xm_raster

NAME

xm_raster - Raster format for the Geotouch program

SYNOPSIS

xm_raster - Input File Format

DESCRIPTION

The raster file is a 2D or 3D raster image file. There are
several formats available for input.

FORMAT

Image Data may be imported into Geotouch via either simple ASCII files
(format below) or through binary files created by the netCDF programs
available from NCAR (UCAR). Documentation for the netCDF formats and
software is available over the internet.

The importing of files through netCDF must follow the output of the GMT
program, also available over the internet. I have installed it this
way so that images created with GMT can be imported into Geotouch with no
other processing. GMT files are generally 2D images so the third
dimension in that case is artificially manufactured on the fly.


The 3D netCDF files can be easily created by extending the GMT format.
Here we simply add a few more variables and attributes so that we
conform with the ASCII files written below.


---------------------------------------------------------------
ASCII image input:
The ASCII image files are simple. you must have the following lines: 2 lines to describe the model followed by a long list of data values:
lat lon nx ny nz spac-X spac-Y
z1 z2 z3 z4 .....(nz+1) values
data1
data2
data3


Lat-Lon are respectively the latitude and longitude of the lower left corner of the model. All other points are referenced relative to this point. The spacing in x-y is considered constant, given in km. The Z spacing is variable and is provided by the array of values on the line that follows. The Z values represent the tops of layers dividing the model. There must be nz+1 values so that Z-top differences delineate the thickness of each layers. Following these 2 header lines is a long list of numbers which represent the images. The images are arranged starting from the top most layer down going from left to right across the array and northward, i.e. Surface-to-Depth (slowest changing dimension), South-to-North, West-to-East (fastest changing dimension). Looking down on a map of the image:

--------------------------------------------------------------------

(Ny-1)*Nx+1 ... ... Ny*Nx
2Nx+1 2Nx+2 ... ... ... 2Nx+Nx
Nx+1 Nx+2 Nx+Nx
1 2 3 4 5 ....etc Nx

--------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have a 2D image that does not have a "thickness" (like topography)
then just make one up, e.g.:
32.444 -116.43434 25 32 1 0.5 0.5
0.0 0.3
22
343
333
etc....

---------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------

netCDF format:

To get a netCDF file one first creates a simple file description in a language called CDL. and example of a CDL file for the creation of a 3D image suitable for Geotouch is given below. By copying this format and running the utility ncgen -o file.cdf file.cdl from the netcdf distribution one can create 3D rasters and store them in a binary format that is a bit more compact than the ASCII format described above.

See the netCDF and CDL documentation for more information.
---------------------------------------------------------------
example of a cdl file which will create a cdf file suitable for reading into Geotouch. (The full data set has been truncated). The data is stored according to the format given above, Surface-to-Depth, South-to-North, West-to-East).

netcdf Puget {

dimensions:
side = 2 ;
side3 = 3 ;
Ntops = 11;
xysize = 1500 ;
xyzsize = 15000 ;
variables:
int ndims;
double latlon(side);
double x_range(side) ;
x_range:units = "km" ;
double y_range(side) ;
y_range:units = "km" ;
double D_range(side) ;
D_range:units = "km" ;

double z_range(side) ;
z_range:units = "Sec/Km" ;
double spacing(side) ;
int dimension(side3) ;
float z(xyzsize) ;
z:long_name = "slowness" ;
z:scale_factor = 1. ;
z:add_offset = 0. ;
z:node_offset = 0 ;
z:missing_value = 1000.0;
float tops(Ntops);

// global attributes:
:title = "Puget Sound Inversion 1990" ;
:source = "Lees & Crosson Velocity inversion 1990" ;

data:

ndims = 3;

x_range = 0, 150 ;

y_range = 0, 250 ;

D_range = 0.0, 41.0 ;

z_range = -12, 12 ;

spacing = 5, 5 ;

dimension = 30, 50, 10 ;

latlon = 46.4000015, -123.4166641 ;

tops =
0.000, 2.000 , 4.000 , 6.000, 9.000, 12.000, 16.000 ,20.000, 25.000 ,32.000, 41.000;

z =
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1.123851 ,
1.021553 ,
0.826462 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
-1.769204 ,
-3.513751 ,
-3.428546 ,
-2.937757 ,
-2.315268 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ,
1000.000000 ;
}



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