Method for Editing Gridded Surfaces

• US 20090225073A1
• Filed: 03/04/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: IHS Global Incorporated (Markit Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Seismic Micro-Technology Incorporated (S&P Global Inc.)
• Inventors: Baker, Robert Allison III
• Application Number:
  US12/041,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20090225073A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

A method of editing a surface representing a quantitative field is disclosed which facilitates getting a surface to conform to a required shape. In embodiments, the methods revise a surface display substantially in real time by altering a predetermined visual characteristic of the displayed surface as a function of changed original values, the predetermined visual characteristic comprising at least one of a contour line representative of a set of the changed original values or a one-to-one color mapping between a changed original value and color.

Claims

1. A method of editing data representative of geographically distributed data, comprising:

a. acquiring a set of data points representative of predetermined geographical data;

b. displaying the acquired data points as a surface on a computer display;

c. locating a region of interest on the displayed surface;

d. displaying a focal point in the region of interest;

e. generating a set of values in a predetermined plane around the focal point which, if displayed as elevations, would approximate a cone;

f. indicating a desired direction of distortion;

g. distorting the displayed surface by changing a predetermined set of the data points'"'"' current values proportional to values of data points in the cone as a function of the location of the data points'"'"' current data in the area covered by the cone; and

h. revising the display of the surface substantially in real time by altering a predetermined visual characteristic of the display as a function of the changed data points'"'"' values, the predetermined visual characteristic comprising at least one of a contour line representative of a set of the changed original values or a one-to-one color mapping between a changed original value and color.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined geographical data comprise data representative of at least one of elevation, temperature, magnetic permeability, or porosity at a given depth.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein distorting the surface further comprises changing the original values of data values contained in the cone by performing a mathematical operation on the original values as a function of the location of the data points'"'"' current data in the area covered by the cone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined plane around the focal point defines a circular area.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a. locating the region of interest on the displayed surface using a pointing device; and

b. using the pointing device to indicate the desired distortion direction in a predetermined plane with respect to the displayed surface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the pointing device comprises at least one of a mouse, light pen, track ball, or keyboard.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a. integrating the displayed surface with a graphic image; and

b. deriving a predetermined configuration from the graphic image.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising conforming the distorted surface to the underlying graphic image according to a predetermined relationship between the displayed surface and the underlying graphic image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined relationship comprises at least one of (i) a match between the changed subset and the underlying graphic image or (ii) a geometric relationship between the changed subset and the underlying graphic image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of the surface is superimposed on a graphic.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the graphic comprises a photograph.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a. moving the focal point in a direction;

b. determining a rate of movement of the focal point; and

c. shaping the cone as a function of the direction and the rate of movement.