| Re: contouring algorithm [message #9272] |
Fri, 13 June 1997 00:00 |
davidf
Messages: 2866
Registered: September 1996
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Senior Member |
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Joerg Frauendiener writes:
> I am wondering whether it is possible to obtain some information about
> the algorithms used in the various routines that come with IDL. I am
> especially interested in the algorithm used in the CONTOUR procedure. I
> would like to know how the points are determined through which the
> contours are drawn and also how accurate they are.
Take my word for it, Joerg, you really *don't* want to know this.
I doubt that there is anything much harder to do than to get
a computer to draw contours through a data set. There are
probably 100 "right" ways to do it, all giving
completely different results. If you get bogged down
in this morass, you may never again see the light of day.
My advice is to always keep in mind that graphical
visualizations are abstractions of the real data, not
the real data itself. This way to don't get attached to
the visualizations and begin to think they are "real".
Check your results against the real data, always, and
maintain a sense of healthy skepticism about everything
you "see". This applies as much to surface plots as
to contour plots.
Cheers,
David
--
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting
Customizable IDL Programming Courses
Phone: 970-221-0438 E-Mail: davidf@dfanning.com
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com
IDL 5 Reports: http://www.dfanning.com/documents/anomaly5.html
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