Mapinfo GIS tutorial – How to Create Gridded surface using Encom Discover 9.0

This tutorial shows how gridded surfaces and contour plans are created and used in Discover. A topographic dataset containing spot heights is used as the data source.
An Exercise in Surface Modelling and Analysis Elevation data, stored as a series of spot height points, are located in the table called SPOT HEIGHTS in the \Discover Tutorial \Surfaces folder. The objectives of this tutorial are to interpolate a surface grid and generate a contour plan, create a profile, determine grid slope and aspect, perform sun-shading and clip the grid to a region.

Step 1 – Configure Grid Handlers
Discover can create surface grids in 3 widely used grid formats: Geosoft *GRD, ER Mapper *.ERS and Surfer *.GRD. Apart from creating grids in these formats, Discover can also import grids created in other gridding software applications including the following:
•Geosoft
•ER Mapper
•Surfer
•Vertical Mapper
•ESRI ASCII
•Other ASCII grids
•USGSDEM
•Minex
•BIL

Discover supplies a number of Grid Handler files which enable it to create or import grids in any of these formats.
Select Discover>Configuration>Grid Handlers and make sure that the following grid handlers are listed. Check the Use MapInfo Grid Handlers (when possible) box and highlight either the ERMapper, Geosoft or Surfer grid to be the default output grid type. The default output grid type can be overwritten when a new grid is created. Click OK.

Step 2 – Generate a Surface Grid
Open the table SPOT HEIGHTS. Choose Map>View Entire Layer. From the Discover menu, select Surfaces menu. The Surfaces menu is added to the MapInfo menu bar.
Choose Surfaces>Create Grid…. Select the SPOT HEIGHTS table to be gridded and click OK. Note that if only a portion or subset of the displayed data points is to be gridded, an additional Selection option appears in the dialog list.

The Gridding Tool consists of a series of tab dialogs for grid parameter set-up that create a surface grid. Accompanying each dialog box is a preview window of the grid as it is created.

Continue to Tutorial No 2