (IDW)
algorithm similar to that used by Discovers Surfaces subsystem. The search
orientation and ellipse is used to interpolate (when the mineralisation
orientation is known) such as the dip or plunge of the ore body. The search
orientation can be between 90
o
and 90
o
, where 0
o
is vertical, -90
o
and 90
o
orientations are both horizontal search orientations in the left and right
hemispheres respectively. For example, a section with the mineralisation
plunge/dip 50
o
to the right on section requires a search orientation of 40
o
. The
long axis (major) and the short axis (minor) define the search ellipse used by the
grid algorithm. For a simple search with no bias of the orientation use a 0
o
orientation with the long and short axis set the same, this is a circular search
ellipse.
Drillhole Display 225
225
Sectional Resources dialog (3 of 3) defining IDW parameters
Note If the minimum number of points is set greater than 1, some cells may not
report a value as they do not contain sufficient data points within the search
ellipse.
The resulting grid uses the section name with a suffix of resource saved into
drillhole project and section folder.
Data Validation
Drillhole Display>Validate Database
Discover includes a number of options to
assist in validating the data in your drillhole
project. Using the data validation options
can highlight difficult to detect situations
such as hole name or total depth mismatch
between the collar and downhole data tables.
The validation procedure works upon either the entire project database, the
currently selected drillholes (selected from the collar map), or you may select
the holes to check from a list.
Data validation results are printed to the screen and/or written to a log file.
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Selecting data validation parameters
Discover provides the following validation options that can identify a number of
common data problems:
Hole name mismatch Common problems occur where the hole name is
specified differently in the collar table to the downhole tables (for example,
DDH007 and DDH7 are considered by Discover to be different drillholes).
Total depth mismatch If downhole data exists below the total depth
specified in the collar table it does not display in section. This can occur
due to data entry errors, or if the collar data was entered before the drilling
was complete.
Large Dip/Azimuth changes Data entry errors in either the collar dip/
azimuth or downhole surveys can cause significant problems that are
difficult to pick up. Discover lists all drillhole surveys where the drill trace
deviates by more than a specified amount between surveys.
Duplicate sample numbers In some instances duplicate sample numbers
are an indication of data entry errors and need to be identified.
Overlapping sample intervals Usually sample intervals do not overlap
in a downhole data table and any such intervals must be identified.
Sample interval gaps Although many drillholes do not have contiguous
sample intervals from top to bottom, it is often very useful to list out where
the gaps are located to ensure no data entry errors.
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227
Data Compositing
Discovers drillhole data compositing functions provide you with the tools to
composite downhole data by the following methods:
Composite by unique attribute Use this to perform compositing by a
unique-value attribute such as lithology or alteration. All contiguous
intervals with the same attribute value are grouped together.
Composite by cut-off grade This function takes numeric parameters for
cut-off grade, high cut and dilution to produce an output table with
intervals above or below the specified cut-off grade.
Composite by elevation An output table is produced with downhole
intervals at regular elevation intervals.
Composite by downhole depth An output table is produced with
intervals at regular downhole depths.
Drillholes to be Composited
The drillholes to be composited can be selected in one of three ways:
composite the entire drillhole project;
composite those drillholes currently selected in the collar map; or
composite the drillholes selected from a list of all drillholes in the project.
When compositing a sub-set of the project you can add the composited
drillholes to an existing composite table, or write them to a new table. The
composited tables can automatically be registered with the project if required.
For all compositing methods, the output table is named for the input table plus a
user-specified suffix (which defaults to _comp).
Compositing by Unique Attribute
Compositing by unique attribute is commonly used to merge contiguous
intervals together where they share lithology, alteration etc. Multiple tables (for
example, assay tables as well as lithology tables) can be composited from the
intervals generated by processing one column in one table.
Character values in other columns may be cleared to avoid incorrect values
being present. Numeric values are composited with a weighted average.
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Compositing by Cut-off Grade
Compositing by cut-off grade is commonly used to summarize assay data into
intervals above and below a specified value. As well as specifying a cut-off
grade for the required column, you also have the option of cutting high values,
nominating internal dilution and minimum edge values.
The composited interval is calculated by starting at the highest value assay
interval in drillhole and working outwards, keeping a running weighted average.
Compositing by cut-off grade
Clear values in character columns Character values such as lithology are
not appropriate when the original intervals are resampled. Use this option to
clear the values in these columns. Values in numeric columns are all
composited in the same interval as the main compositing column.
Cut High Values If this option is selected, all values are cut to the specified
maximum prior to the compositing calculation. This ensures that occasional
high values do not distort the composited intervals.
Maximum dilution width This option is used to limit low grade inclusions
within a composited interval. The maximum dilution width often relates to a
physical property such as minimum mining width. If this option is used, when
the weighted average edge value exceeds this limit, the composited interval is
truncated. The maximum dilution width is related to the minimum edge value,
described below.
Drillhole Display 229
229
Specify minimum edge values Select this option to ensure that the
composited interval does not include low grade samples at the edge. When
checked, the minimum edge value defaults to the compositing value specified
above.
Compositing by Elevation and Downhole Depth
Compositing by elevation and depth is useful to normalize downhole data tables
to a consistent sampling interval or by mining bench. You may select the
downhole data tables from the current project to composite, and the
compositing interval. Values in character columns may be cleared to avoid
incorrect values being present, whereas values in numeric columns are
composited with a weighted average.
Note Compositing a drillhole by elevation requires that:
vertical drillholes have an azimuth that is non-zero
collar survey information is not present in the survey file
no negative numbers are present in assay columns.
Calculate 3D Coordinates
Drillholes>Calculate 3D Coordinates
You do not need to calculate 3D coordinates for drillhole samples in order to
display them with Discover. However, you may want these coordinates if the
data is to be transferred to other data processing and visualization software.
The Calculate 3D Coords function updates the selected downhole data tables
with easting, northing and elevation values for the top and bottom of each
sample. The coordinates are written into columns with specific names (XFE,
XFN, XFR, XTE, XTN, XTR respectively) and if these columns do not already
exist, they are created.
If the columns are created in an Access database table, then Discover cannot set
the order of the columns and they are created as the first 6 columns. This is
likely to invalidate the column assignments that Discover stores. Therefore,
after calculating 3D coords for an Access table, you should check the column
order in Table>Maintenance>Table Structure, and the column assignments in
Drillholes>Setup and Modify.
230 Discover Reference Manual
Note If you are compositing a downhole data table that includes 3D coords, then you
must recalculate the 3D coords after the compositing is complete.
Saving Display Settings
When displaying drillhole data in Discover, there are a number of ways to save
display settings to make it easy to obtain consistent output from one session to
the next. These various methods have already been described but are listed here
to provide a summary.
Colour Patterns Used for numeric (ranged) or character (nominal) data
display in section or log view. The colour patterns can also be used with surface
sampling data (see page 53, Map Making>Colour text labels from pattern).
Downhole Data Display Setting Used to store the parameters for displaying
data in section or plan. These settings list which data columns are to be
displayed and how they are to be displayed. The display method includes
scaling and colouring information.
Log Display Setting Used to store the parameters for displaying data in log
view. The log display settings list the global display parameters, the columns to
display and the log display parameters for each column,
Saved Sections and Plans When you have generated a section or plan, it is
stored in either the Discover Temporary folder, or the drill project folder. You
can modify the sections or plans by applying a different downhole data display
setting.
231
Geological Data Processing
Graph Map
Standard Map Colouring
Structural Data Map Window
Tenement Searches
Australian Tenement Applications
Geological Data Processing 233
233
12 Geological Data Processing
This section covers other geological data processing and display functions in
Discover. These functions provide the user with the ability to:
display attribute data in a variety of graph formats, and relate the graph
display to a map or browser view of the source data.
utilise standard colour look-up tables for polygon map tables. The look-up
is carried out on any appropriate data attribute, and the colour may be
applied as a permanent object setting or as a thematic map shade.
display structural data as appropriate structural symbols using a TrueType
font set.
facilitate searches and analyses of tenement data, by company name,
tenement type or using date criteria.
See sections on Gridding Parameters and Contouring Parameters, Generating
Sections and Plans and Map Making for more information on processing and
visualizing geological data.
Graph Map
Discover>GraphMap
Use Discover to display attribute data in a
variety of graphical formats. Select data from
the graph and see it highlighted in the base table
and vice-versa. Build a thematic map for multi-
variate graphs and apply the shade pattern to a
map of the base data.
MapInfo Graphs and GraphMap
The MapInfo Graph window (Window>New Graph Window) is quite
different to Discovers GraphMap, with the following major points of
difference.
data can be selected in a Discover Graph, and the corresponding points
viewed in a Map Window.
thematic maps can be created for Discover graphs, but not for MapInfo
graphs.
234 Discover Reference Manual
GraphMap creates graphs in a Map Window allowing the normal mapper
operations (zooming, annotating, colouring) to be carried out. Formatting
options in MapInfos graph window are limited.
GraphMap, however, is not dynamic (if the source data changes, the graph
must be re-created).
Introduction to GraphMap
GraphMap provides the capability to view and manipulate numerical attribute
data in common graphical formats, and also view the linked data in the base
table. The following graph formats are available:
XY Scatter - Optionally log transform either or both series. Summary
statistics are displayed for both variables. This includes measures of
correlation and linear regression. Note that the calculation of some
statistical values (eg variance) requires a power transform (square of the
data value) that can overflow the integer range of MapInfo.
Histogram - Normal or log. Summary statistics are displayed in the graph
window.
Probability - Normal or log. Summary statistics are displayed in the graph
window.
Rose/Kite - Radius is proportional to frequency or square root of
frequency. Use this graph type for displaying the distribution of angular
data such as flow direction.
Ternary Provides an option to normalize the 3 data series used.
Stereogram Display structural measurements in either equal-area or
stereographic projections as poles to planes, cyclographic traces and
lineations.
Template - Template graphs allow you to generate multiple graphs from a
data series by using templates of predefined graphs. It offers a way of batch
generating a number of different graphs in one operation.
The graph is created as a Map Window in a separate table to the base data.
Geological Data Processing 235
235
Lead and Zinc values from a soil survey have been plotted in a scatter graph. Samples with high Pb and Zn
values have been selected in the graph and the corresponding points are shown in the map.
Starting GraphMap
Using GraphMap is very simple. Just select the type of graph that you wish to
plot, and the table from which you wish to graph data (it need not even be a
mappable table).
GraphMap control and configuration dialog
Click OK and a dialog specific to the graph type is displayed. By default, the
graph is created in a table called Graph1, and axes and labels are placed in a
236 Discover Reference Manual
table called Graph1A. Both tables are created in the Discover Temporary
folder. If you wish to keep your graph for later use, then use the Save As button
to nominate table names.
After a graph has been displayed, you can select the GraphMap>Respecify
Current Graph menu item to alter parameters such as axis scales, or data
columns for the graph. This means you can quickly and easily visually explore
your attribute data in graph space.
Alternatively, you can re-use a graph created in a previous session of
GraphMap. Choose Open a Table from the Graph from Table List in the
Setup dialog. Discover then attempts to link the selected graph to its original
source data. If the link cannot be established (for example, if the source data
table has been moved) then an error message is displayed and a different table
must be selected.
If the link to the original source data can be re-established, then the appropriate
menu items are enabled and GraphMap can process graph <--> map selections
and creation of ranges.
Specifying scatter graph parameters
Graph Scaling
All of the graphs created by Discover are created in Non-Earth Map Windows
in cm units. However, different graph types have different default sizes as
follows:
Geological Data Processing 237
237
XY Scatter The scatter graph defaults to equal length X and Y axes of
100 cm. You can change the X and Y axis lengths as well as the data range
for these axes whilst specifying graph parameters.
Histogram and Probability Histograms and probability plots default to
equal length X and Y axes of 20 cm. You can change the X and Y axis
lengths as well as the X axis data range whilst specifying graph parameters.
Rose Rose and Kite diagrams default to a radius of 20 cm, which can be
changed when specifying graph display parameters
Ternary Ternary diagrams default to a size of approximately 1 cm.
Stereogram Stereograms default to a radius of 20 cm, that can be
changed when specifying graph display parameters.
Note By maintaining a fixed size of graph, you can use a template created elsewhere
(such as scanned in from paper) to display for example phase partitions for
petrological or mineralogical analysis. The template can be sized accordingly
and placed in the map as a separate layer.
Multiple Graphs from Unique Column Values
For any of the graph types, you can specify a column to create multiple graphs
from. Discover examines the different values in the column and produces a
different graph for each set of records grouped by the column value. Using this
feature, it would be easy to display a separate scattergraph of Pb-Zn for each
different rock value in the lithology column for a geochemical survey.
Viewing Graph Selections in the Map Window
When you select one or more objects from the GraphMap graph window, the
corresponding objects in the source data are not automatically highlighted. You
must choose the GraphMap>Select Graph>Table menu option. MapInfo can
only highlight selections from one table at a time, so that when Discover selects
and highlights the source data objects, the corresponding graph objects are re-
displayed in the Selected graph objects object style (as defined in the main
dialog). The fill style is used for histogram and rose/kite selections.
Similarly, when you have selected one or more objects from the source data
table and wish to see them highlighted in the graph, choose the
GraphMap>Select Table>Graph menu option.
238 Discover Reference Manual
To remove the selected graph objects from the graph, choose the
GraphMap>Remove Graph Selection menu option.
The Select Table>All Graphs menu item allows you to select data from a table
on all graph types that contain that data. This option is useful when you wish to
identify particualar records from a data table on an X/Y scatter graph for
example.
The Select Graph>All Related Graphs option allows you to perform the same
action as above however instead of selecting the data from a table it selects all
common data points on all related graph types.
Making a Ranged Thematic Map for GraphMap
For the distribution graphs (histogram, probability, rose/kite) you should use the
Create Thematic Map function in MapInfo to make a ranged thematic map.
Each graph object has a From and To value in the X and Y columns in the
Graph table. Use the GraphMap>Apply Ranges to Table menu option to
apply this thematic map to a Map Window view of the base data.
Making an Individual Thematic Map for GraphMap
For the other types of graphs (scatter, ternary and stereogram), the multivariate
nature of the graph means that a ranged thematic map cannot easily be
constructed. Instead, use the GraphMap>Add Range menu option to add a
range for the group of currently selected graph points. Select points for the next
group and so on, finally applying the thematic map to the base data with
GraphMap>Apply Ranges to Table when the ranges are completed. As
ranges are added, the legend window is updated to show the status of the
thematic mapping. The ranges are named as range1, range2 etc, and reflect the
attribute value in the column named D2GMR of the Graph table.
When the thematic map is applied to a source data table, Discover must firstly
write the range attributes to the source data (and a new column must be added
for this attribute) prior to the thematic map being created. If the source data is a
permanent table and can be written to, the table structure is altered, otherwise (if
the graphed data is from a query or otherwise read-only) then the range
attributes are placed in a temporary column.
GraphMap Hints
When you have selected items on a graph, and highlighted the source
objects on the map, it is often useful to add the selection as a layer in the
Geological Data Processing 239
239
map (use the Enhanced Layer Control or alternatively choose the Layer
Control from the Map Menu). You can then alter the styles of the selected
objects.
you can create one or more templates that follow a classification scheme
(for example, for igneous petrology). Discovers graphs are always plotted
out at the same size (unless you change this), so you are able to use the
template as a layer for each diagram that you create with Discover. By
making regions on the template you can then use Assign Values to quickly
add the appropriate classification to each sample on the graph.
the graph is a normal map window and may be inserted as a frame into the
layout window, to accompany a frame of source data.
if you are graphing a selection, then the selection must be an explicit layer
in a map window (such as Query4) in order to be able to apply a thematic
map from the graph back to the source data map.
Graph Templates
Discover>GraphMap>Setup
Encom Discover can retain the properties of the various graph formats within
graph templates. Templates save the necessary information for any graph type
to create, save and then reuse without having to redo the setup procedure. It is
possible to create one or more templates that follow a classification scheme (for
example, for igneous petrology) and then reapply it to produce consistent and
reproducible graph displays.
Discovers graphs are always plotted at the same size (unless you alter the scale
etc), so you are able to use the template as a layer for each diagram that you
create. By defining regions with a template you can then use Assign Values to
quickly add the appropriate classification to each sample on the graph.
Creating a Template
To create a template, select Discover>GraphMap>Setup and from the
displayed dialog, select the table. Choose the table and specify the Graph Type
as Template (Multiple). Click the OK button when completed. Enter the
parameters required depending on the graph type selected. Click on Select
Fields to enter the required fields you wish to graph. After configuring the
graph, you can then press the Save Template button and save the template of
the designed graph.
240 Discover Reference Manual
To save a template you first need to create a graph in the standard way and then
save the graph settings to a template file. Once the template file has been saved
you can then reuse it at any stage by using the Template (multiple) option.
Graph Property dialog with the ability to save templates.
Restoring A Template
To restore templates and apply them to other datasets, again display the
GraphMap setup dialog (Discover>GraphMap>Setup ). Select the Template
(Multiple) item and specify the table to be used for the graph.
Specify the table of data to be graphed and select the Template(Multiple) option to use a template.
Once the Setup dialog has been congfigured to use a Template (Multiple), press
the OK button. The Template Graph Generation dialog is displayed in which
you can select a saved template from a previous GraphMap session. Choose the
required Graph Type and the relevant template listed in the Available
Templates list. Highlight the required template and move it to the Selected
Templates to Plot list.
Geological Data Processing 241
241
The Template Graph Generation dialog allowing selection of previously created graphs.
Multiple templates can be placed in the Selected list. You can either Edit or Plot
the selected templates. If you choose the Edit button, the relevant Graph
Properties property dialog is displayed to permit changes to be made to the
template configuration.
Once changes to the graph properties are completed, press OK and return to the
Template Graph Generation dialog. Press the Plot button to create plots of the
requested templates. As you can select multiple graph types and associate these
with different templates, you can create multiple graphs in a single operation.
Multiple data ranges can also be created and applied across multiple graphs
using templates.
Selection of Data Fields
Discover provides a method of selecting the required data fields to carry over
onto each graph so more detailed comparisons can be made bewteen graphs and
data tables. To select multiple data fields, select the Discover>GraphMap
>Setup menu option and choose the table and graph type. Press the OK button.
In the Plot Parameters dialog, once columns have been assigned, place a tick in
the Multiple Graphs section and select the base column for all the graphs to be
created. In the Multiple Graphs dialog, select the values (maximum of 10) from
the base column from which the graphs are to be created and click OK.
Discover creates the graph for each of the selected values.
242 Discover Reference Manual
Muliple Graph creation and control dialog.
Standard Map Colouring
Discover>Colour Maps
Use Discover to create a standard colour table for your polygon maps. Use this
table to automatically assign colours to individual polygons in your polygon
tables either as a permanent colour, or as a thematic shade.
Colour Maps adds a separate menu to the MapInfo menu bar. From the
ColourMap>Setup menu item, there are four choices available:
Select colour table - Choose this action to select an existing colour table.
Create empty colour table - This is useful if you need to manually build a
colour table, from a list of colours in a different format.
Create colour table from existing map - Choose this action to examine
an existing map and build a colour table from the map objects. The
existing map can even be a non-mappable table, such as a table of drill
lithologies.
Colour from thematic map - With this option, Discover colours map
objects to be the same as those in a nominated associated thematic map. A
Discover colour table may also be built at the same time.
Geological Data Processing 243
243
Colour Map maintenance and creation
For the last option, a colour table does not need to be specified. For the other
options, once a colour table has been chosen, the Edit Colour Table and
Colour Map menu items are enabled.
In order to colour a map or add colours as a thematic layer to the map, choose
the Colour Map menu item. By default Discover expects you to colour region
objects, however you can also colour lines, points or text objects using the
selected colour table. This can be very useful to, for example, colour RAB hole
collars with the bottom of hole lithology.
A powerful use of Colour Maps ability to display a colour table as a thematic
map is to have multiple colour tables representing variables such as lithology,
tectonic setting, grade of metamorphism, alteration etc. The map window can
then quickly be refreshed to show the appropriate variable, with MapInfos
thematic map legend window displaying a key for the map.
The Discover AutoShade function is also an important tool to use in
conjunction with Colour Maps.
Note When creating Colour Maps, both colour and polygon code columns must be
of the same layer type (that is, both CHARACTER). This is due to the colour
table of MapInfo being created using CHARACTER fields.
Shading a Map with MapInfos Thematic Map Window
Polygon maps can be quickly shaded using MapInfo's standard thematic
mapping functions. For example, you can ask MapInfo to shade each polygon
unit a different colour according to a field called MapCode, which may contain
codes like "Czc, Pkc, d, dl".
244 Discover Reference Manual
This brings about the following problems:
you have little control over the initial colours chosen by MapInfo.
it is a long-winded process to customize the colours each time you want to
colour a map.
it is difficult to apply a colour pattern created for one table to another table.
there is an upper limit to the number of units you can shade at once.
there may be no consistency in the colours chosen from session to session.
Colouring Polygons with Discover
Discover overcomes these problems by allowing you to build a standard table of
polygon fill colours and then colouring each polygon unit in a map according to
these standards. When we refer to a polygon map, we are referring to a map of
region objects, each of which has an attribute code to identify it. This code
would be, for example, a standard abbreviation for a specific rock unit (for
example, "Czc" for Cainozoic). The polygon map could thus be geology,
geomorphology, vegetation, land tenure, demographic regions etc.
You also need a good idea of what colour you are going to assign to each
polygon map code. MapInfo uses the 24 bit RGB method of colour definition,
whereby the Red, Green and Blue components of a colour are each specified in
the range 0 - 255 to give a maximum of 16.7 million colours.
Whether or not your monitor or printer can display all these colour
combinations, and whether or not the shades they display are correct, depends
upon the hardware available. For example, many VGA systems display only
256 colours out of the full range of 16.7 million. In this case, the map window
does not display colours as they would appear from a colour printer. Higher
performance video cards that display 16.7 million colours or more (referred to
as 24-bit, 32-bit or true-colour video cards) are readily available.
You may find it useful to use a colour chart when assigning colours to map
codes. An example of a colour chart is that supplied with the HP DesignJet
series of printers. This chart may be printed at A0 size and shows 255 colours
with their corresponding RGB values.
Creating a Colour Table from an Existing Map
If you selected the Create colour table from existing map option and
specified the polygon table to use, you are then asked whether to use existing
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colours in the polygon table as the basis for the new colour table. In
most cases you should answer yes to this. This allows you to create a
complete colour table from an already coloured map, and then use it
to colour other maps, or to make modifications to colours in the
existing map.
Discover makes a list of the different codes in the polygon table and
draws a map code label and rectangle filled with the existing colour
for each of the map codes into a new map window. If the map that
you are creating the colour table from has no colouring, or is not
mappable, then all of the rectangles have a null fill style. You may
want to create a colour table for a non-mappable table such as
drillhole lithologies, or a list of rock types obtained from a text file.
In order to add colours or edit the existing colours, work your way
down the list of map codes, selecting a map code rectangle and
applying a colour to the rectangle using the standard MapInfo region
style button or the Options>Regions Style menu option. To create a
custom colour in MapInfo, select the colour square at the bottom right
of the colours list and then specify the RGB/HSV values. An example
of a list of codes and associated colours follows.
When you have assigned a colour to each map code rectangle, choose
the ColourMap>Build Colour Table menu option. You can also edit
the colours in the colour table as described below (ColourMap>Edit
Colour Table).
When the colour table is built, Discover examines each of the map
code rectangles and inserts the RGB values for the colour that you
have chosen into columns in the colour table. Columns Fore_Red,
Fore_Green and Fore_Blue are filled with details of the foreground
colour selected. If you have chosen a patterned colour, the pattern
number is inserted into column Pattern and background RGB values
into Back_Red, Back_Green and Back_Blue.
The colour table is created with extra columns (Desc1, Desc2, Desc3)
into which you can put legend text, so that these columns from the
colour table can be used with Discovers Legend generator lookup
feature.
You can select a different line style for the border of each map code polygon if you wish.
The line style parameters are stored in columns Pen_Red, Pen_Green, Pen_Blue,
Pen_Pattern and Pen_Width.
246 Discover Reference Manual
Creating a Colour Table from a Thematic Map
If you selected the Colour from thematic map option and selected a colour
table to create, then Discover automically performs this task. The colour table
can be created from a thematic map of any type of map object (regions, lines,
points etc). However, the thematic map must be an Individual type and not a
numeric type such as Ranged or Graduated.
As the colour table is created, the map objects are coloured at the same time.
You do not need to nominate a column to use as this is defined in the Thematic
Map description.
Editing the Colour Table
Once the colour table has been created, or if it already exists in the correct
format (with RGB values specified for each map code), you can choose the
ColourMap>Edit Colour Table menu option for easy editing of individual
colour assignments. Selecting this menu option brings up a list of the various
codes and style pickers. When you have altered a style, click on the Accept
button to write the change to the colour table.
Colour Table specification dialog
If you have more global changes to make to the colour table, such as altering
the patterns for a number of codes, this is best done with the Browser window
and select/update menu commands.
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If you want to edit the colour table without using the Edit Colour Table menu
option, you need to know which patterns and line styles correspond to which
numbers. Line styles are from 1 to 77, with style 1 equivalent to no style, 2 solid
and so on, in step with MapInfos pen style picker. Pattern styles range between
1 and 71, with values 9-11 unavailable. Like the pen styles, pattern 1 is
invisible, 2 is solid and so on in accordance with MapInfos brush style picker.
If you import RGB values from another source, and you wish to make the hatch
pattern transparent, ensure that the product of Back_Red, Back_Green and
Back_Blue is negative (for example, make one of them -1, and the others
positive).
Colouring Maps with the Selected Colour Table
Once you have selected an existing colour table from the ColourMap>Setup
dialog, you can choose the ColourMap>Colour Map menu option to apply
colours to map objects. Note that this action is automatically performed when
colouring from a Thematic Map as described above.
Discover can apply the colour in one of two ways:
using the Shade Quickview option to display the selected polygon table
thematically shaded with the colour table; or
applying the colouring as permanent display attributes of the map objects.
During the colouring, a status message is displayed describing which map codes
are currently being coloured and which colour is being applied. If you are
colouring from a batch list, the tables are processed in alphabetical order.
You can use the geology map TESTGEOL in the Discover tutorial folder to see
how the program works. Choose this table and ask Discover to create a new
colour table. After altering the colours and building the table, browse the colour
table to see the RGB values.
If you need a legend created for the coloured polygon map, you should use
Discovers automatic Legend Generator (see Map Making).
Thematic Shading of the Map with the Colour Table
Checking the Shade Quickview option uses MapInfos normal Thematic
Mapping functions to quickly colour the map objects. This method of colouring
is quick, and provides a MapInfo thematic legend window but is limited to a
maximum of 255 different codes in the colour table.
248 Discover Reference Manual
One advantage of using the Shade Quickview is when you need to have
multiple colour schemes for a map, you can easily change from one colour
scheme to another.
Choosing Tables to Colour
To apply colours as permanent display styles to map objects, simply choose the
map tables to apply colours to and the column in the map tables which contains
the colour code.
If you have more than one table to colour, choose Build batch list and select
tables from a list of open tables. Using the batch mode, you can colour any
number of tables in one run. You must also select the appropriate column in the
polygon table that holds the map code.
Colouring Different Object Types
Colour Maps colour any type of map object, not just regions. Although the
colour table stores foreground, background and border styles for each code,
other objects are coloured as follows:
Ellipses, Rectangles, Rounded Rectangles coloured using the region
styles;
Polylines, Lines, Arcs coloured using the region border style;
Points coloured using the region foreground colour. Other symbol style
parameters are unchanged; and
Text coloured using the region foreground colour, and the region
background colour if the text has a box or halo style. Other text style
parameters are unchanged.
If your map tables contain a mixture of attributed object types, then you can
select to colour only one type of object (such as regions or lines). Normally
however, you leave this option set to colour all object types. This option is not
available for Quickview shading.
Structural Data Map Window
Discover>Structure Symbols
Discovers Structural Data Map Window allows you to display structural data
as oriented structural symbols from a symbol library. The structural
Geological Data Processing 249
249
measurement data can be read in from a data file, or directly input with the
digitizer/mouse and keyboard.
Introduction to Structural Data Map Window
The symbols are stored in a TrueType font that should be available in
MapInfos symbol picker, along with the other TrueType symbol fonts that ship
with MapInfo and Discover. If the symbol font is unavailable, then Discover
uses normal text instead of the symbols. The True Type fonts should be
installed during the Discover installation procedure, but if they are unavailable
in MapInfo then check the Windows Control Panel, Fonts.
The Structural Data Map Window offers two different ways to process
structural data. Firstly, the measurements can be read from columns in a normal
MapInfo table (such as a spreadsheet, text file or Access database table). This
method provides a simple method for creating as many symbols as necessary in
one go.
Alternatively, you can digitize structural measurements into a map window one
at a time. This is useful when you have measurements on a map that has not
been transcribed to a file. In this case, the measurement location is taken from
the digitized point (whether from a digitizer or mouse) and a dialog box is
displayed requesting input for structural data for that location.
A list of structural codes used by Discover is shown at the end of this section
and in Appendix C. The STRUCIDX table in the Discover_Tutorial\Other
Data folder is an example of data in a suitable format.
Structural Data Map Window Display Options
Discover provides three structural symbol font files for Australian, Canadian
and US structural symbols. These are available as symbol libraries from the
Structural Data Mapper and called:
Australian Structural Symbols (modified by AGSO);
Canadian Structural Symbols (modified by the GSC); and
USA Structural Symbols (modified by USGS).
A full table of symbols for the Australian, US and Canadian symbol sets,
together with Discover structural codes and keyboard codes, is given in
Appendix C of this manual.
250 Discover Reference Manual
The MapInfo>Options>Symbol Style option provides access to these libraries
referred to as ET_Structural, ET_Struct_Canada and ET_Structural_USA
respectively. You can choose which symbol library to use, and if this is
different to that used previously, Discover asks for confirmation.
You also have the option of choosing whether the azimuth information for
structural readings is processed as Dip Direction or Strike. For strike, azimuths
are interpreted as being recorded using the right hand rule. Thus all strikes are
converted to dip directions by adding 90.
Many structural codes measure the direction of plunge rather than a strike or dip
direction (for example lineations and fold axes), and for these codes the azimuth
information is always used as plunge direction regardless of whether strike or
dip direction has been selected.
You must nominate which columns in the structural data table contain the
required data (or which columns to add data to if digitizing new data points).
The structural data table must have numeric columns for the following (column
position and column names are not important):
easting and Northing of measurement location;
dip direction or strike of measurement;
dip or plunge; and
Discover Structure Code.
If you are digitizing data into a new table, then Discover can create it for you
with the correct columns, ready for use. If there is a map window open, then the
new table is assigned the coordinate system of this map window and opened in
this Map Window. Otherwise you need to nominate the coordinate system to
use for the new table.
Your input data may also include other useful information such as sample
numbers, site ID, lithology etc. This information is not used by Discover in the
Structural Data Mapper.
Discover also provides control over how the symbols should be displayed. You
can select from the normal symbol formatting options including symbol size,
colour and style (such as bold). You can also select whether to display
dip/plunge labels as MapInfo labels, as text labels (in which case size and map
scale must be entered) or not to display them.
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The Structural Data Map Window dialog
Symbol and Label Style
As the structural symbols are TrueType font symbols, you have the normal text
formatting control over the appearance. The symbols are scale invariant so that
they remain the same size on the screen (or paper) regardless of the map scale.
The dip/plunge text can be displayed either as MapInfo object labels or as text
objects stored in the cosmetic layer. The first option uses the normal MapInfo
method to produce scale invariant labels. When object labels are created in this
way, they must be saved with a workspace if you wish to use them at a later
date. If you have chosen the text in cosmetic layer option, the text size is
relative to a specified output scale and so must be resized if you wish to view it
at a different scale. With this latter option, you can save the labels to a specific
table for later use.
The symbols can easily be moved around, if required, and the symbol table
contains the dip (as well as other data) as attributes, so that the symbols can
easily be re-labelled at a later date if necessary.
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Displaying Structural Data Processed from a Table
When the OK button is clicked from the main dialog box, the input data table is
read and structural symbols created. Whilst processing the structural data, the
message window informs you how much has been completed. After all the data
points have been plotted, a map window is displayed.
Displaying Structural Data by Digitizing
If digitizing structural measurements one at a time, then a new menu DigStruct
is added to the MapInfo menu bar when you click OK from the main dialog.
The output table should be in the front map window and be editable. For each
structural measurement that you wish to digitize, you can either digitize a point
at the required location (using the normal MapInfo point drawing tool) or
digitize a line (using the normal MapInfo line tool).
As a point or line is digitized, the data entry dialog is displayed. If you digitized
a line, then the dip direction, plunge or strike azimuth of that line is displayed in
the appropriate box. You then need to enter only the structure type and the dip.
Entering Structural Data for a new Point
The symbol/label style is as previously selected, however you can alter the style
for each symbol. Appropriate attributes easting and northing of the digitized
point, dip direction/strike/plunge, dip angle and structure code are inserted
into the record when the structural symbol is created.
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253
Dip and Plunge Angles
A dip or plunge value may be entered for most of the structural types that
Discover supports, though some (such as wrench faults, trend lines, monocline
etc) cannot have a dip value.
Discover expects a value to be entered for dip between 0 and 90. However,
there are instances where a dip has not been measured for a variety of reasons.
But because dip values are stored in numeric columns, you cannot use a blank
for the dip as it is stored as zero, indicating a horizontal structure.
When digitizing structure measurements, leave the dip entry blank to indicate
no dip measurement was taken. Discover stores a value of 99 in the dip
column. If processing structural measurements from a table, then ensure that
values of 99 are in the correct fields.
If Discover finds a null dip value, no dip label is displayed.
Structural Symbol Codes
Structural symbols are based on those described in the Australian Geological
Survey Organisation (AGSO) mapping style guide, with the addition of extra
symbols such as schistosity, L1-L3 lineations, general trend line. A full table of
symbols for the Australian, US and Canadian symbol sets, together with
Discover structural codes and keyboard codes, is given in Appendix C of this
manual.
Note For a number of structure types, such as bedding or cleavage, Discover uses
different symbols for horizontal and vertical dip.
Discover Code
1 Bedding
2 Overturned bedding
3 Bedding Facing
4 - 6 Cleavage s1 - s3
7 Not currently used
8 Lineation (general)
9 - 11 Lineation L1 - L3
12 Bedding-Cleavage Intersection
13 Crenulation
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14 Mineral Alignment
15 Banding/Platy Alignment
16 Joint
17 Foliation
18 - 20 Anticline f1-f3
21 - 22 Overturned and recumbent Anticlines
23 - 25 Syncline f1-f3
26 - 27 Overturned and recumbent Synclines
28 - 30 Normal Faults
31 Thrust Fault
32 - 33 Shear Zones
34 Fault Zone breccia
35 Trend Line
36 Parallel lines
37 - 38 Veins (open and closed)
39 - 41 Oriented drill collars
42 Fault gouge
43 - 44 Wrench Faults
45 Columnar Joint
46 Bedding (facing unknown)
47 - 48 Undulating/Deformed bedding
49 - 51 Foliation d1-d3
52 - 54 Bedding/Cleavage parallel s1-s3
55 - 56 Plunge of Bedding/Cleavage (s1-s2) intersection
58 Monocline
59-65 Minor Folds
66-67 Assymetric Fold verging
68-71 Fold vergence
72-74 Minor Fold vergence
75-76 Boudins/Chert contortions plunge
77 Mylonitic foliation
78 Eutaxitic foliation
79-80 Glacial Striae
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Tenement Searches
Discover>Tenements>Searches
Query a tenement data set by any of the holder, date or type attributes. The
resulting query is named for the type of query issued. The tenement data may
also be shaded by a range of date attributes.
The Discover>Tenements sub-menu may have entries for other Discover
applications such as the Minmet link and Australian EL Applications, if these
program files are present.
Tenement Data
Encom Technology supplies exploration licence data every month for
Australian states in a format suitable for using with the tenement query module
of Discover. Alternatively, you can modify the structure of your own tenement
tables (whether Australian or international) so that they work with Discover.
You can query the tenement coverage by any combination of Holder (or
licensee - commonly a company name), Type (Application, Granted or
Moratorium) or Date (of application, grant or expiry). If Discover cannot find
the required fields in the table the search is not carried out.
You can have the tenement tables open already, or Discover can open them for
you. A dialog is presented which allows you to choose the search parameters.
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The Tenement Query dialog
Licence Table and Licence Type
You should select the table to search from the list in the Licence Table
pulldown list. If the table you want to search is not present, then you should edit
the file EXNAMES.CFG (see below), or just open the table. The table name
aliases are stored in the file EXNAMES.CFG, located in your Discover Config
Directory. This text file contains a list of table names and their aliases,
separated by commas (for example, TAS_EX, Tasmanian ELs). You should edit
this file to allow aliases for your table names to be displayed.
If the table names in EXNAMES.CFG are not fully pathed, then Discover looks
in the Tenement Files Directory as specified through the configuration menu
item.
You also need to choose which licence type (Application, Granted or
Moratorium) to search for; by default, Discover searches for licences of all
types. If you do not further refine the search, the resulting selection is called
APPLICAT, GRANTED or ALL_LIC. In the latter case, the selection includes
all records from the tenement table.
You can also optionally enter a range of tenement numbers to search between.
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257
Company Name
One way to search for licences of a particular company or holder is to enter part
of the holders name. You need enter only enough of the name for it to be
unique. This search is not case sensitive and so you can enter ash to select
Ashton, though this also selects Ashley Brown and Ashbourne Mining.
Alternatively, click the Get List of Companies checkbox and Discover
compiles a list of all companies holding tenements for that table and displays
them in a pulldown list. If the tenement table is quite large, this may take a few
seconds. Select the required holder from the list.
Some data sets have multiple columns for holders. To search in these other
columns, select a number other than 1 in the Primary Title Holder pulldown
list.
Discover also allows you to set-up a series of Alias names which group a series
of related company names together. For example, you could set up an alias
called NOREX which might include Normandy, North Flinders, PosGold etc.
Using the Alias facility, you can then easily search for all tenements in which
any group company has an interest.
To set up one or more aliases, you must add a record to the table ELNAMEAL
(in the Discover Configuration folder) and enter the appropriate details.
Dates
For date searches, you can choose between application, grant or expiry date
(assuming the appropriate columns exist in your data). Specify the date range to
search between, with dates entered in the format appropriate for your operating
system - for example, 31/09/95 for non-US formats. By default, the From and
To boxes are filled with the current date. Discover identifies all licences that
expire within the specified date range, and displays them according to the
parameters set.
If the search is by date alone then the search result is called DATESRCH.
Otherwise, the search result is named after the holder name as described below.
Shading By Date
If you choose to Shade by Date, you have the option of shading the application,
grant or expiry date by month, quarter or year between specified dates (which
258 Discover Reference Manual
default to a range from the current date to the maximum date found for that
column).
If you choose Shade by Quarter, a temporary column is added to the tenement
table to hold the quarter number. Because of this, a shade that is saved with
Auto-Shade is unlikely to work with other data sets. For the Shade by Month
or Shade by Year options, the shade settings may be saved with Auto-Shade
and used with other data sets.
Display Parameters
Normally, you choose Add to Map Window as the display option. This causes
the results of the search to be displayed in a temporary table on top of the base
table. You should specify a fill and/or line colour to differentiate the search
results in the map window. The first word of the search string you type in (for
example, the Riotinto of Riotinto Exploration) is used as the name for a new
map layer holding the licences selected.
If there is no map open, Discover opens a new map to display the search results.
If you choose Highlight only the search result is held as a normal MapInfo
query table and is displayed in the default highlight shade whilst still selected. If
no map window is open, this option does not cause one to be displayed.
The selected tenements and their associated attributes can also be examined in a
browser window (that is opened if requested).
An example of multiple tenement searches using Discover
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259
Multiple Searches
You can repeat the search procedure multiple times, specifying a different
colour for licensees or date periods that you are interested in.
If you wish to perform multiple date-only searches, then you need to save the
DATESRCH layer and then re-open it, prior to repeating the search.
Australian Exploration Tenement Applications
Discover>Tenements>Applications
Generate sub-block listings for exploration licence applications, complete with
the relevant forms to send to state mines departments.
Discover can generate exploration licence applications for WA, NT, QLD, SA
and NSW. Please contact Encom Technology if you would like this facility to
be extended to other states or countries.
Graticular Exploration Licence Descriptions
Discover can generate exploration licence descriptions for those Australian
states that use a graticular sub-block system. The graticules are 1 minute blocks
and are referenced to a mapsheet and in most cases to a larger 5 minute block.
You should refer to documentation from the Mines Department of the states or
territory for a full description of graticular references.
The application areas and forms generated by Discover may or may not be
accepted by the relevant departments in each state or territory as a valid
application. Users of Discover should make themselves aware of the
requirements in each state or territory, and check the data prepared by Discover
prior to submitting it to the relevant authorities.
Using Discover, you define an application over an area. This is stored as a
region, along with other relevant details, in a MapInfo table. You can store
multiple applications in one MapInfo table. Each application is named on a
prospect basis (for example, Winter Hill, Blakes Find). The areas for the
application are defined either by pointing with the mouse or by keying in the
block and sub-block details.
260 Discover Reference Manual
Discover then checks that each block requested is in the same state as the rest of
the application, and builds a description of the area based on the mapsheet and
graticular reference.
The details are stored with each sub-block, and can then be compiled into an EL
application report.
Setting Up
A new menu, EL Application, is added to the MapInfo menu bar. You should
have a map window open, covering the area for which you wish to make the
application. Choose the EL Application>Set Up menu item and the following
dialogs are displayed.
Note The state in which the Map Window is centred is shown on the dialog and it is
this state for which the application is generated.
Note also that some states require EL Applications to be lodged with AGD66
coodinate system and others with the AGD84 or GDA94 systems. The initial
Set-Up dialog allows this selection:
It can be particularly useful to display the current exploration tenements (as
supplied monthly by Encom Technology) or other tenement data. You can then
make applications over vacant ground, or prepare an application covering parts
of a tenement you know expires in the near future.
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261
EL Applications set-up dialog
Choose New Table to create a new applications table, or Existing Table to
append the current application to an existing table. When making your first
application, you need to specify a new table to hold the applications. You
should then enter an Application Area Name. If you are using an existing table,
the names of the applications held in it are displayed in a pulldown list. You can
choose from the existing applications in the selected table or enter a new name.
Normally you would want to make the application using the Point on map
option, pointing to vacant blocks on the map with the mouse. You can
alternatively select Key-In that allows you to build up an application by
explicitly specifying the map-sheets, blocks and sub-blocks required.
Defining an Application Area by Pointing with the Mouse
You are now ready to use the + tool that has been added to the end of the
Main button pad. Simply click with the mouse at each point you would like to
add a sub-block. Discover adds the sub-block in the colour youve specified,
and (apart from South Australia) draws the surrounding 5 x 5 block boundary
together with the block number.
Continue to click and define the application. Discover issues a warning if you
approach the nominal limit of sub-blocks allowed for the state. To delete a sub-
262 Discover Reference Manual
block, click on it a second time. To select all 25 sub-blocks in a given block,
hold down the SHIFT key when you click.
You can use the EL Application>Draw Grid menu item to draw a quick grid
with lines every 1 minute. Alternatively, you can generate a proper map grid
using Discover>Map Grid. Sub-block labels can be displayed for the current
application with the EL Application>Show Sub-block Labels menu option.
Defining an Application by Keying in the Description
Note This option is available only for WA, QLD, NT and NSW.
When the Key-In option is chosen for WA, QLD, NT or NSW, the dialog
shown below is displayed.
In order to define the EL Application area by sub-block references, you need to
have knowledge of the 1:1 000 000 map sheets and the block identification
method. These details are available from the various state mines departments.
The area is defined by listing the sub-blocks required in each 5 x 5 block. You
need to take the following steps:
1. Select the 1:1 000 000 map sheet from the pulldown list. The map sheet that
covers the current map window is presented as default.
2. Enter the required block number (between 1 and 3456).
3. Specify the sub-blocks required for this block. Check each of the sub-blocks
required. Use the All button to select all 25 sub-blocks, or the Clear button
to clear the selection. Alternatively use the edit box to type in a list of sub-
blocks. Any entry in this box overrides the checkbox settings.
4. Click the Add button to add the block and sub-blocks to the list.
5. Repeat for each block/sub-block until the area has been defined.
To edit the list of blocks, select a line from the list and click the Edit or Delete
button. Choosing the Edit button makes that block description current, so that
the sub-block checklist and the block number may be altered accordingly. Make
the alterations required then click the Add button to place that block description
back in the list.
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263
Click OK when the application description is complete and Discover builds the
exploration tenement region and displays it in the current map window.
Creating a Report
When the application area is complete, select the EL Application>Report
menu option. Discover asks you which application area in the applications table
to report on (a new application area is at the bottom of the list) and leads you
through a series of dialogs requesting details for the application. If you make an
error whilst filling in these dialogs, you can rectify it in a text editor (such as
Notepad) or use the forward/backward arrows on the dialog if available.
The details requested by Discover vary according to the state in which you are
making an application. For full details on the state legislation and requirements
for making an EL application in each state please visit the appropriate website.
After the report details have been entered, Discover merges the sub-blocks and
checks whether the area is contiguous. If it is not, then Discover alerts you to
this situation and asks if you wish to continue. If you do continue and produce a
report, a note to this effect is placed at the end of the report. Discover also
generates a new table automatically that contains a list of the corner coordinates
of the EL application. These points can be added to the map and labelled to
mark the tenement application area
After the details have been completed, Discover generates the required report,
complete with a listing of the sub-blocks applied for.
WA Form 21 Attachments 1 and 2
If you are making an application for an area in WA, Discover automatically
generates the Form 21 Attachments 1 and 2 showing the application areas, in a
format ready to be sent to the Mines Department.
The Form 21 attachments are generated from tables shipped with Discover, and
are presented in the layout window sized for A4 paper in portrait orientation.
You just need to check that your printer setup is correct before printing the
layout window.
265
Metadata Management
What is Metadata?
Metadata Manager
Updating Metdata
Spatial Catalogue
Glossary of Terms
Metadata Management 267
13 Using Metadata to Manage and Explore
MapInfo Databases
What is Metadata and Why do we Need it?
Metadata is information that relates to a dataset and describes some
characteristics of that dataset. Thus metadata may describe the ownership of the
dataset, the source, the last date edited, the project that the dataset belongs to
and so forth.
It is important to maintain up-to-date metadata for corporate datasets for the
following reasons:
Maintain a set of reference information about the dataset;
Keep an audit trail of dataset edits;
Keep track of data ownership and copyright;
Allow the metadata to be searched to extract all datasets meeting a set of
criteria;
Allow the various datasets to be explored by examining metadata values;
and
Judicious use of metadata can save storing vast amounts of duplicate data
in each record in a table (such as UTM zone or project name).
Metadata has traditionally been stored in an ad hoc fashion. That is, as text files
in the same folder as the dataset, or as paper records - or not at all. With
metadata in this form, it is easy for the metadata to become separated from the
dataset and thus lost, and it becomes very difficult to search the metadata.
How does MapInfo Deal with Metadata
MapInfo stores metadata as text items in a tables .TAB file. With this format,
the metadata is always kept with the dataset, regardless of whether the dataset is
moved, renamed or copied. Furthermore, the metadata is stored using a
hierarchical key structure, so that the metadata structure can have different
levels of significance or importance.
The metadata that MapInfo stores in the TAB files cannot be displayed in the
standard MapInfo user interface (apart from using tablemgr.mbx installed by
MapInfo in the tools folder). Although the metadata can be edited or added
268 Discover Reference Manual
manually (by editing the TAB file) it should always be added or edited using
Mapbasic procedures that ensure the integrity of the metadata structure is
maintained.
Each metadata key has a name and a value. For example, a metadata key may
be named Source\Copyright and have a value AGSO 1997.
The Metadata Manager and Spatial Catalogue programs allow the user to create
metadata templates and propagate metadata in a standardised fashion to the
tables, view metadata in a table, build an index of MapInfo tables containing a
particular metadata, map the catalogue and perform custom queries on it.
Metadata Management with Encoms Toolset
Although MapInfo provides the tools to enable the storing and retrieval of
metadata for tables, it does not provide a framework to allow consistent use of
metadata across a corporate spatial database.
For a database of metadata to be of use to an organization, it needs to be easy to
set up, maintain and interrogate. Encom Technologys metadata management
tools provide the required functionality to perform these tasks using an intuitive
workflow paradigm.
An overview of the components of the metadata workflow paradigm are shown
below in flowchart and also in table form.
Metadata workflow graphically specified.
Define the
Metadata
Template
Propagate
Template across
Spatial Database
View/Edit
Table
Metadata
Build Spatial
Catalogue
View/Query
Spatial
Catalogue
Corporate
Spatial
Database
Spatial
Metadata
Metadata Management 269
Task Description Access
Define Metadata
Template
Define one or more metadata structures that
are used across the spatial database.
Database Administrator
to setup
Propagate Metadata The metadata templates are propagated or
inserted into all of or a selection of tables in
the spatial database.
Database Administrator
to supervise
View/Edit Metadata Metadata for individual tables can be viewed
and edited.
Users to view, Database
Administrator and
selected users to edit
Metadata
Maintenance
Metadata can be maintained to ensure integrity
with on-going edits and additions.
Selected users to
maintain.
Build Spatial
Catalogue
Spatial catalogue of all or part of the spatial
database is created by examining the metadata
and geographic attributes of each table.
Database Administrator
to setup and build
View/Query Spatial
Catalogue
The spatial catalogue may be viewed and
queried to allow users to explore the corporate
database.
Users to view and query
the spatial catalogue
database
The Metadata Template
The metadata template is the starting point in the metadata workflow. It defines
what metadata is to be stored for a table, and how that metadata is to
heirarchically structured. Analagous to defining a database structure, the
metadata structure needs to be given much thought prior to implementation so
that appropriate levels of metadata are stored without attempting to store too
much.
The metadata template is typically defined by a workgroup with guidance from
the database administrator and input from the major users of the spatial data.
It is unlikely that one template or structure will be appropriate for all of the
spatial data held by an organization, so a series of smaller templates may be
defined instead. For example, the data status template may contain fields for
custodian, copyright, editing dates, data type etc; the geology template may
contain fields for project name, date mapped, survey type, etc.
270 Discover Reference Manual
Propagating the Template
Once the template or templates have been defined, they can then be propagated
(or inserted) across as much or as little of the organizations spatial database as
required. During the process of propagation, the metadata structure is inserted
into each MapInfo table on the processing list.
Editing and Viewing the Template
Once a template has been propagated across a spatial database, variable key
values need to be inserted into the metadata for each table. Metadata keys that
have function values or fixed values already have values inserted, but for other
keys (for example, data compilation scale, data creation date) the values need to
be entered manually.
The Spatial Catalogue
A spatial catalogue, in the context of this discussion, is an Access database table
that contains information on the geography and selected metadata items for each
table in the corporate database. It is, in essence, a database table that
summarizes the entire spatial database.
The Access database holds one record for each MapInfo table processed and
stores information such as the path, geographical extents, number of rows and
other metadata derived information (dataset type, mapsheet etc.)
The spatial catalogue database is constructed by selecting the tables to catalogue
and then selecting the catalogue structure (which is essentially a metadata
template), that defines which metadata is to be stored in the catalogue.
Using a Spatial Catalogue
The spatial catalogue database is a powerful endpoint for the metadata process
and provides the methods for users and database administrators to keep on top
of what data is available and where it is located (in storage and geographical
terms).
The spatial catalogue can be visualized either with a familiar MapInfo interface
displaying catalogued datasets as located polygons and thematically mapped by
attribute, or as a tree-based view ordered by metadata attribute.
Metadata Management 271
For example, the following tasks are easily accomplished once a spatial
catalogue database has been built:
List all geology maps, heirarchically by compilation scale.
Display the location of all datasets meeting a particular criteria.
Open all tables of type airphoto lying within a particular map-sheet.
Thematically map datasets of type geochem according to sample type.
Running the Programs
To run the Metadata Manager and Spatial Catalogue programs, select Run
MapBasic Program option from the MapInfo File menu and select the
METAMNGR.MBX or SPTLCTLG.MBX application respectively from the
installation folder. This adds the Metadata or Spatial Catalogue menu items to
the MapInfo menu.
Metadata Manager
The Metadata Manager program allows the user to create a new metadata
template, modify an existing metadata template, propagate the metadata
template to the selected tables and view and edit metadata in the selected table.
The metadata template defines a metadata structure as a heirarchically arranged
collection of metadata keys. Each metadata key has a name and a value. The
metadata key value can be represented by free text or a function selected from a
list. For example, the metadata key \Project\Data Type\ may contain the value
Soils or the metadata key \Editing\Last Edited may be described by the
function CurrentDate(). If a key value is represented by a function, the
function name is stored in the metadata template. When the metadata template
is propagated to tables or a Spatial Catalogue is built, the function is evaluated
and the key is assigned the value of this function.
Metadata templates are stored as text files with an extension .MDT.
Create New Metadata Template
To create a new metadata template choose the Metadata>New Template menu
item, and the New Metadata Template dialog is shown. Specify the name of a
template to create and choose Open. The View and Metadata screen is shown.
272 Discover Reference Manual
View Metadata dialog
To add a metadata key choose New>Key from the menu. The new key is
created under the key that is currently selected on the screen. The new key is
given the default name New Key #1.
For example, to create a key \Region\100k Sheet, create a key named
Region and then create a key underneath called 100k Sheet.
There are certain limitations on key names. A key name can contain only letters,
numbers, spaces and a _. A key name cannot begin with a number, and the
following key names are reserved:
_Mappabl e
_Tabl e Pat h
_Tabl e Name
_MI NX
_MI NY
_MAXX
_MAXY
I sReadOnl y
MapInfo also imposes a limitation on the length of the key name. The full key
name (including all parent keys) cannot contain more than 239 characters. A
warning is given if a key name is incorrect.
To assign a value to a metadata key, select a key on the screen and choose
New>Value from the menu, or double click in the right side pane of the dialog
Metadata Management 273
box. Note that at this stage (defining the template), you only want to assign
values to those keys that have fixed values or that have function values. Most
key values are assigned to individual tables after the template has been
propagated.
Edit Key Value dialog
A key value can be free text or may be represented by a function. To enter text
for a key value choose Value from the Type options and then simply type the
text in the Key Value box. To describe the key value by a function, choose
Function from the Type options and then select a function from Key Function
list.
If you enter a value for the metadata key in the template, this constant value is
used whenever the template is propagated to a table.
The available key functions are:
NumberOfRows MinxTableCanStore
NumberOfColumns MaxxTableCanStore
IsTableReadOnly MinyTableCanStore
IsTableSeamless MaxyTableCanStore
TableType CurrentDate
IsTableMappable CurrentTime
274 Discover Reference Manual
CoordSysClause CurrentDate&Time
CoordSysName LastModifiedDate&Time
MinxInTable NumberPointObjectsInTable
MaxInTable NumberLineObjectsInTable
MinyInTable NumberPolylineObjectsInTable
Each of these functions return a value when they are evaluated against the table.
Most of these functions return an integer value representing the count of an
item, or a float number representing the value. Some functions return a string,
such as the coordinate system name, or the table type.
Click OK to accept the new key value or Cancel to preserve the old key value.
The key value is shown on the right part of the View and Edit Metadata
screen.
To rename a key, select a key and choose Rename from the menu. The key
name is made editable. Press ENTER or click on another key to finish editing
the key name. If you want to delete a key choose Delete from the menu,
however the key is not permanently deleted until the template is saved.
To save the template, choose Save from the menu.
Propagate Metadata Template To Tables
Once a metadata template has been defined, it can be propagated to any number
of MapInfo data tables. This process adds the metadata structure defined in the
template to each table that you select.
To propagate a metadata template to tables, choose Metadata>Propagate
Metadata. The Select Metadata Template dialog is shown on the screen.
Select the metadata template file and click Open.
Metadata Management 275
Propagate Metadata template across the chosen tables
The path to the selected metadata template is shown at the top of the screen.
To propagate metadata to individually selected tables, choose the appropriate
drive and folder. All MapInfo tables in this folder are listed under Tables In
Directory. To add a table to the Selected Tables list, select a table file and click
the > button.
To propagate metadata to all tables in all subdirectories underneath the specified
folder, select the folder and choose the option Propagate to All Tables
Underneath Directory. In this case tables in the Selected Tables list is ignored.
There are two options that control how existing table metadata is treated when a
new metadata template is propagated.
Delete Existing Non-duplicate Metadata - This option allows the user to
delete existing metadata, before the new metadata template is inserted.
Normally this option is set unchecked (off), so that existing information is
retained.
Overwrite Existing Metadata - When propagating metadata across tables,
if duplicate key names are encountered, this option specifies whether the
values in these keys are overwritten or left. Usually, this option is set
unchecked (off). If this option is set to on, then existing key values are
overwritten only if the metadata template being propagated includes
function or fixed values for that key (rather than null values to be edited
later).
276 Discover Reference Manual
View and Edit Metadata in a Table
To view metadata that already exists in a table, choose Metadata>Table
Metadata and then select the MapInfo table for which you want to view
metadata.
You are presented with a dialog similar to that for creating and editing metadata
templates. In this case, however, the metadata displayed is stored in the selected
table. As you select keys, the key value is displayed in the right side pane of the
dialog.
You can add new keys, rename keys, delete existing keys and modify key
values. Note that by adding, renaming or deleting keys you are modifying the
structure of the metadata and thus making this table inconsistent with the
template that was used.
To modify a key value, simply double click on the key value shown in the pane
on the right side of the dialog box.
If a key value is described by a function, the function is evaluated and its value
is assigned to a metadata key when metadata is saved in the table. See the above
section on creating a template for a list of the metadata table functions
supported.
Updating Metadata
An alternative method of entering and updating table metadata values is using
the File>Update Metadata menu option. Simply select the tables to update the
metadata. Then select the metadata template to use and the keys from this
template to enter values for.
Using this data entry method, you can enter values for a maximum of 10
metadata keys at once. However, you can enter metadata for multiple tables at
the same time by selecting as many tables as you want from a list of open
tables. The template and keys selected previously, and the key values previously
entered are displayed in the dialog the next time it is called.
You can also use this function to add metadata keys to tables that currently have
no metadata. The chosen metadata keys (up to 10 keys) are added to the
selected tables whether those keys are present or not.
Metadata Management 277
Updating selected metadata keys for multiple tables
Spatial Catalogue
The Spatial Catalogue is a database table that contains an entry for each
MapInfo table and which lists both geographic and table attributes (such as the
coordinate system or the number of rows) and a selection of metadata stored in
each table.
Once a spatial catalogue has been constructed, the user can view and query the
catalogue to answer questions such as: how many tables of topographic data
cover the Wangaratta 250k map sheet; how many cadastral datasets are stored
with the AGD84 datum; or where is the aerial photography for the Midland
Highway stored. Alternatively, the user may view the spatial catalogue as a
thematic map coloured by a metadata value such as dataset type, or open all the
geochem tables for project XYZ.
Constructing the Spatial Catalogue
The Spatial Catalogue program creates a catalogue or index table in an Access
database. One record in the catalogue table corresponds to each MapInfo table
Spatial Catalogue
MapInfo
Tables
Selected Metadata
Geographic and Table Attributes
278 Discover Reference Manual
that was located underneath the specified search path. A catalogue table record
contains the MapInfo table path and name, the geographic extents (if mappable)
as well as other information requested by the user. The catalogue table is
automatically registered in MapInfo and a catalogue map is created. The
catalogue map displays polygons representing the bounds of each MapInfo table
listed in the catalogue table. The MapInfo catalogue table and map are located
in the same folder with the catalogue database.
Therefore the structure of a spatial catalogue table is a flat file made of fixed
fields for table path and geographic extents, as well as a field for each of the
metadata items that is included. For each record in the spatial catalogue, there is
a rectangular polygon that covers the extents of the source table.
Because the spatial catalogue contains a user-selected list of tables and a user-
selected list of attributes to store, it is possible, and in many cases useful, to
have multiple spatial catalogues. For example, the organization may have one
spatial catalogue for each project area or for each state. The multiple spatial
catalogues can be overlapping (that is, reference the same tables) or be
exclusive, and they may be stored in the same database or in multiple databases.
Viewing and Querying the Spatial Catalogue
The Spatial Catalogue program also allows the user to create thematic maps
based on values selected from the catalogue table and perform queries on the
catalogue table.
Create a New Spatial Catalogue
To create a new spatial catalogue table, choose Spatial Catalogue>Create New
Catalogue. The Create Spatial Catalogue screen is shown.
Spatial Catalogue
Query of
catalogue
Tree view of
catalogue
Thematic map of
catalogue
Metadata Management 279
Create Spatial Catalog dialog
1. Choosing a metadata template - Click on Select Template to select a
metadata template, or leave this item blank to use no template for the
catalogue. If you are choosing a metadata template, then it should have
been created with the Metadata Manager.
2. Selecting search paths You can select one or more search paths for the
catalogue to be built from. You should also specify whether all
subdirectories in each path are to be catalogued.
3. Catalogue Database and Table You need to select a database (an MS
Access file) that stores the catalogue table, and then select a new table
within this database to hold the catalogue. Click on Select Table to select
the name of a catalogue table. The Select Catalog Table screen is
displayed.
You may choose to create a new catalogue table or modify an existing catalogue
table. If the catalogue database exists and contains catalogue tables, the names
of existing catalogue tables are shown in the list.
To create a new catalogue table select the Create New Catalog option and type
the name of a catalogue table under New Name. To modify an existing
catalogue table, select Overwrite Existing Catalog option and choose the table
from the list. Click OK. The table name is shown on the Create New Spatial
Catalog screen.
280 Discover Reference Manual
Having selected a table, you also have the option of modifying the structure
(field names, widths etc) before the catalogue is built. After the catalogue is
built, you can always change the structure using Access.
Key values in a metadata template can be described by a free text value or a
function. If a key value is a function, then this function is evaluated for each
MapInfo table underneath the search path. If a key value is free text, then the
search can be based on the key name only or on the key name and value. In the
latter case the user may request exact matches with the key value.
For example, the user may want to build a catalogue of tables that have
metadata key \Project that value contains the word Discover. If the user
selects an option to search by Key Name and Value, then only tables that have
metadata key with a name \Project and a value that contains the word
Discover is listed in the catalogue table. To limit the search to tables that
contain metadata key \Project which value exactly matches Discover, select
Exact Matches Only option.
Click on Create to build a catalogue table, and the progress bar shows percent
completion. Each table selected is examined in turn and an entry written into the
catalogue table.
If the selected search path contains tables that cannot be opened or queried for
some reason, their full names are listed in a log file called CATALOGUE.LOG.
The user is notified if entries are made in the log file. The log file is located in
the same folder as the Spatial Catalogue program and can be viewed in any text
editor.
Updating a Spatial Catalogue
Creating a spatial catalogue may be a lengthy process, as there may be many
thousands of tables to catalogue, and each table may need querying according to
the template. However, you may wish to update the catalogue at frequent
intervals to ensure that all newly created tables are added to the catalogue. To
do this select the Update Catalogue menu item, and select an existing Access
database and catalogue table.
As for creating a new catalogue, when you update a catalogue, you have the
choice of selecting a template (or none). You should always choose the same
template as was used to create the catalogue otherwise the table structure
implied by the template may not match the structure of the existing catalogue.
In such a case, the cataloguer fields may be filled with inappropriate values for
Metadata Management 281
newly added table records. To alter the structure of an existing catalogue table,
use MS Access.
The Spatial Catalogue keeps track of the paths that were traversed to previously
create the catalogue and you should choose these paths or select new ones. As
the spatial catalogue tool examines tables found in the search paths, it performs
one of 3 actions:
New table not in catalogue The new table is added and catalogue fields
are filled according to the template.
Table in catalogue and in same location on disk The catalogue is checked
and if a table exists, then it is skipped over and no change made to the
catalogue record.
Table in catalogue but not in same location on disk The catalogue record
is deleted.
Viewing and Using the Spatial Catalogue Table
The spatial catalogue table is created in a normal Access database and can be
viewed in one of three ways, each method being useful for exploring the
catalogue.
Browsing the catalogue in conventional form in Access or MapInfo allows
the user to interact with the catalogue at its most basic level, and perform
normal SQL queries.
Explore the catalogue in heirarchical or tree view allows the user to see
records in the catalogue (that is, tables in the spatial database) grouped by
column values. The tree view is flexible so that a user can define a tree
structure to view by. As well as examining the catalogue attributes for each
constituent table, the user can also open tables directly into MapInfo from
the tree view.
View the catalogue in a map window to display polygons showing the
location and extent of individual records (that is, tables in the spatial
database). The map view can be tailored to display only those records
matching a certain criteria, or may be thematically mapped by a selected
column name. By selecting location polygons from the map, the user can
then open the tables directly.
Tree View of Spatial Catalogue Table
A hierarchical or tree view of a catalogue table allows the user to view
catalogue table records conveniently grouped by selected columns. To view
282 Discover Reference Manual
hierarchy of the catalogue table choose Spatial Catalogue>Catalogue Tree
View.
You need to select the required spatial catalogue table from the spatial catalogue
database (you could have multiple catalogue tables in the database), and then
you must define the tree structure. The Select Table Columns To Query screen
is shown:
Select Table Columns To Query dialog
The dialog box lists all of the columns in the catalogue table and you must
select up to 5 columns to define the tree view query. The order in that the
columns are shown in the Selected Columns list defines the structure of the tree
or hierarchy.
The tree is then constructed by building a list of all of the values in the first-
level column. For each of these first level entries, a list of values in the second-
level column is built and so on for up to 5 columns. That is, the records from the
catalogue table are then grouped by value from the selected columns.
This results in a multiply branched tree view of the catalogue. The example
below shows a tree view of a catalogue arising from the tree query specified
above.
Metadata Management 283
Hierarchical View of Index Table dialog
On the left part of the hierarchical view screen the values from the records in
the catalogue table are shown in a tree structure grouped by values from the
user-selected columns. When the user clicks on the entry in the left side of the
dialog, the full names of the tables that have the selected values in the
associated columns are shown on the right side of the dialog.
The user may select several tables from the view and open them for browsing,
open a new map window or add them to an existing Map Window.
Different Views of Catalogue Maps
To view a catalogue map choose Spatial Catalogue>Catalogue Map View
from the menu. The View Catalogue Map screen appears.
284 Discover Reference Manual
View Catalogue Map dialog
The Select All view option displays a catalogue map where location polygons
for all records in the catalogue table is shown. This may be quite cluttered with
multiple location polygons overlapping.
In order to clarify the map display, and show only the required locational
information, you may wish to use the Group By Columns option. This allows
the user to select the location polygons to view by choosing a catalogue column
and then selecting which values to display from this column. For example, the
user could use this display method to restrict the view to location polygons for
aerial geophysics surveys.
View Catalog Map-Select by Group
Select a column name from the list and click the >> button. Values from the
selected column are then grouped and listed under Column Values. Select one
Metadata Management 285
or several values from the list and click Create Map to display the map or
Open Tables to open the tables directly in MapInfo.
Alternatively, you may wish to show the location polygons thematically
mapped by one of the catalogued columns. Of course, you can also create a
thematic map for the catalogue using MapInfos normal thematic mapping
function.
Open Tables for Selected Polygons
At any stage whilst viewing the catalogue map, the user can open tables whose
location polygons are selected. Simply choose the Spatial Catalogue>Open
Tables for Selected Polygons menu item and a new map is created displaying
the tables whose location polygons are selected.
Glossary of Terms
Terms used in this documentation are defined as below:
Function A metadata key value that is calculated from a property
of the table or of the environment.
Hierarchy A multi-level storage system where levels in the
hierarchy correspond to the significance of the data being
stored.
Key Name The name of a metadata key.
Key Value The value of a metadata key that may be entered
manually, inserted as fixed text or evaluated from a
function.
Metadata Data that describes properties of a dataset. Metadata
usually includes information concerning the status and
location of a dataset.
Propagate The action of inserting a metadata template into each of
the selected tables.
Spatial Catalogue A separate database table which holds a summary of the
metadata for each table.
286 Discover Reference Manual
Template A hierarchical metadata structure of key names that may
also include pre-set or fixed values for keys, or function
values for keys.
Appendicies
A Title Block Customizing
B Discover Program and Configuration
C Discover Structural Symbol Fonts
D Discover Geological Symbol Fonts
E Grid Filters
Appendix A Title Block Customizing 289
A TitleBlock Customizing
Introduction
Discovers customizable titleblock is a normal MapInfo map table stored in a
cm non-earth projection. It is designed to be inserted into the layout window at
close to true scale. Text records in the titleblock can be used as placeholders
that are recognized by Scaled Output (see the Map Making section).
Usage of the TitleBlock
Titleblocks in MapInfo, created and maintained by Discover can be used as
follows:
1. Open the table TITLEBLK.TAB from the Discover Program Files
Directory.
2. Open a map window for TitleBlk and make this layer editable, or, if you
wish to make another titleblock to use as an alternative, save this table to a
new name and then edit that new table.
3. TitleBlock Size - Discovers Scaled Output uses the titleblock at full size
when the map frame width is greater than 50cm, and at half size for smaller
widths.
4. TitleBlock Linework - Edit the linework so that the titleblock has the
desired appearance.
5. Open a browser window for the TitleBlk table and position it so that you
can see both windows on screen together.
6. ScaleBar - The titleblock shipped with Discover includes a placeholder for
a scalebar (the record called ScaleHolder in the browser window).
Discover constructs a scalebar inside this placeholder if it is present. If the
placeholder is not present in the titleblock, then Discover looks for a table
called ScaleBar (in the Discover Program Files Directory), which does
contain the placeholder and construct the scalebar within this. You should
thus alter the dimensions and position of the placeholder to your
requirements.
7. The first record in the ScaleBar table is a record called ScaleHolder. If the
ScaleBar table contains a second record called NoText, then Discover
does not place text for Scale 1:nnnnnn next to the scalebar.
290 Discover Reference Manual
8. If the TitleBlock contains the ScaleHolder record, and also contains a detail
field (see point 12) called Scale:, then Discover does not place the Scale
1:nnnnnn text.
9. Company Name - The company name specified in Discovers
configuration is inserted into the titleblock in place of the Company Name
placeholder. Set the position and font of the Company placeholder.
10. Title Line - Set the position and font of the Title Line placeholder. The
five lines of title text entered in the titleblock dialog in Scaled Output is
concatenated, centre justified and inserted in the location of the
placeholder.
11. Existing Details - The browser text for each of the details is what
appears in Scaled Outputs titleblock dialog (for example, Date:, Author:,
Ref:). The text that you enter in the dialog for each detail is then appended
to the text object in the Map Window for each detail. Set the position and
font of each detail placeholder. The titleblock shipped with Discover
contains 6 details fields - Author, Date, Office, Drawing, Scale and
Projection. The date field is automatically recognized by Discover and
todays date is inserted, so it cannot be changed in the dialog box. If detail
fields called Scale and Projection are present, these are also recognized by
Discover and the current scale and map projection inserted so that it cannot
be changed in the dialog box.
12. New Details - Scaled Output can use up to 12 details including specific
named fields as follows:
Date Formatted as set up in control panel
Scale Formatted as 1:50,000
CoordSys Name for example, AMG Zone 54 (AGD 66)
CoordSys Clause for example,
8,12,7,141,0,0.9996,500000,10000000
Projection for example, Transverse Mercator (Gauss-Kruger)
Datum for example, Australian Geodetic 1966 (AGD 66)
Ellipsoid for example, Australian National
Origin Longitude numeric data
Origin Latitude ..
Standard Parallel 1 ..
Standard Parallel 2 ..
False Easting ..
False Northing ..
Logo [logo_tablename] for example, Logo [encom_logo.tab]
Appendix A Title Block Customizing 291
To make a new detail field, create a new text item in the required position
in the Map Window, and enter the required text in the browser for the new
record. As explained above, the browser text is displayed as the prompt in
the dialog box, and text entered in the dialog is appended to existing text in
the Map Window.
13. Boundary - There must be a closed polyline forming the boundary of the
titleblock, so that Discover knows how big the titleblock is. You can easily
create a closed rectangular polyline by creating a rectangle, then using the
Objects>Convert to Polylines menu option.
14. Logo - If you have a logo bitmap, then it can be referenced by the
titleblock template as follows. The logo file should be placed in the
Discover Configuration Files folder and registered in MapInfo to appear in
the appropriate position with respect to the titleblock. To ensure that the
logo is registered correctly, open it in the same map window as the
titleblock. Alternatively you can use a custom symbol for the logo, inserted
directly into the titleblock table.
15. If the logo is named LOGO.TAB, it is automatically recognized by
Discover and inserted into the titleblock Map Window when Scaled Output
is run. Alternatively, you can explicitly specify a table name in the
titleblock table as Logo [logo_tablename]. These logo tables should also be
in the Discover Configuration files folder and Discover then opens a table
of this name in the titleblock window. This allows you to have multiple
titleblock logos, each of which may be associated with a different
titleblock.
16. Save the edited titleblock (and scalebar) table back to the Discover
Program Files Directory. The newly created title block can then be added
to the list of available title blocks in Discover through the Scaled Output
Setup Dialog. To add the title block to the list open the Scaled Output
dialog and click on the Configure button in the Frame setup group. Click
on the Add button and browse to the Discover configuration directory to
select the new title block. Alternatively you can also also remove title
blocks from the list using the remove button.
Appendix B Discover Program and Configuration 293
B Discover Program and Configuration
Discover version 5.0 maintains a number of different files in the program files
and configuration directories. These files are listed below.
Note that this list is provided for information only and you are not encouraged
to edit any of the text files (except file extension names such as .CFG) or
MapInfo tables, as corruption may cause unexpected results.
Location: Discover Program Files Directory
Name File Type Description
*.MBX MapBasic Program
files
These must all be in the
Discover Program Files
Directory. Software updates
include new versions of some or
all of these files.
*.DLL Windows libraries These must all be in the
Discover Program Files
Directory.
*.INI Windows INI files Contain program settings.
TITLEBLK.TAB
SCALEBAR.TAB
Titleblock and
Scalebar table
Used in Scaled Output.
Titleblock table can be
customized.
DISCOVER.HLP Discover help file Available from the MapInfo
Help menu
DISCOVER
REFERENCE
MANUAL.PDF
Discover reference
manual
Discover manual in Acrobat
format. Available from the
MapInfo Help menu.
Location: Discover Configuration Directory
DISCOVER.PRJ Projection file Customizable with Standard
MapInfo Projections
294 Discover Reference Manual
ETVIEWS.TXT Standard Views
table
Customizable with Standard
Views
GEOSTYLE.TAB MapStyles table Customizable with Map Styles
AUTOSHAD.TAB AutoShad table List of shade files and shade
settings
*.SHD Shade file Shade settings for AutoShad
GRIDLEG.TAB Grid Legend table Used to construct a legend for
Grid/Contour image displays
*.CLR Colour look-up
tables
Used by Surfaces for colouring
images
XS_COLR.TAB Drillhole patterns
table
Customizable with Drillholes
XS_PROJECTS.TAB Drillhole project
table
Customizable with Drillholes
XS_MNGR.TAB Drillhole section
manager
Customizable with Drillholes
XS_DISP.TAB Drillhole display
settings
Stores Drillholes data display
setting
XSECTION.TAB Drillhole settings Stores most recent Drillholes
usage parameters
USERTABS.TAB List of user tables Customizable with User Tables
USERWOR.TAB List of user
workspaces
Customizable with User
Workspaces
USERMBX.TAB List of user
MapBasic
programs
Customizable with User MBXs
ELNAMEAL.TAB EL name aliases
table
Customizable with Tenement
Searches
Appendix B Discover Program and Configuration 295
EXNAMES.CFG EL table locations
file
Stores default Tenement table
locations
SCALEOUT.CFG Scaled Output
settings
Stores Scaled Output frame
settings
DISCOVER.WOR Workspace Discover autosave workspace
USER_GUIDE.PDF PDF Document User Guide documentation
REFERENCE
_MANUAL.PDF
PDF Document Reference Manual
documentation
Appendix C Discover Structural Symbol Fonts 297
C Discover Structural Symbol Fonts
The Structural True Type symbol fonts should be installed onto your system via
the Fonts folder in Control Panel. It is then available for use with any software
that uses True Type fonts, including MapInfo, Corel Draw and MS Word.
The symbols may be referred to in one of a number of ways:
Symbol Name - Used with Discovers Structural Data Map Window when
placing individual symbols. There are 3 separate structural symbol fonts
that are available.
Australian ET Structural Australia
Canadian ET Structural Canada
USA ET Structural USA
Key and ASCII - Use this keystroke to display the appropriate symbol
when entering text.
Discover Code - Used when entering data into a spreadsheet for display
with Discovers Structural Data Map Window.
AGSO Code - The equivalent code as defined by the Australian
Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO). Not all Discover symbols have
equivalent AGSO codes.
Symbol Name Australia Canada USA Key ASCII Discover
Code
AGSO
Code
Bedding ! ! ! ! 33 1 621
Bedding Horizontal " " " " 34 1 624
Bedding Vertical # # # # 35 1 625
Bedding Overturned $ $ $ $ 36 2 626
Overturned horizontal % % % % 37 2 627
Bedding Facing & & & & 38 3 628
Facing vertical ' ' ' ' 39 3 629
Facing overturned ( ( ( ( 40 3 6210
Cleavage (s1) ) ) ) ) 41 4 921
Cleavage (s1) vertical * * * * 42 4 924
Cleavage (s1) horizontal + + + + 43 4 925
Cleavage (s2) , , , "," 44 5 n/a
Cleavage (s2) vertical - - - - 45 5 n/a
Cleavage (s2) horizontal . . . . 46 5 n/a
Cleavage (s3) / / / / 47 6 n/a
Cleavage (s3) vertical 0 0 0 0 48 6 n/a
Cleavage (s3) horizontal 1 1 1 1 49 6 n/a
Lineation 2 2 2 2 50 8 1021
298 Discover Reference Manual
Lineation vertical 3 3 3 3 51 8 1022
Lineation horizontal 4 4 4 4 52 8 1023
Lineation (l1) 5 5 5 5 53 9 n/a
Lineation (l2) 6 5 6 6 54 10 n/a
Lineation (l3) 7 7 7 7 55 11 n/a
Bedding-Cleavage 8 8 8 8 56 12 1031
Bedding-Cleavage 9 9 9 9 57 12 1032
Crenulation : : : : 58 13 1041
Crenulation horizontal ; ; ; ; 59 13 1042
Mineral alignment < = < < 60 14 1051
Mineral alignment = = = = 61 14 1052
Banding/Platy Alignment > > > > 62 15 1121
Banding/Platy vertical ? ? ? ? 63 15 1124
Banding/Platy horizontal @ @ @ @ 64 15 1125
Joint A A A A 65 16 721
Joint vertical B B B B 66 16 723
Joint horizontal C C C C 67 16 724
Foliation D D D D 68 17 821
Foliation vertical E E E E 69 17 824
Foliation horizontal F F F F 70 17 825
Anticline (f1) P P P P 80 18 n/a
Anticline (f1) horizontal Q Q P Q 81 18 n/a
Anticline (f2) R R R R 82 19 n/a
Anticline (f2) horizontal S S S S 83 19 n/a
Anticline (f3) T T R T 84 20 n/a
Anticline (f3) horizontal U U S U 85 20 n/a
Anticline overturned V V V V 86 21 551
Anticline recumbent W W W W 87 22 571
Syncline (f1) Z Z Z Z 90 23 n/a
Syncline (f1) horizontal [ [ [ [ 91 23 n/a
Syncline (f2) \ \ \ \ 92 24 n/a
Syncline (f2) horizontal ] ] ] ] 93 24 n/a
Syncline (f3) ^ ^ ^ ^ 94 25 n/a
Syncline (f3) horizontal _ _ _ _ 94 25 n/a
Syncline overturned ` ` ` ` 96 26 556
Syncline recumbent a a a a 97 27 575
Normal fault e e e e 101 28 341
Normal fault - Low angle f f f f 102 29 344
Normal fault - High angle g g g g 103 30 345
Thrust fault h h h h 104 31 351
Shear zone i i i i 105 32 365
Shear zone - Wide j j j j 106 33 366
Fault zone breccia k k k k 107 34 363
Trend line l l l l 108 35 671
Parallel lines m m m m 109 36 n/a
Vein (closed) n n n n 110 37 n/a
Vein (vein) o o o o 111 38 n/a
Dipping vein (closed) p p p 112 37 n/a
Appendix C Discover Structural Symbol Fonts 299
Dipping vein (open) q q q q 113 38 n/a
Dipping shear r r r r 114 32 n/a
Dipping fault gouge s s s s 115 42 n/a
Glacial striae t t t t 116 79 653
Glacial striae u u u u 117 79 654
Oriented drill collar y y y y 121 39 n/a
Oriented drill collar z z z z 122 40 n/a
Oriented drill collar { { { 123 41 n/a
Bedding facing unknown 130 46 6211
Bedding vertical 131 46 6212
Younging 132 7 641
Undulating bedding dip 133 47 632
Deformed bedding dip 134 48 633
Minor anticline 140 59 n/a
Minor anticline with 141 60 n/a
Minor syncline 142 61 n/a
Minor syncline with 143 62 n/a
Minor fold with dip 144 63 n/a
Minor fold with plunge 145 64 n/a
Kink fold with plunge 146 65 51420
Assymetric verge left 147 66 n/a
Assymetric verge right 148 67 n/a
Fold verge left 149 68 5156
Fold verge right 150 69 5155
Recumbent fold verge left 151 70 5154
Recumbent fold verge
right
152 71 5153
Minor fold s verge 153 72 5159
Minor fold z verge 154 73 51510
Minor fold m verge 155 74 51511
Boudin plunge 156 75 5157
Chert contortion plunge 157 76 5158
Mylonitic foliation 158 77 n/a
Mylonitic foliation 159 77 n/a
Eutaxitic foliation 161 78 n/a
Eutaxitic foliation vertical 162 78 n/a
Foliation d1 163 49 831
Foliation d2 164 50 832
Foliation d3 165 51 833
Appendix D Discover Geological Symbol Fonts 301
D Discover Geological Symbol Font
Discover 5.0 includes an extension of the MapInfo version 3 symbols that
contain non-rotatable geological symbols. These symbols may be used with
Discovers Styles Library (see Styles Library) or from the MapInfo symbol
style picker.
Contained below are the Discover Map Styles used by default. This list is
followed by the ASCII and symbol equivalent list of all geological symbols
available in Discover.
302 Discover Reference Manual
Appendix D Discover Geological Symbol Fonts 303
Name
Symbol ASCII
Petroleum exploration well, proposed site ! 33
Petroleum exploration well, dry, abandoned " 34
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil # 35
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil, abandoned
$ 36
Petroleum exploration well with show of gas
% 37
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil and gas, abandoned
& 38
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil
' 39
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil and gas
( 40
Stratigraphic hole for petroleum exploration
) 41
Oil well, shut in or suspended
* 42
Oil well, abandoned
+ 43
Gas well , 44
Gas well, shut in or suspended - 45
Gas well, abandoned . 46
Oil and gas well
/ 47
Oil and gas well, shut in or suspended
0 48
Oil and gas well, abandoned
1 49
Gas and condensate well
2 50
Gas and condensate well, shut in or suspended
3 51
Gas and condensate well, abandoned
4 52
Fossil locality
5 53
Macrofossil locality
6 54
Microfossil locality
7 55
Trace fossil locality 8 56
Fossil wood locality 9 57
Oncolite locality : 58
Palynomorph locality
; 59
Plant fossil locality
< 60
Stromatolite locality
= 61
Vertebrate fossil locality
> 62
Sample location for isotopic age determination
? 63
Type locality
@ 64
Drill hole
A 65
Unworked deposit
B 66
Prospect or mine with little production C 67
Abandoned prospect or mine with little production D 68
Mine; may be abandoned E 69
Major mine
F 70
Mine abandoned or not being worked
G 71
Minor open cut or quarry
H 72
Major open cut or quarry
I 73
Abandoned open cut or quarry, or not being worked
J 74
Minor alluvial workings
K 75
304 Discover Reference Manual
Major alluvial workings L 76
Abandoned alluvial workings, or not being worked
M 77
Treatment plant
N 78
Treatment plant not operating, or abandoned, or former site
O 79
Main shaft showing number of compartments
P 80
Shaft extending above and below plan level
Q 81
Accessible shaft extending below plan level
R 82
Accessible shaft extending above plan level
S 83
Head of rise or winze T
T 84
Foot of rise or winze
U 85
Rise or winze extending through level V 86
Inclined accessible shaft extending below plan level (small scale) W 87
Inclined accessible shaft extending below plan level (large scale) X 88
Cross section of cross-cut or drive; same side of plane of section as
observer
Y 89
Cross section of cross-cut or drive; opposite side of plane of section
Z 90
Cross section of cross-cut or drive extending across plane of section
[ 91
Ore chute
\ 92
Filled workings
] 93
Portal and approach of tunnel or adit
^ 94
Natural surface
_ 95
Grab-sample locality ` 96
Costean or trench a 97
Oil seep b 98
Gas seep
c 99
Oil and gas seep or show
d 100
Oil seep reported (by geoscientist) but not relocated
e 101
Gas seep reported (by geoscientist) but not relocated
f 102
Oil and gas seep reported (by geoscientist) but not relocated
g 103
Mud volcano or mud volcano without with hydrocarbons
h 104
Mud volcano with hydrocarbons
i 105
j
Relative gravity high
k 107
Relative gravity low l 108
Proterozoic symbol m 109
Cambrian symbol n 110
Photo point
o 111
Drillhole
p 112
Registration cross
q 113
Scarp
r 114
Inclined drill hole
s 115
Inclined drill hole
t 116
Inclined drill hole
u 117
Inclined drill hole
v 118
Major eruptive centre with recorded eruption w 119
Major eruptive centre with no recorded eruption x 120
Minor eruptive centre with recorded eruption y 121
Minor eruptive centre with no recorded eruption
z 122
Appendix D Discover Geological Symbol Fonts 305
Astrobleme or impact structure or cryptoexplosive structure { 123
Trigometrical
| 124
Astronomical station
} 125
Major volcanic centre
~ 126
Volcanic plug residual
127

Basalt capped residual hill

129
Residual hill
130
Crater wall
131
Pediment
132
Landslips 133
306 Discover Reference Manual
E Grid Filter Descriptions
Filtering of gridded surface data can be done in the frequency domain or in the
spatial domain using convolution filter methods. Discover uses spatial
convolution methods in its Grid Filter utility. A broad suite of smoothing (low-
pass) filters, contrast enhancement filters, edge detection filters, and general
high-pass filters, are provided. Discover also includes several user defined
filters enabling you to create and apply your own designs.
The Filtering Process
Grids are comprised of equi-spaced data values located along rows and
columns. The intersection of these rows and columns is called a mesh point or
node. When filtering a grid, each grid node of the output grid is calculated as a
function of the corresponding node and its neighbors,. The size of the
neighbourhood used in the filtering process is defined by the size and shape of
the filter (or kernel). Filters are generally defined as a rectangular sub-array of
nodes, which are assigned a set of filter weights. Because the filter
neighborhood needs to be centered on a grid node during the filtering process,
filters are generally defined by an odd number of rows and columns. For
example, if the width and the height of the filter neighborhood are both three,
then the neighborhood of the output grid node centred at (Row 40, Column 32)
is the following rectangular sub-array is:
(39,33) (40,33) (41,32)
(39,32) (40,32) (41,32)
(39,31) (40,31) (41,31)
Shifting the filter neighbourhood across the grid and computing a new value for
each grid node in the output image then apply the filter. If the height of the
neighborhood nodes is represented by H and the width by W, the number of
nodes in the neighborhood equals H W. Therefore, any nodes in the
neighborhood can be defined as:
Filter Weight (Row+i, Col+j) where:

=
2
,......,
2
H H
i and

=
2
,......,
2
W W
j
where each array is the largest integer less than or equal to its neighbour array.
Appendix E - Filter Descriptions 307
Grid Filter dialog used to select multiple filters and apply them to display the resultant output.
The Rows and Columns in the dialog specifies the neighborhood size of the
selected filter. The weights for each grid node in the neighborhood are
displayed below. Each element of the matrix is used to weight the grid node that
lies below it. The products are computed and then then summed, normalized,
and assigned to the value below the center node. The filter is then shifted to the
next node and the process is repeated until all nodes of the input grid have been
processed.
Available Filter Types
The Filters supplied with Discover are text files (with file extension of .KER)
and are located in the \FILTER folder of the main Discover directory. The
kernel files used are identical in format to those specified for use by ER
Mapper.
Below is a list of the provided filter types and a brief summary of their
application:
308 Discover Reference Manual
Smoothing Filters
Averaging Filters
Averaging filters preserve the low frequency components in an image by reduce
the amount of intensity variation between one grid cell value and the next. They
achieve this by simply replacing each grid cell value in an image with the
average (mean) value of its neighbours, including itself. Averaging filters have
the effect of eliminating grid cell values, which are unrepresentative of their
surroundings, thereby removing noise and smoothing its appearance. A 33
square kernel will generally provide sufficient smoothing for most datasets,
although larger kernels (e.g. 55 or 7x7) can be used for more severe smoothing.
In some situations applying a small (3x3) averaging filter to a grid several times
may produce a slightly better result than filtering once with larger kernel.
Averaging filters can also be used to enhance the sharpness of an image or
improve the appearance of edges (high frequency components). This technique
is commonly known as the Unsharp filtering method. To sharpen an image
using a smoothing filter, first apply the smoothing filter to the grid. Then
subtract the smoothed grid from the original grid to produce the Unsharp image.
This technique can be used for crispening the appearance of images prior to
printing.
The averaging filters supplied with Discover include:
3x3 Average
3x3 Diagonal
5x5 Average
7x7 Average
9x9 Average
Gaussian Filters
Gaussian convolution filters are smoothing filters that can be used to blur'
images, thereby removing high frequency detail and noise. The degree of
smoothing produced by a Gaussian filter is largely determined by the standard
deviation of the filter kernel. The Gaussian filters output a weighted average
value for each grid cell's neighbourhood, with the average weighted more
towards the value of the central grid cells. This is in contrast to an averaging
filter, which uses a uniform weighting for all cells. Because of this property, a
Gaussian filter provides gentler smoothing and preserves edges better than a
similarly sized averaging filter. Because Gaussian smoothing filters remove
high spatial frequency components from an image they are often used as a pre-
Appendix E - Filter Descriptions 309
processing step to edge enhancement filters such as the Laplacian and Sobel
filters. In most situations a Gaussian filter will provide the best smoothing for
grids with high frequency noise such as geochemistry or magnetics.
The Gaussian filters supplied with Discover are:
3x3 Gaussian, Standard Deviation = 0.391
5x5 Gaussian, Standard Deviation = 0.625
5x5 Gaussian, Standard Deviation = 1.0
9x9 Gaussian, Standard Deviation = 1.0
11x11 Gaussian, Standard Deviation = 1.6
Enhancement Filters
Sharpening filters
Sharpening filters enhance areas of high spatial frequency or contrasting
gradients in an image by removing the low frequency components. These filters
can be useful for enhancing edges in an image as well as sharpening the
overall appearance. Applying a sharpening filter to a digital terrain image prior
to performing a lineament analysis for example, may help emphasise structural
discontinuities.
Two general sharpening filters are provided with Discover:
5x5 Horizontal Edge Enhance
5x5 Vertical Edge Enhance
3x3 Edge Sharpen
5x5 Edge Sharpen
Line and Edge enhance filters
Line and edge enhance filters are designed to selectively enhance image
features with specific directional components (gradients). The filters output an
approximation of the first derivative and therefore enhance edges in an image.
The sum of the directional filter kernel elements is zero, so areas within an
image with uniform intensity (or grid cell values) will compute to zero in the
output grid. Areas of variable intensity or contrast will be amplified and appear
as bright edges.
Discover provides the following directional filters:
3x3 Horizontal Edge Enhance
3x3 Vertical Edge Enhance
310 Discover Reference Manual
3x3 Horizontal Line Enhance
3x3 Vertical Line Enhance
Laplacian Filter
Laplacian filters approximate a 2-D isotropic measure of the 2nd spatial
derivative of an image. Therefore they highlight regions of rapid intensity
change, which are often associated with edges. Laplacian filters emphasise
maximum values within an image by using a kernel with a high central value,
surrounded by negative weighted values with lower weights. Laplacian filters
can be very sensitive to noise (high spatial frequency data) so it is often best to
apply a Gaussian smoothing filter prior to convolving the image with the
Laplacian filter. Laplacian filters are normally applied to scaled graylevel
images.
Discover provides the following Laplacian filters:
3x3 Laplacian
9x9 Laplacian
Laplacian of Gaussian
A Laplacian of Gaussian filter (LoG) is similar to a Laplacian filter, with the
only exception being that it has already been convolved with a Gaussian filter.
The advantage of using a LoG filter over the standard Laplacian filter is that
you not required to smooth the grid prior to applying the LoG as the whole
process is achieved in a single pass. This property makes the LoG filter faster to
compute on large datasets. LoG filters calculate an approximation of the second
spatial derivative of an image. Therefore areas in an image that have a constant
intensity (or a gradient of zero) will produce values of zero in the Laplacian
image, while areas of high intensity variation (or gradient) will produce positive
or negative values. Adding the LoG filtered grid back to the original grid will
have the effect of enhancing contrast in the original image and making edges
appear much sharper.
Discover provides the following LoG filter:
9x9 Laplacian of Gaussian (Standard Deviation = 1.4)
Sobel Filters
Like the Laplacian filter, the Sobel filter approximates a 2-D spatial gradient
measurement on an image and therefore emphasizes regions of high spatial
frequency. This type of filter is typically used to find the approximate absolute
Appendix E - Filter Descriptions 311
gradient magnitude at each point in an input grayscale image. To Sobel filters
are provided in Discover. These are a pair of 3x3 filters, where one filter is
simply the other rotated by 90. The filters provided are designed to respond
maximally to edges running vertically and horizontally relative to the grid cell
orientation. One filter is supplied for each of the two perpendicular orientations
(horizontal & vertical). The filters can be applied separately to the input grid, to
produce separate measurements of the gradient component in each orientation
or they can be combined together to find the absolute magnitude and orientation
of the gradient at each point. The Sobel filter will often reduce edges in an input
image to lines in the output image. This property makes the filter useful for
assisting with lineament interpretations and structural mapping.
Discover provides two Sobel filters:
Sobel Horizontal
Sobel Vertical
Roberts Cross filters
Robertss filters perform a simple and quick 2-D spatial gradient measurement
on a grid. The filter is very similar to the Sobel filter with each grid cell value in
the output image representing an estimate of the absolute magnitude of the
spatial gradient. The filter therefore highlights regions of high spatial frequency.
The Roberts filters provided with Discover are approximations of the ture
Roberts function and are designed to produce maximum responses over edges
running at 45 to the pixel grid. One filter kernel is supplied for each of the two
perpendicular orientations (Gx & Gy). The filters can be applied individually to
measure the gradient component in each orientation or they can be combined to
find the absolute magnitude and orientation of the gradient at each point in an
image. The main disadvantage of the Roberts filter over the Sobel filter for edge
detection is that it is extremely sensitive to noise due to the very small kernel. It
also produces a much weak response over genuine edges unless they are very
sharp.
Discover provides two Roberts Cross filters:
Roberts Cross Gx
Roberts Cross Gy
Sun Angle Filters
These filters provide directional enhancement to grid surfaces. The filter kernels
are designed to amplify gradients perpendicular to the direction of perceived
ambient lighting. For example, an East-West sun angle filter enhances
312 Discover Reference Manual
frequency content for artificial illumination from the north or south. Supplied
filters include:
North
North East
East
South East
South
South West
West
North West
Custom User-Defined Filters
The following three User defined filters are supplied with Discover:
General user defined (mxn) filter
Average mxn filter
Gaussian mxn filter
These filters can be used as templates for designing and creating your own
custom filters and offer a convenient way of experimenting with the properties
of digital filtering. When you have designed a filter you wish to save click the
Save As button and assign it a name. The filter is then stored in a \CUSTOM
sub-folder in the Filters directory.
Once a filter has been saved it will be displayed using the assigned name in
Avaliable filters list and can be reapplied during a subsequent filtering session.
Index 313
14 Index
3D DXF files, 177
A
Actual Map Size box, 39
Add Existing Shade File button, 29
Add Frame Titles, 48
Add Group
of ELC, 73, 76, 78
Add to Shade File list, 28
Advanced parameter controls
in Grid Tool, 164
aggregates
assigning aggregates from points to
enclosing polygons. See Assign
Values
aliases
company names in tenement
searches. See tenement searches.
See tenement searches
for MapBasic programs, 143
for table names, 142
Allow layer logical grouping
of ELC, 71
Allow Layer Logical Grouping
option of ELC, 76
Alter Grid Display, 171
appending
multiple tables, 138
Apply changes immediately
of ELC, 70
apply density corrections control, 164
Assign Grid Cell Values, 183
Assign Values
assigning codes from polygons to
enclosed points, 95
assigning data aggregates from points
to enclosing polygons, 95
assigned a colour, 245
asymmetric search ellipse, 170
Australian Structural Symbols, 249
Auto Apply mode
of Grid Tool, 157
AutoCad, 177
Auto-clip Stretch, 189
AutoGrid table, 22
AUTOGRID, 20
AUTOGRID_MASK, 22
auto-labels, 71
Automatic Legend Generation
described, 52
prerequisites, 51, 54, 55, 57, 59, 62,
84, 86, 87, 88, 118, 123, 128, 129,
142, 143, 178, 183, 184
specifying the order within a legend,
53
autoscaling of Z-axis option, 181
Auto-Shade
applying saved thematic settings, 28
examples with other Discover
functions, 29
saving thematic settings, 27
transferring shade settings between
Discover installations, 29
Auto-Shadefacility, 27
B
Band Interleaved by Line, 151
BIL format, 151
bounds
in Grid Wizard, 169
button bars, 4
C
Calculate Optimum Values button, 161
calculate the volume, 187
Canadian Structural Symbols, 249
cell size, 169
in Grid Tool, 160
Change Direction
314 Discover Reference Manual
reversing the direction of polylines
and polygons, 129
Choose New Columns button, 29
Clip Grid to Region, 187
Clip Inside polygons, 188
Clip Outside polygons, 187
Clip to input area control, 166, 167
clipping objects
at a polygon boundary, 127
colour
objects, 248
Colour code sample assay labels, 58
colour lookup tables
colouring polygon data. See Colour
Maps
Colour Maps
building colour lookup tables, 244,
246
editing colour lookup tables, 246
thematic maps using colour lookup
tables, 247
using standard colour lookup tables,
242
colour table, 246
ColourMaps>Colour Map, 29
company name, 290
Configuration
auto-loading Discover, 7
Configuration File, 7
setup and installation, 5
Configure button on the Scaled Output
dialog, 45
Constant Grid Arithmetic, 187
contour interval, 175
Contour Level file, 175
contour line, 176
contour lines, 149
convex hull, 185
convolution operations, 173
cookie-cutting polygons. See Processing
Inlying Polygons
Coordinate Transformation
specifying parameters, 92
transforming data between two
coordinate systems, 90
Coordinates
storing/updating current object
coordinates, 88, 118, 123, 128,
129, 142, 143
create a scalebar, 42
create a template
in GraphMap, 239
Create and Analyze Surfaces, 147
create colour table from existing map
option, 244
Create Grid option, 156
creating a polygon grid, 29
creating a surface, 160
CurPos operation, 25
cursor position
displaying by default, 8
Cursor Position Off button, 26
Cursor Positioning, 25
Custom
Re-Order Mode, 53
cutting objects
with a selected line. See Line Cut
D
data entry of titleblock details, 40
Data Utilities
described, 83
decimal degrees
grid spacing, 21
default table view
setting, 32
Delaunay triangulation, 165
Depth From and Depth To, 197
digitizing
with attribute data entry, 100
with automatic attribute data entry,
100
with standard styles. See Styles
Library
direction
changing direction of a line. See
Change Direction Direction
storing direction of a line. See Line
Direction
disable the ELC, 67
Discover
auto-loading, 3
running, 3
Index 315
running on a network, 8
uninstalling, 6
User Interface, 3
Discover Map Styles, 301
DISCOVER.PRJ, 31
DISCOVER.WOR, 8
Display Images button, 84
distance weighting parameter, 161
DocumentLink, 86
donutting polygons. See Processing
Inlying Polygons
downhole data tables, 197
downhole samples, 197
downhole survey table, 197
draped
vector layers, 180
draw grid labels, 22
Draw Grid option, 39
drillhole collar, 197
Drillhole Cross-Section Generation
downhole histograms, 214
downhole linegraphs, 214
downhole structure ticks, 215
downhole trace shades, 215
saving downhole display settings,
216
drillhole display, 196
Drillhole Display
collar location, 197
Drillhole Project Manager, 200
Drillholes > Sectional Resource
Calculator, 223
Drillholes subsystem
and resource computation, 222
Drillholes>Add section to layout tool, 47
DXF file, 177
E
edge detection filters, 306
edge ticks, 21
Edit
in GraphMap, 241
edit colour table, 247
edit the layer, 32
editability
of ELC, 71
ellipitical shell, 162
ellipse
and resource calculation, 224
orientation, 158
Ellipse button, 163
Elliptical Search option, 163
ENCOM.CFG, 7
Enhanced Layer Control, 33
EOH values, 14
ER Mapper, 150, 151, 152, 190
grid output, 166
ER Mapper grids, 153
ERS
ER Mapper grid header, 152
ET Str font, 62
ET_Structural, 250
Exact hit distance parameter, 164
exporting
multiple tables, 138
Expression construction, 56
F
File>Print, 43
filter name, 172
filter types, 307
filter weights, 173
Filter Weights, 175
Filtering of gridded surface data, 306
Filtering Tool dialog, 173
Fixed extents
in map linking, 24
Fixed scale
in map linking, 24
floating-point grid format, 154
Font Size defaults, 57
format text, 57
Frame Settings, 45
frame setup, 39
Frame Titling, 48
G
gaussian smoothing filter, 166
generate a profile, 180
geochemical sampling
in Grid Tool, 161
geographic locations
of maps, 25
geological maps
316 Discover Reference Manual
colouring. See Colour Maps
inlying polygons. See Processing
Inlying Polygons
geological symbols, 301
Geosoft, 151, 190
grid format, 154
grid output, 166
Global Log Display, 222
Graph Type, 240
Graphical Style, 27
GraphMap
comparison with MapInfo graphs,
233
linking graphed data to the source
map objects, 234
styles, 234
thematically mapping graphed data,
238
graphs
linking with mapped objects. See
GraphMap
grid bounds, 169
Grid bounds parameters, 160
grid calculation function, 187
grid can be displayed, 149
grid cell, 149
grid cell parameter, 160
Grid Configuration, 150
Grid Filter
in ELC, 73
grid formats, 147, 150
Grid Handler, 150
Grid Information, 175
grid line intersection, 22
grid method, 166
grid node, 161
grid projection, 155
grid query tools, 184
grid style, 21
gridded surfaces, 147
gridding
input tab, 159
using Discover 4.0, 156
using Discover 5.0, 156
gridding methods, 161
gridding tool, 156
Gridding Tool, 155
Gridding Tool button, 156
gridding tool dialog, 161
Gridding Wizard, 73
GridFilter, 171
GridFilter tool, 172
grids
arithmetic, 186
Grouped view
of ELC, 76
Grouped View button, 76
H
hardcopy output. See scaled hardcopy
output
Hatching
transparent hatching. See See-Thru
Shading
high frequency noise, 167
high-pass filters, 306
histogram equalisation
in Grid Tool, 158
histogram equalised
in GridFilter, 173
histogram plots
linking with mapped objects. See
GraphMap
Histogram Stretch, 189
Hole ID, 197
I
IDW
in Grid Wizard, 161
IDW method
in Grid Tool, 161
image registration, 155
Images
as gridded output. See Gridding and
Contouring
imperial
scalebars, 42
import
a grid, 155
importing
tables from multiple directories, 138
Importing
layered DXF data, 112
lines from coordinates on one row,
111
Index 317
map objects from ASCII files, 109
Micromine files, 112
Polylines delimited by row or
column, 110
XYZ grids, 111
importing a grid, 155
Individual Log Display, 222
inlying polygons
processing. See Processing Inlying
Polygons
input grid file
in Grid Filter, 172
Installing Discover, 5
Inverse Distance Weighting, 161
Inverse Distance Weighting method, 162
K
keying in
object coordinates, 118
object descriptions by distance
bearing, 118
L
Label Lines checkbox, 56
Label Style, 56
LABELLER.MBX, 58
labels
on grids, 22
Labels
creating at an angle, 54
sizing to specified map scale, 55
Layer Control Options dialog, 74
layout window, 43
Layout>Align, 47
Layout>Align menu, 43
Legend
creating. See Automatic Legend
Generation
legend creation, 52
Legend from objects within map window
only option, 52
Legend generator, 245
Legend Generator, 247
Line Cut
cutting objects with a selected line,
128
Line Direction
storing as an attribute, 103
Linear Stretch, 189
Link Documents, 85
Link this map option, 24
Local Grid
converting from. See Coordinate
Transformation
generating, 94
log display, 222
logo, 291
logo tablename, 291
M
major axes
of search ellipse, 162
map frame
titles, 48
Map Frame Position offsets, 46
Map Grid
drawing to a map window, 20
on printed maps. See scaled hardcopy
output
overlaying grids based on different
projections, 22
saving, 23
Map Link option, 25
Map Linking, 23
Map making tools
creating legends. See Automatic
Legend Generation. described, 37
Styles Library. See Styles Library.
Map Making>Add scaled frame to layout
tool, 47
Map Window Tools
described, 19
map with no map grid, 39
Map>Options>Projection sequence, 31
Map>Previous View menu option, 47
MapGrid, 23
MapInfo Continuous Grid, 154
MapInfo Thematic Grids, 154
MAPINFOW.PRJ, 31
mappers linked, 23
MapSize rectangle, 40
mask
around grid, 22
metadata keys, 71
318 Discover Reference Manual
Method tab
in Grid Tool, 160, 161
metric
scalebars, 42
Micromine
importing files from, 112
MicroStation, 177
MIG file, 154
minor axes
of search ellipse, 162
Modify Hotlinks
of ELC, 73
Modify Theme
of ELC, 73
multiple graph types, 241
N
natural neighbour interpolation, 165
nearest neighbour method
in Grid Wizard, 162
nearest neighbour search, 170
nearest neighbouring data points, 170
New Shade File
option, 28
No List option, 42
nodes
decreasing the number in polyline
and regions, 123
editing object nodes, 121
extracting from polylines and
polygons. See Polyline/Polygon
Node Extraction
keying in object nodes, 118
Non-Printing Margins, 46
null value
in gridding, 170
null values
in Grid Tool, 162
number of sectors
of search ellipse, 163
O
Object Editing Tools
described, 117
Object Editing>Key In Shapes, 32
Object Offset function, 44
objects
keying in object nodes, 118
ODBC table
and drillholes, 198
Offset East, 56
Offset North, 56
Offset Objects
creating copies of objects at a
specified offset, 121
On Demand mode
of Grid Tool, 158
Open branches for all windows
of ELC, 71
Open Layout Template from workspace,
42
opening
tables from multiple directories, 138
Opening
tables from a list of aliases. See User
Tables
Options button
of ELC, 70
Orientation control
of search ellipse, 162
output tab
in Grid Tool, 166
Output tab, 157
Overlay Another AutoGrid option, 40
P
packing
multiple tables, 138
Pan controls
in Grid Tool, 159
Pattern Density, 61
Pattern Width, 61
patternsfor see-thru, 60
Percentile Ranges, 189
point symbol
in Grid Tool, 158
PolyClip
clipping objects at a polygon
boundary, 127
polygonizing
closure tolerance, 131
inclusion of text as attributes, 132
introduction to, 130
Index 319
with automatic excising of inlying
polygons, 132
Polyline/Polygon Node Extraction
extract coordinates or points from
nodes, 104
position of the Scaled Output map, 39
pre-set geographic view, 30
Preview area
in Grid Wizard, 158
preview window
of Grid Tool, 157
Previous View button, 79
Previous View function, 79
Printer Setup, 39
probability plots
linking with mapped objects. See
GraphMap
Processing Inlying Polygons
and geological maps, 125
cutting polygons from surrounding
polygons, 125
profile
multiple lines, 183
Profile. See Surface Analysis. See Surface
Analysis
profile generated along a polyline, 182
profile information
and drillholes, 199
project
for drillholes, 200
Project Definition
for drillholes, 201
Project Manager, 200
Projection button, 31
Projections
changing between commonly used
projections. See Standard
Projections
determining the current map window
projection. See Map Window
Projection
Proximity Search
selecting objects based on distance
from other objects, 97
Q
Querying
based on proximity to selected
objects. See Proximity Search
Querying tables
searching for particular text. See Text
Search and Replace
tenement tables. See tenement
searches
radial search
in gridding, 166
range and pattern display, 14
register grids, 189
register the shade file, 29
remove a selected filter, 174
Reset to Input Extents button, 160
resource grid, 222
resources from cross-sections, 222
Restore Mapper State option, 33
restore templates, 240
RGB values
use in colour lookup tables. See
Colour Tables
roll-up
of the ELC, 67
rose diagrams
linking with mapped objects. See
GraphMap
rounded grid spacing, 21
Rows and Columns
of filters, 307
S
Save Mapper State tool, 33
Save Template, 239
scalebar format, 42
scalebars
on hardcopy maps, 1
scaled hardcopy output
configuring frame settings, 45
determining coverage, 40
entering titleblock details, 40
hints, 46
scalebar format, 42
using an existing workspace as a
template, 42
with standard map sheets, 44
Scaled Output, 20
Scaled Output button, 38
320 Discover Reference Manual
Scaled Output function, 38
Scaled Output>Accept Map Position, 40
Scaled Output>Quit Scaled Output, 45
Scaled Output>Respecify Parameters, 40
Scaled Output>ReSpecify Parameters, 44
Scaled Output>Restore Map Window, 40,
44, 47
scatter plots
linking with mapped objects. See
GraphMap
Search all holes
required, 222
search distance, 162
Search Distance controls, 162
search ellipse, 158, 170, 224
in Grid Tool, 162
in Grid Wizard, 162
search orientation
for sectional resources, 224
search parameters
in Grid Tool, 162
Section Name, 223
Sectional Resource Calculator, 222
sector search ellipse, 163
See-Thru Pattern Library, 61
See-Thru patterns, 60
See-Thru Shading
applying to selected regions, 59
SEETHRU table, 61
Select by Style dialog, 27
selectability
of ELC, 71
Selected Filter list, 174
Send TitleBlock to Back checkbox, 41
Set Clip Region, 46
SETUP.EXE
installation program, 5
shade file (SHD), 28
shade files, 28
Shade Quickview option, 247
Show all windows in workspace
of ELC, 71
slideshows, 5
Smooth grid control, 166
smoothing
in Grid Wizard, 161
sort
a table permanently, 141
Spatial Neighbour tab, 166
spatial neighbours
gridding, 166
special symbol fonts, 62
Specify Order option, 52
spline interpolation
for contours, 176
splitting
multi-section polylines and regions,
129
Standard Projections
maintaining a list of commonly used
projections, 31
Standard Views
maintaining a list of standard
geographic views, 30
zooming to a standard view, 30
Standard Views button, 30
stereograms
linking with mapped objects. See
GraphMap
stitch adjoining grids, 186
Store Resource in column, 224
structural codes, 250
structural data
displaying as symbols. See Structural
Data Mapper
Structural Data Map, 249
Structural Data Mapper
digitizing structural symbols, 252
Overview, 249
symbol codes, 253
structural symbols, 248
Structural True Type symbol fonts, 297
Style button
for legends, 52
styles library, 49
Styles Library
inserting stored attributes, 50
storing and applying standard object
styles, 49, 51, 54, 55, 57, 59, 62,
84, 86, 87, 88, 118, 123, 128, 129,
142, 143, 178, 183, 184
using Discover colour tables, 50
sub-sampling polylines and regions
decreasing the number of nodes in
polyline and regions, 123
sun azimuth, 188
Index 321
sun illumination
in Grid Wizard, 158
sun-shading, 188
Surface Analysis
Alter grid image colours, 188
Grid file manager, 191
Profile over a grid or contour plan,
178, 179
Surface Creation
contour parameters, 175
Surface Creation and Analysis
search ellipse, 162
Surface Creation and Analysis function, 29
surface grid, 148
Surface Profile. See Surface Analysis. See
Surface Analysis
survey table, 197
symbol picker, 249
T
tab pages
of Grid Tool, 157
table of symbols, 249
Table Utilities
described, 137
Template Graph Generation, 241
Template Multiple, 240
templates
in GraphMap, 239
tenement searches
by company name, 257
by date, 257
overview, 255, 259
shading by quarter, month or year,
257
ternary diagrams
linking with mapped objects. See
GraphMap
Text
sizing for a given map scale, 57
text angle, 56
text label string into a column, 58
text labelling, 55
Text Search and Replace
searching for and/or replacing
particular text, 86
the mineralisation orientation, 224
Thematic map settings
saving and re-applying. See Auto-
Shade
thinning polylines and regions
by node number, 123
by node position, 124
decreasing the number of nodes in
polyline and regions, 123
Title Line placeholder, 290
Title Lines, 41
TITLEBLK.TAB, 41
titleblock details, 40
Titleblock Position, 41
titleblocks
on hardcopy maps. See scaled
hardcopy output
toolbars, 4
topographic elevation, 148
triangular irregular network, 185
Triangulation method
in Grid Tool, 165
True Type fonts, 297
True Type Fonts
of structural symbols. See Structural
Data Mapper
TrueType font symbols, 251
TrueType symbol fonts, 249
U
Uninstalling Discover, 6
unroll the ELC, 67
Update Coordinates
storing coordinates from multiple
projections, 89
update coordinate columns from
objects, 89
update object position from
coordinate columns, 89
update the text in text objects, 58
updating
a table subset with valuse from
another table, 140
an assay table with incomplete lab
results, 140
updating text labels, 58
US structural symbols, 249
Use elliptical weighting option, 162
322 Discover Reference Manual
Use layer name aliases
of ELC, 71
Use layer name aliases option, 74
Use nearest points only control, 163
User MBXs
maintain an alias list of commonly
used MapBasic programs, 143
User Tables
maintaining an alias list of commonly
used tables, 142
V
Vertical Mapper, 150, 151, 154
vertical progress bar
of Grid Tool, 158
volume
of grids, 187
Voronoi Polygon, 184
W
weight power
in Grid Tool, 164
in Grid Wizard, 170
weight the grid node, 307
weighting parameter, 161
weighting values, 161
Window Properties
of ELC, 79
Workspace
saving automatically, 8
Z
Zoom
in Grid Tool, 159
zoom level
of filter preview, 175
Zoom Previous, 79
zooming the map window, 33