Derek Bristol

cave survey visualization

Once cave survey data has been entered into data management software such as Compass, Walls or Survex, it’s possible to visualize the survey with data viewers that generally come with these programs. Data viewing programs can be used to view the survey data in 2D plan or profile orientations, or to rotate and manipulate the survey data in 3-dimensions. The software can also take LRUD (left, right, up, down) information and create a 3D volumetric model of the cave and it’s passages. These computer generated models of the cave can also be exported as KML or shape files for viewing and manipulation in Google Earth, QGIS or ArcGIS along with things like a digital elevation model (DEM) of the surface above the cave. These data viewers can also be used to quickly locate survey stations, to measure distances between parts of the survey in 3-dimensions, to show the depth of stations, and to track and label leads that need to be surveyed. Some additional visualization capabilities include color coding based on things such as depth below the entrance, section of the cave, date of the survey, or travel distance from the entrance. Some of the benefits of these data viewers is that they allow very fast visualization of the extent and shape of the cave without the time-consuming process of the full cartography process. This visualization can be critically important for determining how close two passages or even two caves are to each other. This can also provide a good way to see how features underground relate to the surface topography, and how close features such as domes or breakdown collapses are to the surface. Visualization software can also be useful for better understanding the geology and hydrology of a cave.

Compass viewer

Compass comes with a companion program called Compass Viewer that takes a .PLT file generated by the Compass Project Manager after compiling the survey data, and displays a line-plot of the cave. The Viewer can be used to search for surveys or specific survey stations, to show survey loops, or to visually differentiate areas of the survey by coordinates, depth, or date of the survey.

Walls 2D Viewer and 3d viewer

Walls comes with data viewing software for looking at survey data in a plan view projection (2D Viewer) or in a rotatable 3-dimensional format (3D Viewer). The 2D Viewer program can view 2-dimensional projections that are exported as scalable vector graphics (SVG) files. Note that profile view SVG exports from Walls has been a pending feature for many years, and until developers start building on the now open-source platform this feature may not be available. Also note that the 2D Viewer program relies on the installation of Adobe’s SVG Viewer program, which is free, but support ended in 2009 and it does not appear to run on the Windows 10 operating system. There is also a “Display Map” function in the “Map” tab of the Walls Project Editor that will show the 2D line-plot projection. The 3D Viewer program uses an exported Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) file of the cave survey data, which can be zoomed and rotated on 3 axes.

survex fast cave viewer

Survex has a built-in viewer program and data manager, Aven, that can be used to rotate a cave’s survey around in 3-dimensions for various viewing angles, and can create volumetric models much like the Compass Viewer.