Plotting contours with coordinates and level

Question

Hi everyone,
I am trying to plot contour lines based on three 1D arrays of eastings, northings and receiver levels. I will also need to overlay it over a google earth or maps image. So far I've looked at the contour line VI , but not really sure how to produce a 2D array which corresponds to the z- value  (receiver level), i.e.what should I bundle my 1D array of receiver levels to make it a 2D array which will correspond to the coordinates given with easting and northing. Any guidance would be highly appreciated.
I've managed to plot the values using a 3D scatter vi (see attached png), but would like to be able to use the Contour Line VI as it might provide me with more flexibility further down the road (will have to manipulate contours further).
Thank you.
Attachments:
sample contour.png ‏44 KB

Answer 1

Hi monotone!
The function you're looking for I believe is a matrix conversion. So from the XYZ triplet coordinates you need to create an X' and Y' axis with the values, as well as a Z' matrix with the point data for every single (x,y) coordinate pair.
As far as I'm aware, this functionality is not natively available in LabVIEW. It is available in DIAdem though, and I also found a few implementations in other languages, like this one. 
As for your second question, the simplest approach is to use cursors. Create a cursor and move it around, and you'll be able to read x, y and z values on the front panel, as well as programmatically.
Please tell me if you have other questions.
Best regards:
Andras Valko
NI Hungary
Andrew Valko
National Instruments Hungary