In Depth
- Rectangular Volumes is a quick way to get an approximation for a gridded surface
- Hyperbolic Volumes calculates volumes on a smooth, realistic approximation of a gridded surface
- Triangular Volumes uses the data's true positions, with a linear approximation between the nodes
- Comparative Volumes determines relevant changes, and can be used to evaluate dredging and filling operations
All of these calculations work with 3D models or at a fixed depth, with an optional allowance below the model.
Decision-making is made easy with a number of views for comparing the data to the model:
- Quickly get a 2D view of the areas that do not conform with a 2D colouring of the difference surface. This operation is completely configurable with any number of colouring ranges and can clearly and cleanly show which areas need to be addressed.
- The 3D view is another easy way to visualize the areas where data encroaches on the model, especially when using the simple transparency settings.
- With the linear referencing provided in reference models, creating regular vertical cross-section profiles of the data and model is just a matter of selecting each feature in a map. These profiles are suitable for displaying in reports and for further analysis against previous plots.
Areas where bathymetry is above the model are marked, with additional areas created at every user-specified step above the model. These areas are covered by minimum bounding boxes, which can be automatically and manually merged to ensure the number of publications meets your needs. The more shoals at different depths are published, the more of the channel is available to shallow-draft vessels; the fewer shoals are published, the easier it is to manage the publications.
In the above images, the shoal areas are shown as red lines, and the minimum bounding boxes are shown by black dashed lines.
Additional metadata, such as the clearances between the shoals and the sides of the model, is calculated automatically when shoals are detected. Other metadata, such as the nearest reference feature, can be determined on request. The end result is a configurable shoal publication, with automated tools and manual overrides available at every step along the way.
A typical 3D model includes horizontal areas bounded by side slopes at a given gradient. These can be defined based on an alignment with linear referencing (stationing), with the referencing based on straight and/or curved segments. Profile lines can then be automatically generated at fixed distances along the alignment.
Models can also be created from existing vector background maps, including S-57 ENC, CARIS, Shapefiles and many other formats.
