MapInfoDiscover2016 UserGuide PDF

MapInfo Discover User Guide
Contents
INTRODUCTION TASKS
1 - Introducing MapInfo Discover 6 - Map window controls
About this guide.................................................... 2 Map view settings ............................................... 33

Conventions used in this guide............................. 2 Map projections .................................................. 35
Displaying map coordinates, distances and
2 - Installing and configuring MapInfo bearings ....................................................... 37
Discover Add a dynamic map grid to a map window ......... 39
Window size and zoom controls ......................... 40
System requirements............................................ 5 Linking map windows.......................................... 41
What the MapInfo Discover Bundle includes........ 6 7 - Importing and exporting
Installing MapInfo Discover .................................. 6
Uninstalling MapInfo Discover .............................. 7
Licensing MapInfo Discover ................................. 7 Import and export tools ....................................... 45
Product Improvement Initiative ........................... 11 Importing and exporting tabular and vector data 46
Starting MapInfo Discover .................................. 11 Importing and exporting images ......................... 74
Running multiple instances of MapInfo Pro and Importing and exporting drillhole data................. 78
MapInfo Discover ......................................... 12 8 - Working with tables
Configuring MapInfo Discover ............................ 12
3 - Getting help Opening and closing tables ................................ 97
Refreshing tables with database connections .. 100
Help .................................................................... 16 Searching and replacing text in tables.............. 102
Technical support ............................................... 17 Selecting records by attribute ........................... 103
Checking for MapInfo Discover updates............. 17 Sorting tables.................................................... 104
Viewing and printing the electronic manuals ...... 17 Changing the map bounds of a mappable table105
Splitting tables .................................................. 107
4 - Managing the user interface and Digitizing and data entry ................................... 108
workspaces Adding unique identifiers to table records......... 135
Updating multiple columns................................ 135
Working with multiple tables ............................. 137
Controlling the interface...................................... 19
Using Tool Search .............................................. 20 9 - GPS Connect tool
Organizing your MapBasic tools......................... 21
Managing your workspaces................................ 22 Supported Platforms ......................................... 145
MapInfo Pro context menus................................ 27 User Interface ................................................... 146
5 - Acknowledgements Connecting the GPS Receiver.......................... 146
Setting up the GPS data capture ...................... 155
Selecting a GPS map window .......................... 161
Acknowledgements ............................................ 30 Capturing GPS data.......................................... 161
10 - Data processing and statistics
Pre-processing and cleaning data .................... 165 Making movies and animations from a map window
Classifying data ................................................ 165 270
Normalising or levelling data ............................ 171
Computing summary statistics.......................... 172 15 - Viewing data in three dimensions
Computing a correlation matrix......................... 175
MapInfo Discover 3D ........................................ 279
11 - Coordinates and projections Viewing data in 3D............................................ 279
Calculating distances between points in separate 16 - Graphs and profiles

tables ......................................................... 177
Displaying cursor coordinates in a map window178 General purpose graphs ................................... 282
Updating coordinates........................................ 178 Stacked profiles ................................................ 286
Coordinate transformations .............................. 179
Reprojecting coordinates.................................. 186 17 - Using the GraphMap tool
Generating traverse lines and peg coordinates 188
Starting GraphMap ........................................... 290
12 - Working with map objects GraphMap menus and toolbars ........................ 290
Creating graphs ................................................ 298
Objects and layers............................................ 195 Preconditioning data ......................................... 306
Creating objects from a table............................ 195 Creating derived columns ................................. 307
Creating and editing objects from the keyboard198 Viewing data values.......................................... 310
Creating Voronoi polygons ............................... 202 Arranging and modifying graph displays........... 311
Managing and applying object styles................ 203 Selecting data in graphs ................................... 316
Selecting objects .............................................. 203 Multi-table relationships .................................... 320
Copying, moving and transforming objects ...... 206 GeoLocated graphs .......................................... 321
Manipulating lines, polylines and polygons ...... 211 Displaying statistics .......................................... 327
Using polyline and polygon attributes............... 219 Changing the style of graph objects ................. 328
Colouring map objects by RGB values............. 224 GraphMap settings ........................................... 335
Formatting vector objects ................................. 225
Cloning object styles......................................... 227 18 - Working with images
Linking objects to external documents ............. 228
Processing images ........................................... 339
13 - Map making Using the Image Tool........................................ 340
Registering and rectifying raster images .......... 341
Creating scaled maps....................................... 234 Reprojecting an image...................................... 348
Add a map grid ................................................. 245 Clipping an image ............................................. 350
Add a scaled frame to a layout ......................... 248 Displaying image properties ............................. 351
Add a title block and scale bar.......................... 248 Enhancing an image ......................................... 352
Add a map legend ............................................ 251 Applying image filters........................................ 354
Add and format text and labels......................... 255 Rotating an image............................................. 356
Apply transparent fill patterns ........................... 262 Converting an image to another format ............ 357
Apply geological line styles and line annotations ... Setting image transparency .............................. 359
264
19 - Working with drillholes
14 - Capturing maps as images and
movies Drillhole data workflow...................................... 362
Project Database .............................................. 362
Saving a map window as a registered raster image Drillhole source data formats ............................ 363
269 Trench Source table formats ............................ 370
Importing drillhole data from other drillhole
applications ................................................ 376 MapInfo Discover tools ..................................... 519
Creating and managing drillhole projects ......... 377
Desurveying method......................................... 401 24 - Pro tab
Creating sections and plans ............................. 401
Managing and analysing sections and plans.... 410 Add-Ins ............................................................. 535
Displaying downhole data................................. 424 Options ............................................................. 536
Displaying downhole logs ................................. 441 Tool Search ...................................................... 540
Creating and editing legends............................ 446
Creating section legends .................................. 452 25 - Discover tab
Adding sections to a layout............................... 453
Adding a map grid to sections .......................... 456 Open Table ....................................................... 543
Creating a section collar plan ........................... 457 Save Table........................................................ 543
Interrogating drillholes ...................................... 457 Revert Table ..................................................... 543
Downhole compositing ..................................... 458 Close All............................................................ 543
Merging downhole tables.................................. 468 Vector Import .................................................... 543
Clipping drillholes by 3D solids or surfaces ...... 470 Multi-File Open ................................................. 544
Generating 3D coordinates............................... 474 Multi-MIF Import................................................ 544
Calculating maximum and EOH values ........... 475 ASCII Import ..................................................... 544
Converting alpha-beta core angles................... 479 acQuire Import .................................................. 549
Calculating sectional resources........................ 482 DataSight Import............................................... 550
EGB Import ....................................................... 553
20 - Hydrological surface analysis ECW/JP2 import ............................................... 554
Geosoft Import .................................................. 555
Hydrology workflow .......................................... 488 ioGAS Import .................................................... 556
Extract drainage features from a DEM ............. 489 LIDAR LAS Import ............................................ 557
Pit fill options .................................................... 493 Micromine Import .............................................. 558
Flow direction options....................................... 495 Vulcan Import.................................................... 559
Surface derived drainage ................................. 498 Multi-MIF Export ............................................... 560
Custom outlet derived drainage........................ 500 Vector Export .................................................... 560
Datamine Studio Export.................................... 560
21 - Working with structural data Leapfrog Export ................................................ 560
Minesight Export ............................................... 560
Structural data .................................................. 502 Vulcan Export ................................................... 561
Dip and plunge angles...................................... 503 EGB Export....................................................... 562
Discover structure codes .................................. 503 Vector Transform .............................................. 563
Oriented structural symbols.............................. 504 Structure Manager ............................................ 563
Modify Bounds .................................................. 563
22 - Tenements Multi-Pack ......................................................... 563
Default View...................................................... 563
Tenements module........................................... 506 Open Hotlink ..................................................... 564
Apply for an Australian mineral tenement......... 506 Setup Hotlink .................................................... 564
Displaying graticular state reference grid ......... 512 Create Hotlink ................................................... 564
Searching Australian tenements....................... 513 Configure .......................................................... 564
Refresh On ....................................................... 565
TOOLS Refresh Off ....................................................... 565

Refresh ............................................................. 565
Workspace Export ............................................ 565
Workspace Editor ............................................. 565
23 - MapInfo Discover tools Workspace Advanced....................................... 566
Restore Workspace .......................................... 566
Favourite Tables............................................... 566 Properties Image .............................................. 604
Favourite Workspaces...................................... 566
Favourite MapBasics ........................................ 566 27 - Analysis tab
Scaled Output................................................... 567
Map Legend...................................................... 570 Data Statistics................................................... 606
Scaled Frame ................................................... 572 Data Classification ............................................ 609
Title Block ......................................................... 573 Trivariate Classification..................................... 614
Map Grid........................................................... 575 Data Normalisation ........................................... 617
Dynamic Grid.................................................... 577 Correlation Matrix ............................................. 618
Label Creator.................................................... 579 Assign Values ................................................... 619
Line/Point labels ............................................... 579 Hydrology.......................................................... 621
Polyline Labels ................................................. 581 Geophysical Filters ........................................... 621
Polyline Label Positioner .................................. 581 Contour Labels ................................................. 626
Format Text ...................................................... 583 Contour Label Positioner .................................. 626
Label Angles..................................................... 584 Graphing ........................................................... 626
Colour Labels ................................................... 584 Graph Overlay .................................................. 626
Labels from Table............................................. 585 Stacked Profiles................................................ 626
Table from Labels............................................. 585 Traverse Lines .................................................. 628
Window Animator ............................................. 586 Plot Vectors ...................................................... 631
Projection Info................................................... 588 Structural Symbols............................................ 633
Favourite Projection.......................................... 589 Create Application ............................................ 633
Update Coordinates.......................................... 589 Create State Grid.............................................. 633
Custom Transform............................................ 590 Tenement Search ............................................. 633
Reproject Coordinates...................................... 594 Legend Editor ................................................... 633
Multi-Table Reproject ....................................... 595 Colour Table Editor........................................... 633
Reproject Image ............................................... 595
Mapper State .................................................... 596 28 - Modify tab
Standard Views ................................................ 596
Cursor Setup .................................................... 597 Build Object ...................................................... 637
Map Linking ...................................................... 598 Object Builder ................................................... 637
Map Size........................................................... 598 Voronoi Polygons.............................................. 637
Picklist Manager ............................................... 599 Mulit-Column Update ........................................ 637
Setup Table ...................................................... 599 Multi-Append..................................................... 637
Record Entry..................................................... 599 Insert Nodes ..................................................... 638
Enter Data ........................................................ 599 Extract Nodes ................................................... 638
Structural Symbols ........................................... 599 Unique Identifier................................................ 638
Apply Picklist .................................................... 600 Smooth Lines.................................................... 639
Apply Style........................................................ 600 Reverse Line..................................................... 639
Line Join ........................................................... 639
26 - Images tab Line Cut ............................................................ 639
Line Annotation................................................. 639
Rectify Image.................................................... 602 Line Annotation Select...................................... 641
Map to Image.................................................... 602 Thin Node Number ........................................... 641
Reproject Image ............................................... 603 Thin Node Position ........................................... 641
Convert Image .................................................. 603 Clone Style ....................................................... 641
Modify Image .................................................... 603 Donut Polygons ................................................ 642
Clip Image ........................................................ 604 Custom Patterns ............................................... 642
Rotate Image .................................................... 604 RGB Colourizer................................................. 644
Filter Image....................................................... 604 Transform Object .............................................. 644
Enhance Image ................................................ 604 Align Objects..................................................... 644
Offset Object..................................................... 644 3D Coordinates................................................. 673
LAS Viewer ....................................................... 674
29 - Query tab LAS Template ................................................... 674
LAS Import........................................................ 674
Select by Attribute ............................................ 646 WinLoG Import.................................................. 674
Split by Attribute ............................................... 647 gINT Import....................................................... 674
Search and Replace ......................................... 648 Datamine Studio Export.................................... 675
Table Sort ......................................................... 649 Drillhole DXF Export ......................................... 675
Select by Style.................................................. 649 Section Layer Export ........................................ 675
Vector Clip ........................................................ 650 Section Image Export ....................................... 675
Line Orientation ................................................ 650 Drillhole Traces................................................. 675
Location Info ..................................................... 651 Trench Traces................................................... 676
Area Change .................................................... 652 Sections ............................................................ 676
Proximity Search .............................................. 653 Section Layers .................................................. 676
Distance Calculator .......................................... 655 Logs .................................................................. 676
Zoom to Object ................................................. 656 3D Coordinates................................................. 676
Window to Object ............................................. 656
31 - Discover 3D tab
30 - Drillholes tab
Open 3D Window.............................................. 678
Open Project..................................................... 659 Open 3D Workspace ........................................ 678
Open Session ................................................... 659 Save 3D Workspace ......................................... 678
Import Project ................................................... 659 Refresh 3D Data ............................................... 678
New Project ...................................................... 659 3D Selection Toggle ......................................... 678
Manage Project ................................................ 659 Map Window ..................................................... 679
Subset Project .................................................. 660 Vectors.............................................................. 679
Session Manager.............................................. 660 Surfaces............................................................ 679
Edit Data........................................................... 660 3D Points .......................................................... 679
Section Manager .............................................. 660 3D Lines............................................................ 679
Generate Sections............................................ 660 Seismic Sections .............................................. 680
Generate Logs.................................................. 667 Drillhole Traces................................................. 680
Downhole Data ................................................. 668 Sections ............................................................ 680
Legend Editor ................................................... 670 Section Layer.................................................... 680
Traverse Lines.................................................. 670 3D Coordinates................................................. 680
Print Sections ................................................... 670 Trench Traces................................................... 681
Accept Parameters ........................................... 670 Logs .................................................................. 681
Modify Parameters ........................................... 671 Extrusion Wizard............................................... 681
Close ................................................................ 671 Display Wizard.................................................. 681
Section Grid...................................................... 671 Drape Image ..................................................... 681
Create Section Legend..................................... 671 Multi-Section ..................................................... 682
Collar Plan ........................................................ 671 Object Manager ................................................ 682
Grade................................................................ 672
Depth ................................................................ 672
Attribute ............................................................ 672 REFERENCE
Max/EOH .......................................................... 672
Alpha/Beta ........................................................ 672
Resource Calculator ......................................... 673
INFORMATION
Downhole Info................................................... 673
Downhole Clip .................................................. 673 32 - Geophysical filter descriptions
Downhole Merge .............................................. 673
Filter process .................................................... 685
Geophysical FFT Derivative Filters .................. 685
33 - Customizing title blocks
About title blocks .............................................. 691

Company logo .................................................. 691
Title block parameters ...................................... 694
Placeholders..................................................... 695
Scale bar .......................................................... 696
34 - Projections and transformations
Encom reprojections......................................... 698

NTv2 transformation ......................................... 698
35 - Styles and symbol fonts
Line styles......................................................... 701

Style library....................................................... 701
Geological symbol font ..................................... 702
Structural symbol font....................................... 705
Hydrographic symbol font................................. 712
Environmental symbol font ............................... 714
36 - Supported file formats
Tabular and vector data.................................... 717

Images.............................................................. 719
Raster (grid) data.............................................. 720
Drillhole data..................................................... 721
37 - Product Improvement Initiative
Configuring PII for enterprise deployment. ....... 723

Frequently asked questions.............................. 723
38 - Datamine Studio
Properties of .DM files ...................................... 726

Standard file types............................................ 727
Index
INTRODUCTION
1 - Introducing MapInfo
Discover
MapInfo Discover is an extension to MapInfo Pro, developed
especially for geoscientists. MapInfo Discover runs with MapInfo
Pro® version 2016 (64-bit) only on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 (64-bit)
operating systems.
Building on the many powerful Geographic Information System (GIS)
features of MapInfo Pro, MapInfo Discover converts MapInfo Pro into a
sophisticated and easy-to-use tool for managing, manipulating and
displaying exploration data sets.
MapInfo Discover gives users the ability to process and view data in ways
that previously required a number of software packages. A geologist in the
field, an exploration manager in head office, or a draftsperson in a regional
office can use MapInfo Discover to track tenement activity, contour point
data, view drillholes in plan and section, analyse geochemical data, facilitate
map creation, easily produce scaled hard copy output, and more.
MapInfo Discover delivers new and improved functionality in a number of
key areas and incorporates a significant number of changes requested by
existing MapInfo Discover users.
In this section
About this guide 2

Conventions used in this guide 2
Introducing MapInfo Discover
About this guide

This guide provides an overview of the capabilities of MapInfo Discover and detailed instructions for
installing the program files, sample data, and other program resources. After you have successfully
installed the program, you can then access the comprehensive online documentation installed with the
program.
This is not a MapInfo Pro manual and knowledge of MapInfo Pro is required for MapInfo Discover to
be used to its best advantage. Refer to the MapInfo Pro documentation for further information on using
MapInfo Pro.
This guide is organized into four sections:
• Introduction
Describes how to install and configure MapInfo Discover, and introduces users to the MapInfo
Discover user interface.
• Tasks
Describes how to use MapInfo Discover tools to perform specific tasks, such as importing and
exporting data, displaying and analysing data, managing drillhole projects, and other common
workflows you can perform in MapInfo Discover.
• Tools
Describes the features and options displayed on MapInfo Discover tools (dialog boxes). These
are the context help topics displayed when you open Help from a MapInfo Discover dialog box.
• References
Provides useful reference information, such as lists of tools, symbol codes, grid filters, supported
file formats, and coordinate transforms used by MapInfo Discover.
Refer to the Getting help section of this guide for more information about accessing this guide and other
forms of documentation provided with MapInfo Discover.
Conventions used in this guide

Certain conventions are used throughout this guide:
• Keys on the keyboard appear in small capital letters. For example, the Ctrl key appears as CTRL
in the text.
• Ribbon tools, buttons, and dialog labels (literals) are in boldface. For example, “On the Query tab,
click Select by Style.”
• The shorthand form ribbon tab>group>[menu]item indicates the ribbon path to a tool. For
example, “Select DISCOVER>Projection>Custom Transform.” is equivalent to the instruction
“On the DISCOVER tab, in the Projection group, click Custom Transform.” And “Select
DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Print Sections.” is equivalent to the instruction “On
the DRILLHOLES tab, in the Output group, click the Section Output menu, and then click
Custom Transform.”
MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 2

Introducing MapInfo Discover
• Links to other sections in the documentation are blue. For example, see Licensing MapInfo
Discover. Clicking the text will take you to that reference. References to other publications that
are not linked are shown in black italicized text, for example, MapInfo Pro User Guide.
• In tool descriptions, clicking the Related tasks link will display the task topic that explains how to
use that tool. In the corresponding task description, clicking the Related tools link will then take
you back to the tool description.
• File and folder names and paths are shown monospaced. For example,
disk:\Documents and Settings\username\Desktop
where the italicized terms “disk” and “username” are placeholders (values vary with each
installation).
• Programming terms, variables, screen text, and text that you type are shown monospaced. For
example, “Click the Value box and type null.”
• Options that you select from a list are shown enclosed by < > symbols. For example, “Click the
Projection box and select <Custom>.”

2 - Installing and
configuring MapInfo
Discover
This section describes the installation and operation of the software under
the Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 (64-bit) operating systems. This guide only
applies to single workstation installations of the software. If you are installing
a network license, refer to the License Manager User Guide (provided as a
PDF in the C:\Program Files(x86)\Encom folder) or Technical support.
In this section
System requirements 5
What the MapInfo Discover Bundle includes 6
Installing MapInfo Discover 6
Uninstalling MapInfo Discover 7
Licensing MapInfo Discover 7
Product Improvement Initiative 11
Starting MapInfo Discover 11
Running multiple instances of MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover 12
Configuring MapInfo Discover 12
Installing and configuring MapInfo Discover
System requirements
MapInfo Pro Advanced

MapInfo Discover 2016 supports and installs MapInfo Pro Advanced version 16 (64-bit) only.
Operating system
MapInfo Discover 2016 supports the following operating systems:
• Windows 10 (64-bit)
• Windows 8.1 (64-bit)
MapInfo Discover 2016 does not support:
• Apple Macintosh OSX and Linux operating systems
• Virtualization systems such as Citrix, Mac Parallels or VMWare
• Windows XP or Vista
Minimum hardware requirements

• Pentium 4 series or equivalent CPU processor
• 2 gigabytes of RAM memory
• A monitor of at least XGA capability (1024 x 768 resolution)
Recommended hardware requirements

• Core 2 series or equivalent CPU processor (MapInfo Discover does not utilise multiple CPU cores
in most tools)
• 4 gigabytes of RAM memory
• A monitor of at least SXGA capability (1280 x 1024 resolution)
Prerequisites
The install wizard checks for the following and prompts if not already on your system. You can choose
to have the install wizard install these requirements or cancel the installation if you do not want to
proceed:
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.1 (Client and Extended)
• Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 Service Pack 2 (x86) for Windows Desktop
• Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 Service Pack 2 (x64) for Windows Desktop
• Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Update 2 Redistributable Package (x64)
• Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package (x86)

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package (x64)

• Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable (x64)
• SlimDX runtime .NET 4.0 x64 January 2012 (end user runtime)
What the MapInfo Discover Bundle includes

The MapInfo Discover 2016 Bundle installs and licenses the following applications:
• MapInfo Pro Advanced 16.0 (includes MapInfo Pro Raster)
• MapInfo Premium Services
• MapInfo Discover 2016 &
• MapInfo Discover 3D 2016 (optional license option)
Installing MapInfo Discover

You can install the software either by downloading the installation program from the Pitney Bowes
Software website or from the DVD supplied by Pitney Bowes Software.
Initially, the software is not licensed and, when you first run the program, it requests you license the
software (Licensing MapInfo Discover).
It is recommended to leave the Check for product updates option enabled at the end of the
installation process to detect if there is a maintenance release available.
Installing from a downloaded installation file

• Download the installation program from:
http://www.pitneybowes.com/pbencom/support/product-downloads.html.
• From Windows Explorer, double-click the downloaded file to start the installation.
Silent installation
For details on installing MapInfo Discover silently, refer to the License Manager User Guide, provided
as a PDF in the C:\Program Files(x86)\Encom folder.
See also
System requirements
Uninstalling MapInfo Discover
Licensing MapInfo Discover
Configuring MapInfo Discover

Uninstalling MapInfo Discover

To uninstall MapInfo Discover, select MapInfo Discover from Programs and Features in the
Windows Control Panel.
Note: When MapInfo Discover is uninstalled, the entire Discover folder and it contents are removed. The
MapInfo Discover license and License Manager are not removed. You will need to transfer the
license to another computer or PBS. User customizations, such as drillhole projects, picklists and
legends, are not removed.

MapInfo Discover is protected under international copyright law. Pitney Bowes Software (PBS)
licensing systems are designed to protect against unlawful copying and use of the software.
MapInfo Discover is supplied with a hard-disk license system. If you are using a network license,
contact your system administrator or PBS Technical support for assistance. Hard-disk licensing
involves sending an automated request to Pitney Bowes Software (PBS). When installing MapInfo
Discover, choose from the following licensing procedures:
Display information about PBS software installed on your computer

• See Displaying license information.
Reinstalling MapInfo Discover

• If MapInfo Discover is installed on the computer with a valid license, the software does not need
to be relicensed if you reinstall the software. Your current MapInfo Discover configuration files and
settings will be preserved.
MapInfo Discover has not been previously licensed on the computer

• A hard-disk license is required. For detailed instructions, see Installing a new license.
The license is being transferred from another computer

• You can transfer a license from one computer to another without contacting PBS. For detailed
instructions, see Transferring a license.
A later version of the software has been installed

• If you are upgrading an installation with a valid license to a later version of the software, see
Upgrading an existing license.
See also
Troubleshooting license issues

Installing a new license

To license your installation:
1. Start MapInfo Discover. You will be asked to license your installation.
2. Click Yes.
3. The Create License File dialog box is displayed. Type in the company name and click OK. The
License Manager is displayed.
4. Select the Activate License tab.
5. Type in both the 7-digit Customer Number and 10-digit Serial Number supplied with the
software.
6. Type in your User Name and E-mail.
7. Click the Automatically send request and activate button to automatically activate your
license. Alternatively, for off-line or e-mail activations, click Save request to manually
activate your license.
8. Your license will be automatically activated within 20 seconds. When prompted, click OK on the
license notification, and close the License Manager.
Note: If an error message is displayed, send the e-mail notification (sent to the e-mail address you
provided above) to software.support@pb.com for assistance.
MapInfo Discover is now ready to use.
See also
Displaying license information
Upgrading an existing license

After installing MapInfo Discover, if a license for an earlier version exists, a 20-day grace period is
granted, during which you can continue to use the software. However, you must upgrade your license
by contacting software.support@pb.com and activate the upgraded license before this grace period
expires. The procedure is otherwise the same as Installing a new license.
See also

Transferring a license
If a hard-disk license is operating effectively on one computer (the source), you can transfer the license
to a second computer (the destination). This can be done without contacting PBS. Follow the steps
below to transfer a valid license from one computer to another.
Install MapInfo Discover on the destination computer
1. Install MapInfo Discover on the second, destination computer. The version of the software on the
source and destination computers must be identical.
Start MapInfo Discover on the destination computer
2. On the destination computer, start MapInfo Discover. A message is displayed indicating no
license was found.
3. Click Yes.
4. The Create License File dialog box is displayed. Type the company name and click OK. The
License Manager is displayed.
Obtain the hardware ID of the destination computer
5. Select the Activate License tab.
6. Write down the 7-digit code displayed in the Hardware ID box.
Transfer the license from the source computer
7. On the source computer, start MapInfo Discover.
8. On the PRO tab, click Add-Ins, and under MapInfo Discover, click License Manager.
9. Select the Transfer License tab.
10. At Step 2 of the Transfer License tab, type in the Destination Hardware ID you recorded
earlier.
Note: To park the license with PBS (e.g. when formatting a computer, or the source and destination
machines are in different locations), select the Return License to PBS option.
Note: The license transfer will disable the license on the source machine. The source computer license
cannot be reactivated unless the license is transferred back from the destination computer or a
new activation code is obtained from PBS.
11. At Step 3 of the Transfer License tab, click Create Transfer Activation Code. You will be
prompted to confirm the destination hardware ID.
The activation code for the destination computer is displayed.
Note: The license on the source computer is now disabled.
12. Write down the activation code.
Activate the license on the destination computer
13. If necessary, restart MapInfo Discover on the destination computer and display the License
Manager as described in steps 2 through 4.
14. On the Activate License tab, under Activate Product, type in the Activation Code that you
obtained from the source computer.

15. Click the Activate button. A message is displayed confirming that the license has been
successfully transferred.
16. Click OK.
MapInfo Discover is now ready to use.
If the transfer was not successful, on the source computer, browse to the C:\ProgramData\Encom
folder and open the file Transfer_Log.txt file. This contains a copy of the activation code generated
for the license transfer.
Note: If you need to transfer the MapInfo Discover license back to the original machine, you must repeat
the transfer procedure.
See also

After you have installed and licensed the software, to display information about the installed
license, on the PRO tab, click Add-Ins, and under MapInfo Discover, click License Manager.
The Licensed Software tab provides details of what License Types are available on the computer,
and what Product Licenses are activated and available. When you select a product, the product options
and details will be displayed.
See also

For more information on using the features in the License Manager, refer to the License Manager User
Guide, provided as a PDF in the C:\Program Files(x86)\Encom folder. If you believe that the license
is correctly installed, but you are unable to correctly operate MapInfo Discover, contact Technical
support.
See also

Product Improvement Initiative

The Product Improvement Initiative (PII) has been implemented to better understand user
workflow and interaction with MapInfo Discover which helps Pitney Bowes Software to improve
future releases. The PII works by recording menu clicks while MapInfo Discover is operational;
a summary of this information is sent anonymously on a monthly basis to Pitney Bowes Software for
analysis.
How do I participate?
The first time MapInfo Discover is started, you will be presented with a dialog asking if you would like
to participate in the initiative. Click Yes if you would like to participate or No if you do not want to
participate.
What if I change my mind?

On the PRO tab, click Add-Ins, and under MapInfo Discover, click Product Improvement.
• To stop participating, select “No, I do not want to participate.” and click OK.
• To join the program, select “Yes, I would like to participate” and click OK.
Full details of the program can be found in Product Improvement Initiative. Information on configuring
PII for enterprise deployment can also be found in this topic.
Starting MapInfo Discover

By default, MapInfo Discover runs every time MapInfo Pro starts. If MapInfo Discover does not
load automatically, the next time you run MapInfo Pro, you can start the application manually,
and then set it to start automatically. By setting MapInfo Discover to start automatically when
MapInfo Pro starts, the MapInfo Discover tabs will be instantly available.
Note: To use MapInfo Discover, you must have write permissions for the MapInfo Discover configuration
folder (see Viewing and changing Mapinfo Discover directory locations). If the user doesn't have
write permissions to this folder, an error message is displayed. Before continuing, you must set the
required write permissions.
To start MapInfo Discover manually:
1. On the HOME tab, click Tools, and then select the Registered tab.
2. Locate MapInfo Discover and click Load Tool (Run).
To set MapInfo Discover to start automatically when MapInfo Pro starts:
1. On the HOME tab, click Tools, and then select the Registered tab.
2. Locate MapInfo Discover and select the Autoload check box.
The next time MapInfo Pro starts, MapInfo Discover will then automatically load and run.
See also
Getting help
Running multiple instances of MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover

Running multiple instances of MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover

MapInfo Discover does not support either:
• Running multiple instances of MapInfo Pro simultaneously (whether the same or differing
versions). This includes running MapInfo Pro 32-bit and 64-bit versions simultaneously.
• Running multiple instances of MapInfo Discover simultaneously. Issues are likely to occur with
some advanced modules (such as Drillholes, Discover 3D and GraphMap).
For further information, refer to the Knowledge Base article:
http://encomkb.encom.com.au/questions.php?questionid=733

The install program configures each installation to the default settings, including MapInfo
Discover directory locations, status bar settings, and autosave interval. You can customize
these settings at any time.
• Viewing and changing Mapinfo Discover directory locations
• Overriding the default map status bar display
• Autosaving and restoring the workspace
See also
Installing MapInfo Discover
Viewing and changing Mapinfo Discover directory locations

During installation, you can specify the paths for the MapInfo Discover program files, configuration files
and temporary files. These and other MapInfo Discover directory locations can be viewed and edited
at any time after installation. For information about the MapInfo Discover directories, see Configuration
Dialog Box.
To display and edit Discover directory settings:
1. On the PRO tab, click Options, and under MapInfo Discover, click Configuration.
The current directory locations are displayed on the Directories tab.
Note: When you change the location of a configuration directory, you are asked if you want to copy the
contents of the existing directory to the new location. Unless you have been instructed otherwise
by PBS support, always click Yes. Clicking No will create an empty directory, which you must
manually copy the template configuration files into.
2. To change a directory location, click the browse button next to the path name. On the
Configuration Directory Dialog Box, select:
• All users if you want all users to share the same directory and files.
• Current user if you want each user to have separate directories and files.

• Custom if you want to create a custom folder. Click the browse button to select or create a
folder.
Note: Current user files are not overwritten when switching to All users.
3. Click OK to apply changes.
4. Click OK to close.
5. Restart MapInfo Discover.
Note: A template copy of the configuration and common files are installed and stored in
C:\ProgramData\Encom\Discover and C:\ProgramData\Encom\Common. These are
automatically copied to each user's profile settings folder when starting MapInfo Discover.
See also
Overriding the default map status bar display

By default, MapInfo Pro sets the Status Bar to display the window width (Zoom). You can override this
default so that when a new Map window is opened, the status bar displays either the cursor position,
window width, map scale, or cartographic scale.
This override only has effect when MapInfo Discover is running. You can also change the status bar
display for each map window manually by clicking the display on the bottom-left of the Status Bar or
from MAP>Options>Map Options.
To override the MapInfo Pro Status Bar display default:

2. On the Display tab, under MapInfo Pro/Discover Options, click the Status Bar box and
select the desired display option.
3. Click OK to apply.

Autosaving and restoring the workspace

Related tools: Restore Workspace
MapInfo Discover automatically saves the workspace every few minutes. The workspace is saved to
DISCOVER.WOR in the Discover Configuration folder and can be restored.
The Discover workspace is useful for recovering from user or program errors. For example, if you have
accidentally closed a complex layout before saving a workspace, use the MapInfo Discover workspace
to resurrect your work.
To change or disable the autosave interval:
2. On the Display tab, under MapInfo Pro/Discover options, in the Workspace save box,
type the interval in minutes between autosaves, or type zero to disable.
To restore the autosaved workspace:
• On the DISCOVER tab, in the Manage group, click Workspaces, and select Restore
Workspace. You can also open the workspace from the Discover Configuration folder.
See also
Viewing and changing Mapinfo Discover directory locations
Disabling MapInfo Pro's automatic tab switching

MapInfo Pro tabs are context sensitive, and MapInfo by default will automatically switch to the
appropriate tab depending on the window type or data type selected. This can be annoying for MapInfo
Discover users, particularly when using the Drillholes tab.
Disable this behaviour by navigating to the PRO>Options>Application option, and setting the 'Ribbon
Tab Switching' setting to <None>.

3 - Getting help
Should difficulties or questions arise while using MapInfo Discover, there are
several sources of help available.
In this section
Help 16
Technical support 17
Checking for MapInfo Discover updates 17
Viewing and printing the electronic manuals 17
Getting help
Help
MapInfo Discover Help is a comprehensive and accessible reference and contains all topics
found in the MapInfo Discover User Guide. Choose one of the following methods to display
MapInfo Discover Help:
• On the PRO tab, click Add Ins, and under MapInfo Discover, click Help.
• When a MapInfo Discover dialog box is displayed, click the Help button on the dialog to
display the relevant help topic (context help).
• Context help can also be displayed by pressing the F1 key when a MapInfo Discover dialog box is
displayed.
Note: Pressing F1 will otherwise open MapInfo Pro Help.
MapInfo Discover User Guide

The MapInfo Discover User Guide contains all topics found in the MapInfo Discover Help, but
in a print-friendly PDF format.
To access the MapInfo Discover User Guide:
• On the PRO tab, click Add Ins, and under MapInfo Discover, click Manuals/Tutorials. This
opens the Documentation folder, which containing PDFs of MapInfo Discover documentation. For
more information, see Viewing and printing the electronic manuals.
MapInfo Discover Tutorials

To assist with learning how to use MapInfo Discover, a set of tutorials is installed with the
software. The tutorials provide step-by-step instructions on how to perform common tasks in
MapInfo Discover. The data files that are used in the tutorial exercises are also installed. All
tutorials are based on real exploration situations in which MapInfo Discover can be used to display,
enhance and visualize field data. The tutorial is provided in PDF format.
To access MapInfo Discover Tutorials:
• On the PRO tab, click Add Ins, and under MapInfo Discover, click Manuals/Tutorials. This
opens the Documentation folder, which containing PDFs of MapInfo Discover documentation. For
more information, see Viewing and printing the electronic manuals.
Online Knowledge Base

The Online Knowledge Base contains useful information that is regularly updated, including
how-to articles, tips and tricks, error messages and their resolutions, video tutorials, and such.
To access the MapInfo Discover Online Knowledge Base:
• On the PRO tab, click Add Ins, and under MapInfo Discover, click Knowledge Base.

Getting help
Technical support
Users with current PBS Maintenance and Technical Support (MATS) are entitled to technical
support. Support can be obtained by e-mail or from the PBS website.
A response from our technical support team may consist of:
• An answer to a support query.
• An estimate of how long it takes to answer the query.
• A request by PBS for additional information.
• An explanation of why the query cannot be answered.
• A suggestion on where further information can be obtained.
Contacting PBS
• E-mail: software.support@pb.com
Checking for MapInfo Discover updates

Users with current PBS Maintenance and Technical Support (MATS) are entitled to
maintenance releases. The availability of maintenance releases can be checked by:
• On the PRO tab, click Add Ins, and under MapInfo Discover, click Updates.
Viewing and printing the electronic manuals

The manuals are in the form of PDF files (Portable Document Files) that can be viewed on-
screen, or once displayed, can be printed in part or in full. To view or print the files, Adobe
Reader must be installed on your computer. The installation of this software (as well as the
documentation files) is an option provided during the installation process of MapInfo Discover. Adobe
Reader is available (at no cost) from the Adobe website www.adobe.com.
To view the electronic manuals with Adobe Reader:
1. On the PRO tab, click Add Ins, and under MapInfo Discover, click Manuals/Tutorials.
2. Double-click the PDF file to open in Adobe Reader.

4 - Managing the user
interface and
workspaces
In this section
Controlling the interface 19

Using Tool Search 20
Organizing your MapBasic tools 21
Managing your workspaces 22
MapInfo Pro context menus 27
Managing the user interface and workspaces
Controlling the interface

When MapInfo Discover starts, additional tabs are added to the MapInfo Pro interface. The MapInfo
Discover tools are accessed from these ribbon tabs. As you move the cursor over each tool, a tooltip
is displayed, which provides a short description of each tool. To quickly locate a tool, use Tool Search
(see Using Tool Search). To find out which tool to use for a particular task, search for the task in
MapInfo Discover Help.
The MapInfo Discover ribbon is configurable. The tools in the default ribbon (factory setting) are
described in the Tools section of this guide. An alphabetical listing of MapInfo Discover tools is also
provided in the MapInfo Discover tools section.
To change the MapInfo Discover ribbon:
The available ribbons are shown on the Ribbons tab.
2. Select a ribbon from the list on the left.
3. Click OK.
4. Restart MapInfo Discover.
To hide and show MapInfo Discover tabs on the current ribbon:
The selected ribbon is shown on the Ribbons tab.
2. In the Tabs box, clear and select tabs are required.
3. Click OK.
To create a custom tab on the MapInfo Discover ribbon:
• Contact Technical support.
Note: It is recommended to disable MapInfo Pro's Ribbon Tab Switching (default option is
<Automatic>). Select PRO>Options>System>Application, and set Ribbon Tab Switching to
<None>.
See also

Using Tool Search
Tool Search is located at the top-right of the MapInfo Discover window. Tool Search lets you search
for tools available from the MapInfo Discover ribbon layout by name or keyword. The list of matching
tools updates as you type. For example, you can type part of a tool name or the name of a module to
obtain a list of all the matching and associated tools. Multiple keywords, separated by spaces, are
treated with a logical AND. The search is not case sensitive.
To clear the search results and revert to the list of recently used tools, click the clear search button .
The categories of search results can be collapsed and expanded by clicking the arrow symbol next to
the category title.
To run a tool, click the tool name on the list.
To change Tool Search settings:

1. In the Tool Search box, click the Options button.
The Tool Search Options Dialog Box is displayed.

2. Choose the text size, transparency and other settings.
See also
Tools
MapInfo Discover tools

Organizing your MapBasic tools

Related tools: Favourite MapBasics
A MapBasic tool is generally a custom or freeware tool written in the MapInfo Pro MapBasic
programming language that provides additional functionality to MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover.
MapBasic tools have an .MBX file extension.
The Favourite MapBasics tool enables frequently used MapBasic tools to be added to a list
where they can be quickly selected and run. Favourite MapBasic tools can also be assigned an
“alias” name to make it easier to determine the contents of the MapBasic program in the list if
desired.
Favourite MapBasics
To add a favourite MapBasic tool:

1. Select DISCOVER>Manage>Favourites>Favourite MapBasics.
2. On the Mapbasic MBXs tab, click Add. The Add Favourite dialog box is displayed.
3. Next to the File path box, click the Open button and browse to the location of the
MapBasic tool.
4. In the Name box, type an alias for the MapBasic tool.
5. Click OK to add the MBX to the list of favourite MapBasic MBXs on the Favourites dialog box.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 to add another MapBasic tool to the list.
7. Click Close to finish.
To run a favourite MapBasic tool:

2. On the Mapbasic MBXs tab, double-click the MapBasic tool or select the MBX
and click Run MBX.

To maintain your MBX favourites:

2. On the Mapbasic MBXs tab:
• To remove a MapBasic tool, select and click Remove.
• To edit a MapBasic tool name or location, select and click Edit.
• To reorder MapBasic tools, select and click the Up and Down arrow buttons to
move it up and down the list.
Managing your workspaces

• Favourite workspaces
• Checking and modifying table locations in a workspace
• Preparing a workspace for sharing and archiving
• Fixing problems in a workspace
• Opening the last auto-saved workspace
Favourite workspaces
Related tools: Favourite Workspaces
The Favourite Workspaces tool enables frequently used workspaces to be added to a list
where they can be quickly opened. Favourite workspaces can also be assigned an “alias” name
to make it easier to determine the contents of the workspace in the list if desired. Workspaces
have a.WOR file extension.
Adding a favourite workspace
To add a favourite workspace:

1. Select DISCOVER>Manage>Favourites>Favourite Workspaces.
2. On the Workspaces tab, click Add. The Add Favourite dialog box is displayed.
3. Next to the File path box, click the Open button and browse to the location of the
workspace file (.WOR).
4. In the Name box, type an alias for the workspace.
5. Click OK to add the workspace to the list of favourite workspaces on the Favourites dialog box.

6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 to add another workspace to the list.

To open a favourite workspace:

2. On the Workspaces tab double-click the workspace or select the workspace and
click Open Workspace.
To maintain your favourite workspaces:

2. On the Workspaces tab:
• To remove a workspace, select and click Remove.
• To edit a workspace name or location, select and click Edit.
• To reorder workspaces, select and click the Up and Down arrow buttons to move it
up and down the list.
Checking and modifying table locations in a workspace

Related tools: Workspace Editor
Workspace Advanced
Use the MapInfo Discover Workspace Editor to check and modify table references in
workspaces.
To edit a workspace:
1. Select DISCOVER>Manage>Workspaces>Workspace Editor.
2. Select the workspace you want to edit and click Open.
3. Under Tables in workspace, the status of each table is listed as either OK, Unused or Missing:
• OK: the table is used in the workspace, i.e. displayed in a map window or browser and that
the file path to that table is correct.
• Unused: the table is open but not displayed in a map window or browser in the workspace.
• Missing: the table is set to display in a map window or browser but the table cannot be found
in the location specified by the file path.
Note: Before applying changes to tables and path names, select the Save backup of workspace before
changes check box .
4. Make your changes (see editing tasks below) and then click OK to save your changes.
To remove unused tables:
From the Workspace Editor,
1. Click Open Workspace.
2. Close the unused tables.

3. Save the workspace.

To remove missing tables:
• Use the Workspace Advanced tool (see Fixing problems in a workspace) to remove the
reference to the table.
To edit table paths:
1. Select the table, and then click Edit Selected Path.
2. Click OK and browse to the table location.
3. Click OK to update table path.
4. When finished updating paths, click OK to save changes to workspace.
To make table path names absolute or relative to the workspace folder:
• Click Set All to Current to set the path names of all tables to the same folder as the
workspace.
• Click Set All to Absolute to save the selected drive and directory path for all the tables in the
workspace.
• Click Set All to Relative to make the path names of all tables located under the folder where the
workspace is stored relative to the workspace folder. If the table folder is not located under the
workspace folder, the full path is preserved.
Other tasks you can perform with the Workspace Editor:
• Select the Turn off editable layers check box to turn off all the editable layers in all map
windows. This is useful when a workspace is to be written to CD-ROM or to prevent other users
from making modifications to tables.
• Select the Open all with interactive check box to open all tables in a workspace in interactive
mode. In interactive mode the user is prompted to browse for a new table location if the
workspace file path is incorrect. If the file path in a workspace is not interactive and a table is not
present in the saved file location, the workspace will not open.
• Select the Remove printer settings check box to delete the printer setting information from a
workspace.
See also
Fixing problems in a workspace
Preparing a workspace for sharing and archiving

Related tools: Workspace Editor
Workspace Export
Before writing a workspace and its tables to portable media, such as a CD-ROM, or archiving as a zip
file, use the Workspace Editor and Workspace Export tools to check and consolidate the tables
referenced in the workspace to a single folder.

To prepare a workspace and tables for packaging:

1. Use the Workspace Editor to check for unused and missing tables and to turn off editable
layers. You can also use the Workspace Editor to save tables to the workspace folder and
make table names relative or absolute. For more information, see Checking and modifying
table locations in a workspace.
2. Use the Workspace Export tool to save the workspace and all open tables in a workspace
to a single folder.
Note: All tables saved to a new folder using Save Tables and Workspace will be saved as native MapInfo
Pro files regardless of their original format (Excel, Access etc) with the exception of raster images.
See also

Related tools: Workspace Advanced
Use the DISCOVER>Manage>Workspaces>Workspace Advanced tool to check workspaces
with missing or corrupted tables and to fix links and commands. This allows workspaces with
complex layouts and customized map views to be opened when some tables are missing or
corrupted.
After selecting the workspace, the Workspace Advanced dialog box is displayed, from which you can:
• Load hidden tables
Hidden tables that were open when the workspace was created are loaded by default. Uncheck
this box to not load hidden workspace tables
• Load printer settings
Printer settings captured when the workspace was created are loaded by default. Uncheck this
box to not load workspace printer settings.
• Pause on error
By default the workspace loader tool will pause when an erroneous command line is encountered.
It is recommended to always have this option enabled.
• Step line-by-line
If the Step Line-by-Line box is checked, each time the Run button is pressed the workspace
loader tool will advance through the workspace one line at a time. This enables the user to edit
and test the workspace command lines as the workspace is loading.
Click the Run button to automatically run through each command of the workspace file in the Current
Statement Editor window at the top of the dialog. The status of each command is displayed in the
bottom Status window with either an OK or ERROR message.

Workspace Loader showing erroneous command line encountered
When an erroneous command line is encountered, the tool will pause and display it in the Current
Statement Editor. The ERROR message in the Status window will be accompanied by an error
description. The errors are detailed in the table below along with recommendations as to whether the
erroneous command needs to manually edited in the Current Statement Editor or skipped using the
Skip Line button. The error message table can also be accessed via the Error Message Definitions
button at the base of the dialog.
Error Message Solution

“Unable to open table name” Table name has been deleted or corrupted. Click Skip
Line.
“Table name is not open” The Open Table command has been skipped for table
name. Delete the reference to table name in the Current
Statement Editor, then click Continue.
“ERROR” with no message Click Skip Line.
“Invalid view layer” This command line references an unopened table. Click
Skip Line.
More advanced users can use this tool to run MapBasic scripts coded into a workspace.
See also

Opening the last auto-saved workspace

Related tools: Restore Workspace
MapInfo Discover automatically saves the workspace every few minutes. The workspace is
saved to DISCOVER.WOR in the Discover Configuration directory and can be restored.
• Select DISCOVER>Manage>Workspaces>Restore Workspace.
See also
MapInfo Pro context menus

When MapInfo Discover is started in MapInfo Pro, a number of tools are added to existing context
("right-click") menus to aid in the use of MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover tools. The following
shortcuts are added to the mapper window, Layer Control, Table List and Explorer context menus:
Mapper window context menu

Right-click inside a map window to display the context menu.
• Display Map in 3D
See Viewing data in three dimensions.
• Projection Info
Display the projection of the current map window
• Save/Restore Mapper State
Save a map scale and location and restore.
• Zoom to Selected Object
Zoom map window to the extents of the selected object
Layer Control window context menu

Right-click on selected layer names or map window names to display the context menu.
For selected Layers:
• Table Projection
Displays the Projection information for the selected tables.
• Open Map Window
Open selected layers in a new map window.
• Unselect All
Unselect all records/objects in any of the selected tables.
• Close Table
Close the selected tables.
For a selected Map window name:
• Projection Info
Displays the Projection information for the selected tables and map window.

Table List window context menu

Right-click on selected layer names to display the context menu.
Explorer window context menu

MapInfo Discover adds the following context menu options:
In the Maps section, for a selected Map window name,
• Projection Info
Display the projection of the current map window
In the Maps section, for selected Layers,
• Open Map Window
Open selected layers in a new map window.
• Unselect All
Unselect all records/objects in any of the selected tables.
• Close Table
Close the selected tables.
In the Tables section, for a selected Map window name,

5 - Acknowledgements
Included below are acknowledgments for the third parties whose
software has been used in permissible forms with the MapInfo Discover
product.
In this section
Acknowledgements 30
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
ECW/JP2
This application supports the ECW data format and ECWP compression protocols. Portions of this
computer program are Copyright 2007-2012 Intergraph Corporation. All rights reserved. Creating
compressed files using ECW technology is protected by one or more of US Patent Nos 6,201,897,
6,442,298 and 6,633,688.
Pre-Defined Picklists in Picklist Manager

Picklist data is sourced from Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2009:
Australian Surface Geology Codes (r_Australian Surface Geology Codes.xml)
Australian Surface Geology Unitnames (r_Australian Surface Geology Unitnames.xml)
Terms and conditions for reuse or distribution

For any reuse or distribution by the user, this data is subject to the license terms at the following link:
http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/.
Disclaimer
While every care is taken in respect of the data, commentary and information contained in this product,
Pitney Bowes Software Pty Ltd (PBS) does not make any representations or warranties about its
accuracy, reliability, completeness or suitability for any particular purpose and, to the extent permitted
by law, PBS disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in
negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages (including indirect or consequential damages) and costs
which might be incurred as a result of any of the data, commentary and/or information being inaccurate
or incomplete in any way and for any reason.

TASKS
6 - Map window
controls
In this section
Map view settings 33

Map projections 35
Displaying map coordinates, distances and bearings 37
Add a dynamic map grid to a map window 39
Window size and zoom controls 40
Linking map windows 41
Map window controls
Map view settings

• Setting the default map view
• Saving and restoring the mapper state
• Saving and applying view settings
Setting the default map view

Related tools: Default View
MapInfo Pro stores a default view for each layer in a map window. When a new map window is
opened for a table, the layer is displayed in this default view. Use the
DISCOVER>Manage>Default view tool to change the default view. This feature is not
applicable for raster tables. Set the default table view to display an entire data layer or to only display
a selected area for large data tables.
Saving and restoring the mapper state

Related tools: Mapper State
Use the DISCOVER>Windows>Mapper State tool to save the position, size, centre point and
zoom width of the front map window. After saving the map window state you can then restore it
with the same tool. The Mapper State tool is useful when you want to restore a map window
that is used in a layout window after you have zoomed or panned across the map window.
See also
Saving and applying view settings
Saving and applying map projections

Related tools: Standard Views
Use the DISCOVER>Windows>Standard Views tool to store the current map window
geographic extents and window dimensions. By storing the geographical extents over a project
area or area of interest the current map window view can be quickly re-positioned over the
location defined by the selected view. Standard Views can be used with any open datasets and are
independent of the current map window projection.

Map window controls
Standard Views Dialog Box
To add a standard view:

1. Display the extents of the project area or area of interest in the current map window.
2. Select DISCOVER>Windows>Standard Views.
3. On the Standard Views dialog box, click Add.
The Add View dialog box is displayed, which shows the map window extents and size.
4. In the Description box, type the name for the view and click OK.
5. To add another view zoom and pan the current map window or set up a new view in another map
window, and then repeat steps 3 and 4.
To apply a standard view:
1. Open the dataset or datasets in a new map window.
2. Select DISCOVER>Windows>Standard Views.
3. From Standard Views dialog box,

Map window controls
• To apply the saved view geographical extents, double-click the view or select the
view and click Restore View.
• Alternatively, to apply the saved view geographical extents and window
dimensions, select the view and click Restore View & Size.
To maintain standard views:
1. Select DISCOVER>Windows>Standard Views .
2. From Standard Views dialog box,
• To delete a view, select the view in the list and click Delete.
• To re-order views, select the view and use the Up and Down arrow buttons to
move the view up and down in the list.
Note: The selected view is applied regardless of whether there is any data in that area.
See also
Map projections
• Saving and applying map projections
• Displaying mapper projection details

Related tools: Favourite Projection
Use the Favourite Projection tool to create a list of frequently used map projections. Favourite
projections are used to change the current map window from one projection to another.
Favourite Projections Dialog Box
Any projections added to this list are also displayed in the first window of the Choose Projection
dialog box whenever a MapInfo Discover tool requires a projection to be assigned.

Map window controls
Choose Projection Dialog Box
To add a favourite projection:

1. Select DISCOVER>Projection>Favourite Projection. The Favourite Projections dialog
box is displayed.
2. Click Add. The Choose Projection dialog box is displayed.
3. Select the projection from the Category box and Category Members box.
4. Click OK.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 to add another projection to the list.
To apply a favourite projection:
1. Select the map window to which the new map projection will be applied.
2. Select DISCOVER>Projection>Favourite Projection.
3. From the Favourite Projections dialog box, double-click the projection in select the
projection and click Apply.
To view details of the new map window projection, see Displaying mapper projection details.
Maintaining favourite projections:
1. Select DISCOVER>Projection>Favourite Projection.
2. From Favourite Projections dialog box,
• To delete a projection, select the projection in the list and click Remove.
• To re-order projections, select the projection and use the Up and Down arrow
buttons to move the projection up and down in the list.

Map window controls
Favourite Projections are stored in the DISCOVER.PRJ file in the .\Discover\Config directory. This
file uses a similar format to the MapInfo Pro projection file and can be opened and edited manually
using a text editor such as WordPad.
See also
Displaying mapper projection details
Coordinates and projections
Displaying mapper projection details

Related tools: Projection Info
Use DISCOVER>Projection>Projection Info to display details of the coordinate system for the
front map window (or right-click in the map window and select from the context menu). You can
use the information in this window, together with the MapInfo Pro help topic on Working with
coordinate systems to understand more about how MapInfo Pro uses coordinate systems and to create
your own custom coordinate systems.
A table can be stored in a projection that is not defined in the MapInfo Pro projection file
(MAPINFOW.PRJ). In this case, the coordinate system name is undefined and is referred to as a custom
coordinate system. It is accompanied by a list of the projection parameters. Use these parameters to
add the new coordinate system to the MapInfo Pro projection file.
Custom coordinate systems can also be created so data collected in local coordinate systems such as
a mine grid can be overlain with data collected in real world projections such as UTM or lat-long. See
Coordinate transformations for more information on creating a custom projection.
See also
Displaying map coordinates, distances and bearings
Coordinate transformations

Related tools: Location Info
Use QUERY>Map Object>Location Info to view the current cursor location in coordinates from
one or more projections, measure the distance and bearing between two map window locations,
and display the browser entries for a selected table continuously as the cursor moves over map
objects in the map window.

Map window controls
The Location Info dialog box can be moved by dragging the title bar. To close, click the button in
the top-right corner.
Cursor Coordinates
The cursor position coordinates in the current map window projection are displayed continuously in the
Location Info dialog box as the cursor moves within the map window. Click Select alternate
projection for position to display coordinates in an additional projection. For example, the cursor
position can be viewed in UTM and lat-long coordinates or UTM and Local Grid coordinates at the
same time.
Note: The coordinates displayed in the Location Display window may appear different to those displayed
by the MapInfo Pro cursor position due to in-built rounding in the MapInfo Pro coordinates. MapInfo
Discover reports and displays the coordinates as reported by MapInfo Pro for the screen position.
The precision of the coordinate locations is dependent on the map window zoom level, the higher
the zoom the greater the coordinate precision.
Measuring Distance and Bearing

The Bearing and Distance measurements displayed are taken from the last selected cursor position.
To start measuring, click at the desired location in the map window. The bearing and distance
measurements from the selected location to the current cursor location are displayed in the Location
Info dialog box. The measurements are updated continuously as the cursor is moved within the map
window. Click in the map window again to re-start the bearing and distance measurements.
Note: When selecting map window locations to be used in Bearing and Distance measurements, map
objects cannot be selected using the MapInfo Pro Snap tool.

Map window controls
Object Attributes
In addition to coordinate display and bearing/distance measurements the browser attribute entries for
a selected table can be displayed as the cursor is moved over map objects within the map window. In
the Details for pull-down list choose the table to display the browser information. Move the cursor over
the map objects to view the browser entries from the selected table. To stop displaying browser entries
select <None> from the Details for pull-down list.
Note: If the map window has scroll bars enabled, the browser details may not be displayed when the
cursor is placed over an object. Remove the scroll bars using the MAP>Options>Map Options
tool.
See also
Map projections
Add a dynamic map grid to a map window

Related tools: Dynamic Grid
A dynamic grid can be added to the front map window. The map window grid coordinates are
updated automatically whenever the map window is zoomed or panned. The grid redisplays the
new map window coordinates on the fly when the window view dimensions are modified and can
be turned on and off as required.
Note: This functionality is being superseded by MapInfo Pro's new Gridlines tool, found under
MAP>Content>Add to Map
A dynamic grid is ideal for interactive work, but when creating grids for presentation purposes in scaled
maps, you should use a static map grid as described in Map making.
To define and add a dynamic grid to the front mapper window:
1. Select DISCOVER>Map Grid>Dynamic Grid.
2. The Dynamic Grid dialog box is displayed. See Add a map grid for information on setting
the grid display options.

Map window controls
3. To hide the dynamic grid, select the Dynamic Grid tool again. Each time the grid is turned on the
Dynamic Grid dialog box is displayed with the last entered grid line styles and colours and
default label positions.
Note: Dynamic grids cannot be removed from a map window through the Layer Control options.
See also
Creating scaled maps
Add a map grid
Map projections
Map view settings
Window size and zoom controls

The following tools allow you to use objects to reset the map window. The map window can either be
fitted to the bounding rectangle of an object, or zoomed to the extents of the object (or objects) without
changing the aspect ratio (height to width ratio) of the window:
• Fit the map window to the selected object
• Zoom to the extents of the selected object
Fit the map window to the selected object

Related tools: Window to Object
Use QUERY>Zoom>Window to Object to resize the map window to the aspect ratio of the
selected object and to zoom and re-position the map window to display the minimum bounding
rectangle of the selected object.
This is useful when adding a frame of specific size to a layout. Use the drawing tools or
DISCOVER>Modify>Build Object tool to create a rectangle covering the area to print, and then use
Window to Object to resize the map window to the selected rectangle.
This tool can also be used to display an entire map object when a selected region or polyline object is
much larger than the current map window zoom level. In this case, remember that the aspect ratio of
the map window is fitted to the object’s bounding rectangle.
Note: For objects that have an aspect ratio of less than 0.1 or greater than 10, the selected object does
not completely fill the map window.
See also
Zoom to the extents of the selected object
Matching the sizes of linked windows
Zoom to the extents of the selected object

Related tools: Zoom to Object
Select the object or objects, and then select QUERY>Zoom>Zoom to Object (or right-click and
select Zoom to Object from the context menu) to zoom the map window to show the entire
minimum bounding rectangle of the selected objects.

Map window controls
See also
Fit the map window to the selected object
Linking map windows

Related tools: Map Linking
Map Linking provides the ability to geographically link mapper windows so that any pan or zoom
update applied to one mapper is automatically applied to all other map windows included in the
linked group.
To access Map Linking either select DISCOVER>Windows>Map Linking, or right-click in a map
window and select Map Linking from the context menu.
Map Linking dialog to select and enable mapper windows
The Map Linking dialog box lists all currently open mappers and the projection of each. Use the
checkboxes next to Mapper names to select/unselect mappers. Select All and Unselect All buttons
are also provided.
Two mapper Linking Methods are available:
• Fixed extents – The windows are synchronized so that the window centre point and the X axis
extents are always visible in the map window regardless of either the map scale or the window
dimensions.
• Fixed scale – Following a pan or zoom, the new map centre and scale are applied to the other
linked mappers. Thus, each linked mapper window has the same centre coordinate and scale but
the amount of data shown in each depends on the individual window size and dimensions.
Individual mappers can also be linked by right-clicking in a mapper and selecting Link this map on the
context menu. A tick next to this menu item indicates that the mapper is linked. Selecting the option
toggles the linkage.
After selecting the map windows to be linked and linking method, click OK.

Map window controls
Map linking can be deselected from the Map Linking dialog by clicking Unselect All or deselecting
the Link this map in the context menu. When this option is disabled the menu item will not show a tick
beside it (see above).
See also
Show cursor position in linked windows
Show cursor position in linked windows

Related tools: Cursor Setup
Use DISCOVER>Link>Cursor Setup displays the same geographic location in separate
mapper windows by placing a symbol at the same position as selected in one linked window. If
the cursor position is not visible in a linked map window the mapper can be panned to show the
selected location.
Cursor Position Dialog Box
In the Cursor Position dialog box, select the map windows to display the cursor locator symbol by
placing a check next to each window box. Sometimes the cursor position selected in one mapper is not
currently visible in another mapper because the data coverage does not include the selected position.
Check the Pan mapper to show cursor position box to pan the map window view to show the cursor
position.
The cursor symbol style button allows you to modify the cursor position symbol to any of the standard
MapInfo Pro symbols. To adjust the symbol style, click the Symbol button or use
SPATIAL>Style>Symbol Style.
Cursor positioning is a useful function in circumstances where you wish to use a mapper as a ‘locator’
and review data at a different scale in a second or third window. An example of two windows with the
location symbol placed at the same geographic position but with different scales and information
content is shown below:

Map window controls
Cursor Positioning showing a symbol placed at the same geographic location
The Cursor Position operation can be deselected at any time by clicking on the Cursor Position Off
button on the Cursor Position toolbar.
See also
Linking map windows

Related tools: Map Size
The DISCOVER>Link>Map Size tool allows linked mapper windows to be displayed in the
standard size map window. If tables are displayed in a number of different sized linked mapper
windows the preferred map window size can be selected and all other map windows will be re-
sized to these map window dimensions. This allows for easy comparison of the same area between
the linked map windows.
See also
Linking map windows

7 - Importing and
exporting
This section describes the tools available for importing and exporting data
files from MapInfo Discover.
In this section
Import and export tools 45

Importing and exporting tabular and vector data 46
Importing and exporting images 74
Importing and exporting drillhole data 78
Importing and exporting
Import and export tools

The combined MapInfo Pro/MapInfo Discover GIS platform can import or export in excess of
100 industry-standard and third-party data formats. The file formats that can be imported into
MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover are listed in Supported file formats. A number of additional
formats can be imported using Safe Software Feature Manipulation Engine (FME). In addition
to the extensive import-export tools available in MapInfo Pro, the following import and export tools are
provided in MapInfo Discover (click the tool name to view its description):
DISCOVER>File> IMAGES>Image Tools>

Vector Import Rectify Image
Multi-File Open Map to Image
Multi-MIF Import Convert Image
ASCII Import DRILLHOLES>External Data>
acQuire Import LAS Viewer
DataSight Import LAS Template
EGB Import LAS Import
ECW/JP2 import WinLoG Import
Geosoft Import gINT Import
ioGAS Import Datamine Studio Export
LIDAR LAS Import Drillhole DXF Export
Micromine Import Section Layer Export
Vulcan Import Section Image Export
Multi-MIF Export
Vector Export
Datamine Studio Export
Leapfrog Export
Minesight Export
Vulcan Export
EGB Export
Vector Transform

Importing and exporting tabular and vector data

• acQuire
• ASCII data
• Datamine Studio
• DataSight
• DXF
• Geosoft
• ioGAS
• Leapfrog Geo
• LIDAR LAS
• MicroMine
• MineSight
• Surpac
• Vulcan
• Transform vector formats
acQuire
Related tools: acQuire Import
The acQuire Import tool enables you to import drillhole or geochemical data directly from an
acQuire® database into MapInfo Pro tables for use with the MapInfo Discover drillhole display
module. The import tool uses the acQuire direct API to provide direct access to the acQuire
database.
Note: This tool downloads and creates a native copy of the database. It is recommend if you are always
connected to the network, to create a live link to the data instead, using HOME>Open>Database
Table. See MapInfo Pro Help for more information.
Due to database size and performance considerations MapInfo Discover imports the selected data
from the acQuire database into MapInfo Pro .TAB files rather than establish a live connection to the
data. Therefore, if the data is modified or updated in the database you will need to import a new copy
of the data into MapInfo Discover to make sure you are using the latest information.
Note: The acQuire database import supports all acQuire data models up to 4.5.4 For more information on the data
models and version support, see Select Data from acQuire dialog box help topic.
To import data from an acQuire database:

1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>acQuire Import. The Import from acQuire dialog box is
displayed.
2. Under Mode, select either Drillholes or Point samples.

3. Under Commands, click Select data from acQuire to connect to the acQuire database. Refer to
the acQuire documentation for information about creating database connections and how to use
the acQuire API interface to select the data you want.
4. Click Choose MapInfo projection and choose the projection that the collar coordinates were
recorded in.
5. In the X field and Y field boxes, select the fields containing the X and Y coordinates.
6. Select Open database to display the table in a browser window. Select Create map to display
the table in a map window.
7. Click Save acQuire Settings to retain these settings for future use. Next time the acQuire data is
to be displayed use the Load acQuire Params button to re-load a saved acQuire database
query.
8. Click Import. The Choose Output Files dialog box is displayed.
9. Next to the Collars file box, click the Open button to select the output folder and file name. When
selected, the other output file locations are updated to match. Click in any box to edit the defaults
or click Open.
10. To disable import of the survey, lithology or assay data table, clear the Import check box adjacent
to each file name box.
11. Press the OK button to complete the import process.
To use this data in the Drillhole module, you will need to create a new database from the TAB files.
See the Creating and managing drillhole projects for more information.
ASCII data
Related tools: ASCII Import
The MapInfo Discover ASCII Import tool is designed to import external multi-column ASCII data
files into a MapInfo Pro .TAB file.
Features of the ASCII Import tool include:
• Batch import of multiple files of the same format.
• Flexible import format that can accommodate any number of ASCII data columns.
• Can read ASCII files with either fixed width (defined by column size) or delimited by user defined
characters.
• Easy interface for column naming can use a header line or interactive dialogs. Unwanted header
records can be skipped during the import.
• Comment lines are accommodated as are various data formats such as real, and scientific
notation.
• Data specification can include multi-channel and banded data (for example, EM data)
• Use or save templates to describe the data format for re-use. Comments, headers and nulls are
all handled in the templates.
To view samples of ASCII files that you can import, see Supported ASCII file formats.

As well as generic or custom ASCII text file formats, the following formats are automatically detected
with in-built templates:
CSV format
LAS downhole log
Minesight SRG (see MineSight)
Geosoft XYZ
GemSys
AmiraTEM
ERMapper vectors
ModelVision
After data is imported, it is saved to a .TAB file and automatically opened in a browser view. If X and
Y columns are present in the file, points will automatically be created and displayed in a map window.
To import an ASCII file:
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>ASCII Import. The ASCII Data Import dialog box is
displayed.
2. Under Input file, click Open and select the ASCII file to be imported. Hold down the CTRL
key to select multiple files for batch import.
The first 100 data records of the file are displayed in the Data preview box. If the format is not
supported (e.g. binary file or inappropriate text file), a warning message is displayed.
To examine the input file in an external text editor, click the Preview button. To change the
default editor, click Options (see ASCII import options).
3. The file is scanned to determine whether if it is a fixed width or delimited format. View the sample
records in the Data preview box.
To change the format, under Column Format, click a different format . A Fixed width file is one
where each column is confined to fixed character positions on each line of the file. A Delimited
data file is one where each column is separated from the others by single or multiple delimiter
characters. Some common delimiters include spaces, tabs and commas. Additional delimiters
can be typed in the Other box. A comma separated value (.CSV) file is delimited with commas.
4. The column widths are indicated by vertical lines in the Data preview box. With fixed-width data,
if fields that are not properly identified, you can add and move separators.
• To add a separator, click the new position in the Data preview box.
• To delete a separator, double-click the separator.
• To move a separator, click and drag it to a new position. Holding the CTRL key while you move
a separator will also shift all columns to the right of the current column.
5. If the file contains header lines, under Header, select the Number of lines in header. The header
lines are displayed in the Data preview box.
6. Column names can be assigned to each column either automatically from a header record or by
selecting the name for each column.

• If column names are provided in the header:

Under Header, select the Field names are in header on line check box and select which
line of the header contains the field names. Click Get Field Names to update the preview.
Only field names starting with alphabetic characters or underscores are accepted. To ignore
an invalid leading character, using the Starting at char option.
• To manually assign column names:
In the Data preview box, right-click the column label and select a standard field from the
Fields shortcut menu or click Properties to create a new field name and type. Fields named
Skip are not imported.
Click Field Summary to display a list of all the assigned column names and field data types. To
change the field assignment and filed type, right-click the column label and click Properties.
7. Input data fields containing an asterisk (*), a solitary minus sign (-) or a space ( ) are automatically
treated as null values. When imported, nulls are written out to the .TAB file as blanks in character
fields and zeroes in numerical fields. To define a different null specifier string, (e.g. –999.99),
right-click the column label and select a standard field from the Fields shortcut menu and click
Properties. From the Properties dialog box, under Nulls, in the String interpreted as null input
value box, type the null string. To apply the same null string to all input fields, select Apply to all
fields.
8. When you have completed defining the structure of the input file, click Import to create the .TAB
file. If multiple ASCII files are selected, they will be saved in the selected output folder with a
default name.
The steps above describe the common tasks when importing ASCII files. For information about
advanced ASCII import features, see:
• ASCII import options
• Line identifier
• Ignored records
• Ignored characters
• Save and reload ASCII template
Supported ASCII file formats

The MapInfo Discover Advanced ASCII Import tool can load a wide range of ASCII multi-column
formats. Typically the formats fall into the following classes:

No header or comments, multi-columns of constant width

1600 300200.0 6253800.000 56481.027 -0.010
1600 300220.0 6253810.000 56479.535 -999999
1600 300240.0 6253820.000 56478.371 -0.003
1600 300260.0 6253830.000 56477.547 -0.001
1600 300280.0 6253840.000 56477.035 -0.000
1600 300300.0 6253850.000 56476.781 -0.000
1600 300320.0 6253860.000 56476.707 -0.001
1600 300340.0 6253870.000 56476.723 -0.003
1600 300360.0 6253880.000 56476.734 -0.005
1600 300380.0 6253890.000 56476.660 -0.008
Header lines and comments with multi-columns of constant width

LINE EAST NORTH MAG GRAV
\ This is a comment line used for information
1600 300200.0 6253800.000 56481.027 -0.010
1600 300220.0 6253810.000 56479.535 -999999
1600 300240.0 6253820.000 56478.371 -0.003
1600 300260.0 6253830.000 56477.547 -0.001
1600 300280.0 6253840.000 56477.035 -0.000
1600 300300.0 6253850.000 56476.781 -0.000
1600 300320.0 6253860.000 56476.707 -0.001
1600 300340.0 6253870.000 56476.723 -0.003
1600 300360.0 6253880.000 56476.734 -0.005
1600 300380.0 6253890.000 56476.660 -0.008
Geosoft-style data files with line numbers embedded as standard XYZ file
Line 1600
300200.0 6253800.000 56481.027 -0.010
300220.0 6253810.000 56479.535 *
300240.0 6253820.000 56478.371 -0.003
300260.0 6253830.000 56477.547 -0.001
300280.0 6253840.000 56477.035 -0.000
300300.0 6253850.000 56476.781 -0.000
300320.0 6253860.000 56476.707 -0.001
300340.0 6253870.000 56476.723 -0.003
Line 1700
300660.0 6243880.000 56476.734 -0.005
300680.0 6243890.000 56476.660 -0.008

Delimited data with inconsistent column widths with or without headers

1600,300200,6253800,56481,-0.01
1600,300220,6253810,56479.5,-1.00E+30
1600,300240,6253820,56478.4,-0.003
1600,300260,6253830,56477.5,-0.001
1600,300280,6253840,56477,0
1600,300300,6253850,56476.8,0
1600,300320,6253860,56476.7,-0.001
1600,300340,6253870,56476.7,-0.003
1600,300360,6253880,56476.7,-0.005
1600,300380,6253890,56476.7,-0.008
ASCII import options

The Options dialog box contains defaults for importing an ASCII file:
• If the Use last format file (*.i3) by default is checked, next time a saved format file (*.i3) is
loaded by pressing the Load format button, the directory path of the previously loaded or saved
format file directory will be used. If this option is left unchecked, the default path when browsing
for a format file will be the same as the path of the ASCII file currently being imported (but with an
.i3 extension).
• If the Rename selected easting field to X and selected northing to Y is checked the field
names for the respective easting and northing columns will be changed to X and Y.
• Two options are available for the Auto-classify behaviour: Hide header when classified and
Show dialog compacted. These options are toggles for the initial display of the Advanced ASCII
import dialog. Auto-classification occurs when the Advanced ASCII importer can detect the ASCII
structure upon loading a file without any prompts from the user.
• Null value inputs can be specified under the Properties dialog when right clicking on a particular
field. To specify the output value of a defined null value, type in for example -9999 into the Output
null value dialog box. Subsequent to importing the ASCII file, the defined null values will populate
the MapInfo Pro Browser.
• The input file can be previewed with an external editor of the user’s choice as set under the Editor
option. By default this is set to WordPad.exe.
Line identifier
Check the Import the Line Field box if there is a column containing a line identifier in your data. In
some cases, there is not a line field in your survey data. Instead, the file contains a separate data line
that specifies the start of each new survey line. The data following the line identifier are all the
measurements relating to that survey line. The simplest example of this is for the line simply to contain
the string Line x, where x is a survey line name e.g. 1020.
To import data from files with interspersed line numbers check the box Has interspersed line
numbers and select an appropriate line number prefix from the pull-down list. If the line prefix that is
not in this drop-down list, it can be typed in manually. The line prefix may be included in the output or
can be left out altogether (e.g. Line 1020 or just 1020). When the Has interspersed line numbers
option is enabled there is no need to select a field to be the Line field.

Ignored records
Sometimes a file may contain additional data lines that are not needed in the data import. To enable
MapInfo Discover to ignore particular lines of data in an ASCII file, enter the symbol or text used at the
start of the unwanted lines (e.g. “#”,”//”, etc) in the Comment Lines control. Make sure each entry is
contained within quotation marks and multiple entries are separated by a comma.
To import the ASCII file select the Import button in the top-right corner of the dialog. You are then
prompted to select the name of the TAB file that is created to contain the imported data.
Ignored characters
To pre-process or filter out unwanted characters from the ASCII dataset, type the characters to ignore
(such as *, %, $, #, @ or ?) into the Ignore characters text box (top left of the dialog). Once these
characters have been defined, the Data preview will interactively change displaying the dataset
without the specified characters. Upon import these characters will not be displayed.
Save and reload ASCII template

If you need to import a number of files with the same data layout it may be useful to save the ASCII
import Template for later use. To do this, simply press the Save Format button and enter a name for
the template. Make sure to save the import template before you start importing the data the format
information is lost.
When you want to import another data file with an identical format, reload the saved template using the
Load Format button. MapInfo Discover will automatically configure the new data file with the
appropriate field names, field properties, delimiters, column widths, etc.
Datamine Studio
Related tools: Datamine Studio Export
The Datamine Studio table exporter is a wizard-style interface designed to easily select and
convert MapInfo Pro vector, grid and image files into Datamine Studio 3 .DM format (see
Datamine Studio for formats). The Datamine Studio exporter is designed to work exclusively
with open Map Windows in MapInfo Pro—only mapped datasets can be used.
To start the export wizard, open the datasets in MapInfo, and then select
DISCOVER>File>Export>Datamine Studio Export. If multiple Map Windows are open in MapInfo
Pro, the Select Mapper Window dialog is displayed, from which you can select the window containing
the data you wish to export. Click OK to start the wizard:
• Step 1: Settings
• Step 2: Vector tables
• Step 3: Surface tables
• Step 4: Image tables
Step 1: Settings
Folder
Displays the default folder where the .DM files will be exported to. To navigate or modify the path,
click the adjacent folder button and navigate to the desired folder.

Reprojection Options
Datamine Studio 3 does not handle reprojection on-the-fly as in MapInfo Pro. Therefore, all spatial data
needs to be reprojected into the same coordinate space. All selected data types (vector, grid and
image) are reprojected.
Mapper Projection
The projection system of the selected map window.
New Projection
The target system the tables will be reprojected into. By default, the Mapper Projection and New
Projection are the same. If any table is already in the target projection it will not be reprojected.
Only files not in the target projection will be reprojected.
To set a new projection, click the Projection button to display the Choose Projection dialog
box. Select the new projection from the Category and Category Members options. The
selected projection is displayed in the New Projection box.
Note: Avoid reprojecting into a geographical coordinate system (longitude-latitude). Although Datamine
Studio 3 can open data in these systems, it is not recommended. Cartesian coordinate systems
are preferred.
The Projection Method toggles between Standard and NTv2 Grid Shift methods of reprojection.
If the Standard method is selected, the reprojection will be either a three- or seven-parameter
translation. If the NTv2 Grid Shift method is selected, the NTv2 grid shift method is used.
The MapInfo Discover projection list is stored in a separate file to the MapInfow.prj file. To
reproject files into a custom coordinate system in the MapInfow.prj file, copy the custom
projection line into the Encom.prj file located in the
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Common\Projections directory. For more
information on NTv2 grid transformations, see NTv2 transformation.
Interpolation
Sets the method of reprojection for image and grid files. Three interpolation methods are available:
• Nearest Neighbour – Simple interpolation whereby the new image/grid cell value is taken
from the closest image/grid cell in the original image/grid.
• Bilinear – The value of a grid cell in the new image/grid is assigned the weighted value of the
four surrounding image/grid cells in the original image/grid.
• Bicubic – Uses the weighted value of 16 surrounding image/grid cell values in the original
image/grid to interpolate the value a grid cell in the new image/grid. This method requires
more processing but is more accurate than bilinear interpolation. Bicubic interpolation also
produces a smoother image/grid.
Output Options
Select the output files types and precision of the dataset.
File Precision
Datamine Studio 3 can use both Single and Extended precision files, see Datamine Studio for a
full description of supported file formats and precision limitations.

Image Type
Select the output image format from the dropdown, output image formats include PNG, JPG, BMP
and TIF. The default output Image Type is PNG.
Background Colour
Select a background colour from the palette. This colour is used for all null image/grid cells around
the reprojected image/grid.
Image Resample
Resample the original image size to a smaller file size. Select a value between 1 and 100%.
Click Next to continue to Step 2: Vector tables.
Step 2: Vector tables

The vector dialog enables the selection/deselection of tables and fields as well as the validation of the
tables and fields so the conversion of TAB files to .DM files is seamless.
The vector dialog displays a grid listing all the open vector tables from the selected map window.
Selected
Click the check box to toggle the selection of the table. By default, all vector tables are selected. If a
table is unselected it will not be exported.
Valid
The valid column displays the validation status of the table. The table is either invalid or valid. A valid
table is ready for export; an invalid table cannot be exported until it is corrected. Hover the pointer over
the validation icon to display information about the validation error detected.
Three validation states are displayed:
• Valid – No validation issues detected in table.
• Invalid fields – Validation issues detected in table fields.
• Invalid table – Validation issues with table, this error is due to the maximum size for a single-
or double-precision table has been exceeded.
See Datamine Studio for further information on Datamine Studio file structures.
Table Name
Name of the table to be exported.
Method
All Datamine Studio files require a Z reference RL, height etc. Select the method to attribute a Z value.
Three methods are available:
• Constant – a user define numeric number can be assigned to the table.
• Field – a user defined numeric field can be selected to attribute the table objects.
• Surface – a user defined surface file can be used to extract a Z value from a grid cell.

Z Value
This option is used for Constant, Field and Surface Methods. For a Constant method type in a numeric
value, for Field select a numeric field from the table and for Surface method select a surface file.
Default Z Value
This option is used only when the Surface method has been selected. Type in a numeric value, this
value is required whenever a vector object bounds exceeds the bounds of the selected surface file.
(Fields)
Click the Fields button to open the Modify Fields dialog box, from which you can rectify field
validation errors that prevent the table from being exported.
Modify Fields dialog box

Selected
Toggle the selection of the field, by default all table fields are selected, to deselect uncheck the box. If
a field is unselected it will not be exported.
Valid
The valid column displays the validation status of the field:
• Valid – field is valid and ready for export,
• Warning – field is valid and ready for export but an automatic change has been applied. When
a field name from the MapInfo Pro table exceeds eight characters, the field name is automatically
truncated suffixed by an underscore and number.
• Invalid – field cannot be exported until it is corrected. Hover the pointer over the validation icon
to display information about the type of error type detected:
• Field name begins with . , ! : * & = ( ) ? or space or number
• Field contains spaces or , ! : * & = ( )
• Field name is blank
• Field name is duplicated
• Field name is a restricted name
• Field name contains a space
• Field width must be divisible by 4
• Field width exceeds 1024 characters
• Field name exceeds 8 characters
Name
Name of the field from the MapInfo Pro table.

Type
Type of field in the MapInfo Pro table. When exported, Character, Date, Date Time, Time, and Logical
are converted to Alphanumeric; and Float, Decimal, Integer and Small Integer are converted to
Numeric (Float).
Width
Width of the exported Datamine Studio 3 field. The width must be a divisible of 4.
Alias
Name of field to be exported to Datamine Studio 3. The field name must not exceed 8 characters.
Click Next to continue to Step 3: Surface tables.
Step 3: Surface tables

Displays all open raster grids from the selected map window. Use the controls to move tables from the
Selected box to the Unselected box and vice versa.
Raster grids are not directly supported by Datamine Studio 3 but are converted into wireframe triangle
and point files. Refer to Datamine Studio for more information.
Click Next to continue to Step 4: Image tables.
Step 4: Image tables

Displays all open image tables from the selected map window. Use the controls to move tables from
the Selected box to the Unselected box and vice versa.
Click OK to export all selected vector, raster grids and image tables.
See also
Datamine Studio
DataSight
Related tools: DataSight Import
DataSight is a platform for the management, communication and reporting of any natural
resource data. DataSight handles information relating to any part of the sector—surface and
groundwater, atmosphere, soil and others. DataSight stores data on the MS SQL Server
platform and the DataSight import tool is designed to provide MapInfo Discover users with a simple
interface for connecting to, and importing data from SQL Server tables and views created by
DataSight. This allows information stored in DataSight to be quickly visualized and analysed in its
spatial and 3D context.
For more information, see:
• Server authentication
• Access methods
• Prerequisites for using the DataSight import tool
• Using the DataSight import tool

Server authentication
The DataSight Import Tool supports both Windows authentication and SQL Server authentication for
connecting to MS SQL Server. Windows Authentication uses your Windows ID and password to
access the database. If you select this option, you will be able to open the resulting .TAB file or .WOR
files that contain this table without entering a user name or password. You do not have to enter a user
name or password in the fields provided.
SQL Server authentication requires that you enter a unique ID and password to access this database.
If you select this option, you will be prompted for this ID and password each time you open this .tab file
or access it in a workspace. Please see your database administrator to determine which authentication
methods are enabled on your server.
Access methods
The DataSight import tool supports two methods for connecting MapInfo Pro to the server. A linked
table is a MapInfo Pro table that is downloaded from a remote database and retains links to its remote
database table. The remote database table is known as a DBMS table. When MapInfo Pro downloads
a table, it copies the entire contents of the table to the local machine. Any changes you make to the
copy can be committed to the server table at any time. Linked tables rather than live tables are
recommended to improve performance.
You can access remote data as a live access table using MapInfo Pro. It is called a live access because
there is no local copy of the data, that is, all operations against the data go directly to the server. This
differs from linked tables, which download a snapshot from the remote database into a native MapInfo
Pro table.
You can perform most operations on a live access table that you do for a regular MapInfo Pro table.
For example, you can view, edit, copy, and save a live access layer just as you can a regular MapInfo
Pro table. However, you cannot pack or modify a live access table.
You can create live access tables with or without a cache. The cache is a memory cache, which
contains only the rows that are in the map display for that window. This optimizes certain operations
such as ToolTips, labelling, etc. on the map. The cache is automatically updated when the view of the
map changes, (for example, zooming or panning).
Prerequisites for using the DataSight import tool

Before using the DataSight import tool, ensure that the following prerequisites have been established:
• An instance of SQL Server, containing at least one DataSight database.
• The user has a valid login for SQL Server and permission to read the DataSight database.
• The DataSight database has been configured to include GIS coordinates for stations, and that
these coordinates have been populated.
• The user understands the map projection in which the GIS coordinates in DataSight have been
created.
Using the DataSight import tool

The following tools are provided in the DataSight import tool (DISCOVER>Import>DataSight Import):
• Setup – Setup a database connection.

• Import – Create an SQL query and import data into a MapInfo Pro table.
• Open – Reopen a table using a previous SQL query.
• Refresh – Refresh a linked database table.
• Delete – Delete a linked database table.
Before importing data, you must set up the connection.
Set up a database connection
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Setup. The Setup Database
Connection dialog box is displayed.
2. In the SQL Server box, type the name of a SQL Server instance that contains a DataSight
database, or click Browse to select from the list of available SQL servers.
3. In the Authentication box, choose either <Windows Authentication> or <SQL Server
Authentication>.
4. If SQL Server Authentication is selected box, in the User Name and Password boxes, type a
user name and password
5. In the Select Database box, type the name of a DataSight database, or click Browse to select
from the list of databases available on the selected SQL server.
6. To verify the connection, click Test Connection.
Create a new SQL query and import data into a MapInfo Pro table
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Import. The Import from DataSight -
Step 1 of 2 dialog box is displayed.
2. In the Database box, select from the list of available database connections.
3. In the Available tables box, select a table or view to import. Click Advanced Table Filter to filter
this list.
4. Under Select fields and criteria, move fields into the Selected box to include them in the
imported table.
5. Select the Refine selection criteria check box if additional criteria are required to filter the rows
imported into MapInfo Pro.
On the Simple tab, use the expression builder to define selection criteria. To create a multi-line
expression, in the Join column, select AND or OR, and then define the following criteria.
6. Click Next. The Import from DataSight - Step 2 of 2 dialog box is displayed.
7. Under MapInfo Table Options, select either linked tables (recommended) or Live Access.
8. Under MapInfo Output Table, type a file name for the MapInfo Pro table or press the disc button
to open a save file dialog.
9. Select Table is Mappable to create points in the MapInfo Pro table and click the symbol button to
apply a point symbol style.
10. Press Projection to choose the appropriate projection to create the points (must match the
projection used to create the Latitude / Longitude fields in DataSight).

Open data with an previous SQL query

1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Open.
2. In the Table box, select a previous query.
3. Click Open.
Refresh open tables
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Refresh.
2. In the list box select a table to refresh, the click Refresh
Delete linked MapInfo Pro tables
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Delete.
2. In the list box select a table to delete, the click Delete.
DXF
Related tools: Vector Import
Vector Export
Vector Transform
Section Manager
Section Layer Export
Importing DXF files with MapInfo Discover has several important advantages over using the MapInfo
Pro DXF Import and Universal Translator (UT) tools:
• MapInfo Discover assigns layer names as attributes to each object. Whereas MapInfo Pro does
not retain layering information unless you write each layer to a separate file.
• MapInfo Discover stores the average elevation of all object types, including 3D polylines
(contours), polygons, and mesh surfaces (TINS). Whereas MapInfo Pro stores only points and 2D
line elevation.
MapInfo Discover provides several DXF import-export tools—use the tool that is best suited to your
needs:
• Use the Vector Import tool to import vectors from DXF files (see Import vector files).
• Use the Vector Export tool to export vectors to DXF format (see Export vector data).
• Use the Vector Transform tool to transform vector data to DXF format (see Transform vector
formats).
• Use the Section Layer Export tool to export section layers from a drillhole project to DXF
format (see Export section layers to 3D DXF).
• Use the Display 3D Models function in the Drillhole Section Manager to import and display
3D vectors from DXF files on drillhole cross-sections (see Display 3D Vector Models).
For recommendations on structuring DXF files for import to MapInfo Discover, see:
• DXF attribute data

• DXF elevation values

You can also export drillhole traces from a drillhole project to DXF format (see Export Drillholes as 3D
DXF Traces).
DXF attribute data

In your CAD drawing, you should digitize each rock type (or other data type) into an appropriately
named layer. For example, digitize all basalt polygons to a layer called "Basalt", all tenement
boundaries to a layer called “Tenement” and all stream polylines to a layer called “Streams”.
When MapInfo Discover reads a DXF file created in your CAD package, all objects are inserted into
the one table, but the DXF layer name is written as an attribute for each object. The end result is one
table containing all DXF layers, each of which has an appropriate name as an attribute. You can then
easily split out all objects of one type (such as basalts or tenements) and save them to a different table
or join them to related attribute tables.
DXF elevation values

Elevation values are automatically stored from the DXF file and an extra Z is added to the new table.
Note that for points, the elevation is unambiguous, but for multi-node objects such as polylines,
polygons, and surface meshes, only one elevation is stored for an entire object. This elevation is the
average Z value of all nodes in the object. If a polyline defines a watershed or fence line for example,
the first elevation is likely to be unrepresentative of the average elevation of the object.
Note: The MapInfo Pro DXF import function allows you to store elevations of DXF lines, but not polylines.
To store elevations of DXF polylines, polgons, or mesh surfaces (TINs), you need to use MapInfo
Discover.
Export section layers to 3D DXF

Related tools: Section Layer Export
Select DRILLHOLES>File>Export>Section Layer Export to export objects digitized into a
section layer to 3D DXF files for visualization in 3D software systems including the MapInfo
Discover 3D add-on module. Any type of map object (polylines, regions, points etc) can be
digitized into the section layer. When these objects are exported to 3D DXF, any attributes that have
been added to the boundary objects are also exported.
Choose the boundary to export from the Available Section Feature Layers list. Enter a Layer Name
for the individual DXF layer. MapInfo Discover can export section boundaries as a single 3D DXF file
with all boundaries in one layer. In addition, a single 3D DXF file with separate layers for each boundary
may be exported.
3D DXF files can also be created using unique attributes from a column in the section boundary table.
For example, if one or more section boundary tables contain lithological boundaries for shale,
sandstone, basalt, etc select the column that stores this attribute from the Multiple Files pull-down list.
A series of 3D DXF files are created with each file containing all the lithology polygons for one unique
attribute, e.g. Shale.DXF
See also
Export Drillholes as 3D DXF Traces

Geosoft
Related tools: Geosoft Import
The Geosoft Import tool enables you to import data from a Geosoft® Oasis Montaj™ database
into a MapInfo Pro table. The imported data is stored in native MapInfo Pro .TAB file format.
When importing databases which contain multi-channel array data (such as Geotem or EM
data) data into MapInfo Discover, each array channel will be imported as a single column. Because
MapInfo Pro has a table width limit of 4096 bytes, any Geosoft tables that are wider than 4096 bytes
will be truncated during import. If this occurs, you will be warned that some data loss will occur.
To import data from a Geosoft database:
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>Geosoft Import . The Import Geosoft Database dialog
box is displayed.
2. Next to the Input file box, click the browse button and select the .GDB input file.
3. If the data file contains spatial data, select the Has X and Y fields check box.
4. In the X field and Y field boxes, select the fields containing the X and Y coordinates.
5. To import a subset of records from the input file, click Select subset of lines. From the Line
Selection Dialog Box choose the lines to be included or excluded.
Select lines from Geosoft database to import
6. Click Choose Projection and choose the projection that the data coordinates were recorded in.
7. Select Open in map to display the table in a map window. Clear the check box to display the data
into a browser only.
8. Click OK to start the import.
ioGAS
Related tools: ioGAS Import
The ioGAS Import tool was developed by PBS in consultation with REFLEX ioGAS (formely
ioGlobal). This tool enables users to import ioGAS files and attributes directly into MapInfo Pro
and save as a series of .TAB files. The main data table contains the sample locations plotted in
geographical space and displayed using the saved attribute symbology. Each attribute style also has
an associated legend table.

To import an ioGAS file:

1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>ioGas Import>Import. The ioGAS Importer Dialog Box is
displayed.
2. Under Input file, browse to the .GAS file to be imported.
3. Under Field assignments, review and select the input field assignments.
4. In the Null Value box, type the value that will be substituted into any blank field records in the
.GAS file. Otherwise, MapInfo Pro sets blanks to zero.
5. Under Field selection, use the controls to select additional fields to be imported.
6. Under Display options, choose if you want to import all data records, or only data that is visible
in ioGAS.
7. Under Output options, select the output table name and location.
8. Click Projection and choose the projection that the coordinates (see Field assignments above)
were recorded in.
When the data is imported a map window is displayed which contains the attributed data. Three legend
windows are also opened which correspond to each of the colour, shape and size attributes used in
the map window.
Note: To avoid truncation of table names, keep ioGAS file names under 31 characters.
Imported MapInfo Pro table and attribute legends
To refresh an imported table and thematic map from ioGAS:

• Select DISCOVER>File>Import>ioGas Import>Refresh. This will overwrite the existing
MapInfo Pro table. Use HOME>File>Save Copy As to preserve the original table.

Leapfrog Geo
Related tools: Leapfrog Export
Pushing your complex GIS spatial datasets into the Leapfrog environment is now fast, easy and
accurate, ensuring you can dedicate more time to modelling and analytics.
Easily share your detailed GIS datasets fast and accurately from MapInfo Pro into Leapfrog Geo.
The Leapfrog Geo exporter is a wizard-style interface for the easy selection, reprojection and
conversion of multiple MapInfo Pro vector, grid and image tables into a Leapfrog Geo project. The
Leapfrog Geo exporter is designed to work exclusively with open map windows in MapInfo Pro—only
mapped datasets can be exported.
The Leapfrog Geo Export tool is a simple and effective wizard that:
• Supports all MapInfo Pro vector, raster and (topography) surface data.
• Bulk exports your datasets in one routine.
• Reprojects all the data into the required Leapfrog Geo session (cartesian) projection.
• Allows the removal of unnecessary data fields (to help minimise output file sizes).
• Creates a batch session file (.XML) allowing easy import from within Leapfrog Geo.
This functionality requires Leapfrog Geo 2.1.
For more detailed information, watch the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVeQ-u6OmPg.
To share MapInfo Pro data with Leapfrog Geo:
1. Open the datasets you want to export in a single current MapInfo Pro mapper window.
2. Select DISCOVER>File>Export>Leapfrog Export.
• Enter a new Project Name. This will be the name of the batch .XML file required by
Leapfrog Geo, i.e. projectname.xml.
• Specify a new or empty existing Folder into which to export the MapInfo Pro datasets.
• Select the required New Projection system you will be working in within Leapfrog Geo. This
must be a cartesian projection.

3. In the next (Vector, Surface and Image) dialogs, move the required datasets across to the
Selected sections. The Vector dialog additionally allows the deselection of unnecessary fields—
this is recommended to help reduce the output file sizes, particularly for larger vector datasets.
4. From the Leapfrog Geo Project Tree:
• Under GIS Data, Maps and Photos, select Batch Import>From MapInfo.
• Browse to the folder specified in step 1 above, and select the file projectname.xml.
• On the Batch Import MapInfo Data dialog, click OK. Leapfrog Geo will now import each
dataset, and add these to the Project Tree.

LIDAR LAS
Related tools: LIDAR LAS Import
The LIDAR LAS Importer is a quick and efficient way of importing ASPRS standard LAS files
into MapInfo Pro TAB files, creating the associated attributed points. LAS is a binary format
defined by ASPRS (www.asprs.org).
To import LAS files into MapInfo Discover
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>LIDAR LAS Import. The LAS Import Dialog Box is
displayed.
2. Next to the Input file box, click the browse button and select the LAS input file.
3. In the Output file box, type or edit the output table name, or click the browse button to navigate to
the output folder and table.
4. Click Set Projection and choose the projection that the data coordinates were recorded in.
5. Click Choose optional fields and choose additional data fields (other than the X, Y, Z
coordinates) to be imported into the output table.
6. If required, create a coordinate transform using the boxes under Coordinate Transform.
7. Click Import.
Note: To interpolate LIDAR LAS data into a raster grid for further analysis/modelling/etc, use
the RASTER>Interpolate>Create Raster Multifile tool.

MicroMine
Related tools: Micromine Import
Import MicroMine® data and string files into MapInfo Pro tables. MapInfo Discover reads the
MicroMine file, creates an appropriately structured table and inserts the data.
To import a Micromine file:
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>Micromine Import.
2. You are asked to select the input file and output table, and then the MicroMine Import dialog
box is displayed.
3. Select the input file data type:
• Data file: Select if the file contains sample and drillhole information, including survey and
downhole data files. The MicroMine Import dialog box is displayed.
• String file: Select if the file contains string (polyline) data. The Micromine String Import dialog
box is displayed.
4. Select the import options:
• For string files, select the fields in the input file that define the X and Y coordinates, and the
string ID. Options are also provided for creating closed polygons and defining the line style.
MineSight
MapInfo Discover supports import and export of MineSight SRG files:
• Importing MineSight Points and Polylines
• Exporting to MineSight
Importing MineSight Points and Polylines

Related tools: ASCII Import
Polyline and point files exported from MineSight are in an ASCII, CSV format. The MineSight file
has an SRG extension and contains fields: Easting, Northing, Elevation, Node Point count,
Material name, Attribute name, Object Name, and Attributed Material name. The Easting,
Northing, Elevation and Node Point count are required items. The data can either be imported as points
representing each vertex in the string file or as strings (polylines).
To import a MineSight SRG file:
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>ASCII Import.
2. Click Input File, and set the format (bottom right of the dialog) to <Minesight SRG files>.
Browse to the Minesight SRG file, and click Open.
For more information on this tool, see ASCII data.
3. Click Import.
4. You are then asked to select the output table and location, and select a projection.

Example MineSight SRG file:

2733.330,5507.240,420.000,1,TOE,,TOE,
2736.520,5502.470,420.000,2,TOE,,TOE,
2730.110,5490.940,420.000,3,TOE,,TOE,
2727.920,5479.010,420.000,4,TOE,,TOE,
2740.690,5472.920,420.000,5,TOE,,TOE,
2754.040,5480.850,420.000,6,TOE,,TOE,
Exporting to MineSight
Related tools: Minesight Export
MapInfo Pro files can be exported in MineSight SRG format so they can be read straight into
MineSight.
To export a MapInfo Pro table as a MineSight SRG file:
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Export>MineSight Export. The MineSight Export dialog box is
displayed.
2. Under File details, click the Input table box and select the table to be exported.
3. In the Output SRG file box, type or edit the output file name, or click the browse button to
navigate to the output folder and file.
4. Select the Flip XY check box to reverse the order of the X and Y coordinates.
5. Under Elevation, click the Z value from column box and select the field that defines the
elevation, or type a default elevation in the Default Z value box.
6. Under Attributes, select additional data fields (other than the X, Y, Z coordinates) to be exported
into the output file. To select multiple columns, click and drag, or hold the SHIFT or CTRL key while
you select columns.
8. Click OK to start the export.
Surpac
See Import vector files and Export vector data.
Vulcan
MapInfo Discover supports import and export of Vulcan Archive ASCII files:
• Importing Points and Polylines
• Exporting to Vulcan

Importing Points and Polylines

Related tools: Vulcan Import
The Vulcan Import tool enables you to import Vulcan® Archive ASCII files into MapInfo Pro
tables. The data can either be imported as points representing each vertex in the string file,
strings (polylines) or as closed strings (polygons).
To import a Vulcan archive file:
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>Vulcan Import. The Vulcan Import dialog box is
displayed.
2. Next to the Input file box, click the browse button and select the input file.
3. In the Output file box, type or edit the output table name, or click the browse button to navigate to
the output folder and file.
4. In the Create Object type box, choose the object type.
5. Click Set Projection and choose the projection that the data coordinates were recorded in.
Note: The X, Y coordinate values will not be imported into the browser and the Z value will be an average
of the vertex Z values for each string in the original file because MapInfo Pro does not support
multiple vertex records per object in a browser.
Exporting to Vulcan
Related tools: Vulcan Export
MapInfo Pro files can be exported in Vulcan Archive ASCII format so they can be read straight
into Vulcan.
To export a MapInfo Pro table as a Vulcan archive file:
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Export>Vulcan Export. The is Vulcan Export dialog box
displayed.
2. Under File details, click the Input file box and select the table to be exported.
3. In the Output file box, type or edit the output file name, or click the browse button to navigate to
the output folder and file.
4. In the Name field box, select the column assigned to the Name field (HoleID, for example) in the
output file.
5. In the Value field box, select the column assigned to the Value field in the output file.
6. In the Z field box, select the field that defines the elevation, or select the Use fixed Z value check
box and type the elevation in the adjacent box.

Import vector files

Related tools: Vector Import
The Vector Import wizard enables the importing of a wide range of 2D and 3D vector formats
into native TAB files. The tool can also batch import multiple files and convert them into multiple
TAB files. The supported file formats are:
3D Studio .3DS Google keyhole markup language .KML

AutoCAD .DXF GPS eXchange .GPX
Datamine wireframe *PT.DM, *TR.DM LizardTech MrSID .SID
ER Mapper vector .ERV MapInfo Pro .TAB
ESRI Shapefiles .SHP Surpac string .STR
ESRI TIN .ADF Surpac wireframe .DTM, .STR
Gemcom BT2 .BT2 Vulcan triangulation .00T
GOCAD Vector .TS, .PL, .VS
To import a vector file:

1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>Vector Import.
2. Select the file format you wish to import and click OK.
3. Select the files to import. Select multiple files by holding down the CTRL key as you click on each
file name. Click Open.
Note: All files must be in the same projection.
4. Review the Output folder location and if it is a 3D file, define the View Angle by selecting Convert
to 2D, viewed from the.
5. Click Import. The files are automatically opened in MapInfo Pro.
6. You may be prompted to select a projection for the output TAB files.
Note: The projection list available in the MapInfo Discover Vector Import tool is stored in a separate file
to the MapInfow.prj file. If you want to import into a custom coordinate system which has been
added to the MapInfow.prj file, then copy the custom projection line into the Encom.prj file
located in the C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Common\Projections directory.
See also
Transform vector formats
Export vector data

Export vector data

Related tools: Vector Export
The Vector Export wizard enables the exporting of a native TAB file to a wide range of 2D vector
formats. The tool can also batch export multiple TAB files and convert them into multiple vector
files.
The supported file formats are:
AutoCAD .DXF
CSV text file .CSV
Encom .TKM
ESRI Shapefiles .SHP
GOCAD Vector .TS, .PL, .VS
Google keyhole markup language .KML
GPS eXchange .GPX
MapInfo Pro .TAB
Surpac string .STR
To export a vector file:

1. Select DISCOVER>File>Export>Vector Export.
2. Select the TAB files to export from those open in MapInfo Pro. Select multiple files by
holding down the CTRL key as you click on each file name. Click Open.
3. Select file output format.
4. Review the output folder location.
5. Click Export.
See also
Import vector files


Related tools: Vector Transform
The Vector Transform tool can transform, reproject, and convert a wide range of vector file
formats. The following input and output file formats are supported:
Input formats Output formats

3D Studio .3DS 3D Studio .3DS
AutoCAD .DXF CSV text file .CSV
Datamine wireframe (point and triangle) .DM Encom .TKM
ER Mapper vector .ERV ESRI shapefiles .SHP
ESRI shapefiles .SHP GOCAD vector .TS
ESRI TIN .ADF Google Keyhole Markup Language .KML
Gemcom .BT2 GPS exchange .GPX
GOCAD vector .TS, .PL, .VS MapInfo Pro .MIF
Google Keyhole Markup Language .KML MapInfo Pro .TAB
GPS exchange .GPX Surpac string .STR
LizardTech MrSID .SID
MapInfo Pro .TAB
Surpac string .STR
Surpac wireframe .DTM , .STR
Vulcan triangulation .00T
To transform a vector file:

1. Select DISCOVER>File>Export>Vector Transform.
2. Select the Input files from those open in MapInfo Pro. Select multiple files by holding down
the CTRL key as you click on each file name.
3. Select the Output file.
4. Select the Output format.
5. Review and select the transformation and processing Options (see below).
6. Click OK.

The Vector Transform dialog box
A range of transformation options are available as independent X, Y and/or Z operations, allowing

vector objects to be scaled, offset and/or rotated.
Transform options available are:
• Transform coordinates – enable the options button for Scale, offset and rotation settings. This is
useful for converting feet units to metres or transforming from a local grid to UTM.
• Convert to 2D, viewed from – converts an appropriate 3D input Vector file into a 2D view. It can
be viewed from each primary axis direction.
• Reproject coordinates – reprojection applied to coordinates. Note the from field is automatically
populated with the first input file's projection if it found.
• Name field – certain formats only support a single attribute or label field for the vector objects. If
enabled, select the desired field for labelling the points.
• Elevation field – when converting form a 2D (i.e. TAB file) to a 3D file format (i.e. DXF), this field
is enabled to define the elevation of the object. For example this could be populated by using
Surfaces>Assign Grid Values from a DEM.
Other processing options include:
• Convert to point cloud – converts all nodes/vertices in the input vector object to individual point
objects in the output vector file.
• Smooth polylines and polygons – applies a line smoothing filter, with a width defined over the
nearest nodes.
• Correct polygon vertex order problems – checks the node order in all polygon objects. Outer
parts will be stored clockwise and inner holes will be stored counter-clockwise.

• Compress polylines and polygons – removes any nodes with a spacing less than the defined
distance.
• Convert closed polylines to polygons – converts any closed polyline objects to a polygon
object. This is particularly useful for formats such as DXF which do not have a polygon object
type, but do have closed polyline objects.
• Convert polylines with one point to point objects and polygons with two points to
polylines – removes any erroneous objects.
Vector files can also be Reprojected to accommodate absolute coordinate handling in MapInfo
Discover 3D. For instance, if all of your MapInfo Pro data is in a UTM projection, but an ore body DXF
model from a CAD program is in a different projection, this option will enable the DXF to be reprojected
into the same projection as the rest of the 3D data. Enable the Reproject Coordinates option, and set
the appropriate Source and Target projections using the Choose buttons.
Note: The projection list available in the MapInfo Discover Vector Import tool is stored in a separate file to the
MapInfow.prj file. If you wish to reporejct into a custom coordinate system which has been added to the
MapInfow.prj file then copy the custom projection line into the Encom.prj file located in
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Common\Projections.
Other processing options include:
• Convert to point cloud – converts all nodes/vertices in the input vector object to individual point
objects in the output vector file.
• Smooth polylines and polygons – applies a line smoothing filter, with a width defined over the
nearest nodes.
• Correct polygon vertex order problems – checks the node order in all polygon objects. Outer
parts will be stored clockwise and inner holes will be stored counter-clockwise.
• Compress polylines and polygons – removes any nodes with a spacing less than the defined
distance.
• Convert closed polylines to polygons – converts any closed polyline objects to a polygon
object. This is particularly useful for formats such as DXF which do not have a polygon object
type, but do have closed polyline objects.
• Convert polylines with one point to point objects and polygons with two points to
polylines – removes any erroneous objects.
See also
Export vector data
Import vector files

Importing and exporting images

MapInfo Discover provide supports a number of different located image formats (see Supported file
formats) and tools for importing and exporting raster imagery:
• Rectifying raster images
• ECW/JP2
• EGB
• Saving a map window as a registered raster image
Rectifying raster images

Related tools: Rectify Image
Use IMAGES>Image Tools>Rectify Image to import and register other types of raster imagery.
For more information, see Registering and rectifying raster images.
See also
Importing an EGB image
ECW/JP2
Saving a map window as a registered raster image
ECW/JP2
Related tools: ECW/JP2 import
Use the MapInfo Discover ECW/JP2 tool to load and register ECW or JP2000 located images
in MapInfo Pro and to load images from an ECWP or IWS image server. ECWP files are defined
by a URL that starts with a ecwp:// prefix.

To open a local ECW/JP2 image file:

1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>ECW/JP2 Import. The ECW/P/JP2 Import dialog box is
displayed.
2. Under Open, select Open ECW or JP2 file. to open a file from the local disk or network.
3. Click the Open button and select an image file to open. The image is displayed under Preview
and its details are displayed under Image properties. Use the preview toolbar to examine the
image.
To select multiple files, either repeat steps 2 and 3 for each file or select multiple files by holding
down the CTRL key.
4. If an appropriate projection is found in the image file, this will be automatically set and displayed
in the Image Projection box, otherwise click the browse button next to the Map Projection box
and select a MapInfo Pro projection. Do not override the projection defined in the input file;
instead, import the file, and then use IMAGES>Image Tools>Reproject Image to reproject the
image.
5. Check the dimensions of the Image in Columns x Rows, and further information can be found
under the Information button.
6. Click Open. The Images will be opened in MapInfo Pro, and a TAB file is created in each image
folder.

To open an ECW/JP2 image file from an ECWP image server:

1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>ECW/JP2 Import. The ECW/P/JP2 Import dialog box is
displayed.
2. Under Open, select Open file from Image Server.
3. Type or paste the URL link in the text box. Make sure to include the ecwp:// prefix.
4. Click the Load button to open the ECWP link in the preview area.
5. If an appropriate projection is found in the image file, this will be automatically set and displayed
in the Image Projection box, otherwise click the browse button next to the Map Projection box
and select a MapInfo Pro projection. Do not override the projection defined in the input file;
instead, import the file, and then use Images>Reproject Image to reproject the image.
6. Check the dimensions of the Image in Columns x Rows, and further information can be found
under the Information button.
7. Select the Open Image as Raster radio button.
8. Click Open. You are pormpted to select an output file name and location. When processed, this
generates both a TAB and an IWS file on the local disk. The IWS is a metadata file listing details
about the Image Web Server ECWP link.
ECWP image servers can be found via the internet, or on local database servers. There is a number
of free access and subscription based websites which provide access to ECW imagery databases via
the internet.
When ECWP file is opened in MapInfo Discover, a local TAB file and a local metadata link file with the
extension IWS is created. The IWS file contains information such as the URL location of the ECWP file.
If you have an ECW which contains no embedded registration, these can also be registered in MapInfo
Pro using this tool. When non-projection information is found, you can select the desired projection and
enter in the top-left corner and pixel height and width, which is then used to automatically determine
and register the image corner points.
See also
Reprojecting an image
Converting an image to another format
EGB
EGB (Encom Georeferenced Bitmap) files can be created in Discover PA or MapInfo Discover 3D.
EGB files are text header files that are used to open and display image files such as .BMP, .JPG, and
.PNG in 3D georeferenced space.
• Importing an EGB image
• Exporting as an EGB image


Related tools: EGB Import
MapInfo Discover can automatically import EGB (Encom Georeferenced Bitmap) files created
in Discover PA or MapInfo Discover 3D.
Example EGB file:
GeoreferenceImage Begin
Comments = ""
Version = "1.0"
Image = "Kangaroo_Flats_Geochem_Map.png"
ImageFormat = PNG
Geometry = QUAD
CoordinateSpace Begin
Projection = "Transverse Mercator (Gauss-Kruger)"
Datum = "Australian Geodetic 1966 (AGD 66)"
Units = "km"
CoordinateSpace End
Registration Begin
TopLeft = 373570,5380784.86,0
TopRight = 400692.53,5380784.86,0
BottomLeft = 373570,5356994.78,0
BottomRight = 400692.53,5356994.78,0
Registration End
GeoreferenceImage End
To import an EGB located image:
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Import>EGB Import. The EGB Import dialog box is displayed.
2. Under File details, next to the Input EGB file box, click the browse button and select the
input file.
3. In the Output TAB file box, type or edit the output table name, or click the browse button to
navigate to the output folder and file.
4. If a transparent colour is defeined in the input file, select Use transparent colour from EGB.
5. Click Set Projection and choose the projection that the image coordinates were created in.
6. If required, under Coordinate Transform, reassign the X and Y coordinates. For example, you
can map the Z field in a vertical section as the Y field in the map window.
See also
ECW/JP2

Exporting as an EGB image

Related tools: EGB Export
MapInfo Pro files can be exported as EGB (Encom Georeferenced Bitmap) files so they can be
read straight into Discover PA or MapInfo Discover 3D. The MapInfo Pro map window is
converted into a PNG file with an associated EGB header file.
You can also export sections and plans from a MapInfo Discover drillhole project. This will correctly
register a plan or cross-section in 3D.
To export a map window as an EGB located image:
1. Select DISCOVER>File>Export>EGB Export. The EGB Export dialog box is displayed.
2. Under Windows available for export, select the map window to be exported.
3. In the Height for Z axis box, type the elevation (Z) in metres.
See also
ECW/JP2

Related tools: Map to Image
Use the IMAGES>Image Tools>Map to Image tool to save a map window as a registered
raster image. For more information, see Saving a map window as a registered raster image.
See also
Exporting as an EGB image
ECW/JP2
Importing and exporting drillhole data

• Datamine Studio
• MapInfo Discover Drillhole Projects
• Export Drillholes as 3D DXF Traces
• gINT
• LAS
• WinLoG

Datamine Studio
Related tools: Datamine Studio Export
The Datamine Studio Drillhole Project table exporter is a wizard-style interface designed to
easily select and convert MapInfo Pro vector files into Datamine Studio 3 .DM format. The
Datamine Studio Drillhole Project table exporter is designed to work exclusively with open
MapInfo Discover drillhole projects in MapInfo Pro. The Datamine Studio exporter creates a dynamic
drillhole dataset for Datamine Studio 3.
To start the export wizard, open the Drillhole Project to be exported, and then select
DRILLHOLES>External Data>Export>Datamine Studio Export:
• Step 1: Settings
• Step 2: Validation
• Step 3: Other project tables
Step 1: Settings
Drillhole Project
Displays the drillhole project to be exported.
Reprojection Options
Datamine Studio 3 does not handle reprojection on-the-fly as in MapInfo Pro. Therefore, all spatial data
needs to be reprojected into the same coordinate space. Only the collar table needs to be reprojected.
Mapper Projection
The projection system of the selected drillhole project.

New Projection
The target system the collar will be reprojected into; by default the Projection and New Projection
are the same. If the collar is already in the target projection it will not be reprojected. Only files not
in the target projection will be reprojected.
To set a new projection, click the Projection button to display the Choose Projection dialog
box. Select the new projection from the Category and Category Members options. The
selected projection is displayed in the New Projection box.
Note: Avoid reprojecting into a geographical coordinate system (longitude-latitude). Although Datamine
Studio 3 can open data in these systems, it is not recommended. Cartesian coordinate systems
are preferred.
The Projection Method toggles between Standard and NTv2 Grid Shift methods of reprojection.
If the Standard method is selected, the reprojection will be either a three- or seven-parameter
translation. If the NTv2 Grid Shift method is selected, the NTv2 grid shift method is used.
The MapInfo Discover projection list is stored in a separate file to the MapInfow.prj file. To
reproject files into a custom coordinate system in the MapInfow.prj file, copy the custom
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Common\Projections directory. For more
Output Options
Select the output files types and precision of the dataset.
File Precision
Datamine Studio 3 can use both Single and Extended precision files, see Datamine Studio for a
full description of supported file formats and precision limitations.
Folder
Displays the default folder where the .DM files will be exported to. To navigate or modify the
path, click the adjacent folder button and navigate to the desired folder.
Click Next to continue to Step 2: Validation.

Step 2: Validation
In this step, select and validate the drillhole project tables and fields to be exported. The validation
dialog displays a grid listing all the open vector tables from the selected MapInfo Discover drillhole
project.
Selected
Click the check box to toggle the selection of the table. By default, all vector tables are selected. If a
table is unselected it will not be exported. To create a dynamic drillhole dataset in Datamine Studio 3,
both the collar and survey tables are mandatory and cannot be deselected. All other downhole tables
are optional
Valid
The valid column displays the validation status of the table. The table is either invalid or valid. A valid
table is ready for export; an invalid table cannot be exported until it is corrected. Hover the pointer over
the validation icon to display information about the validation error detected.
Three validation states are displayed:
• Valid – No validation issues detected in table.
• Invalid fields – Validation issues detected in table fields.
• Invalid table – Validation issues with table, this error is due to the maximum size for a single-
or double-precision table has been exceeded.
See Datamine Studio for further information on Datamine Studio file structures.
Table Name
Name of the table to be exported.

Type
Type of MapInfo Discover Drillhole Project table these include Collar, Survey and Downhole
(Fields)
Click the Fields button to open the Modify Fields dialog, from which you can rectify field
validation errors that prevent the table from being exported.
The Modify Fields dialog is divided into the following columns:

Selected
Toggle the selection of the field, by default all table fields are selected, to deselect uncheck the box. If
a field is unselected it will not be exported.
Valid
The valid column displays the validation status of the field:
• Valid – field is valid and ready for export,
• Warning – field is valid and ready for export but an automatic change has been applied. When
a field name from the MapInfo Pro table exceeds eight characters, the field name is automatically
truncated suffixed by an underscore and number.
• Invalid – field cannot be exported until it is corrected. Hover the pointer over the validation icon
to display information about the type of error type detected:
• Field name begins with . , ! : * & = ( ) ? or space or number
• Field contains spaces or , ! : * & = ( )
• Field name is blank
• Field name is duplicated
• Field name is a restricted name
• Field name contains a space
• Field width must be divisible by 4


• Field name exceeds 8 characters
Name
Name of the field from the MapInfo Pro table.
Type
Type of field in the MapInfo Pro table. When exported, Character, Date, Date Time, Time, and Logical
are converted to Alphanumeric; and Float, Decimal, Integer and Small Integer are converted to
Numeric (Float).
Width
Width of the exported Datamine Studio 3 field. The width must be a divisible of 4.
Alias
Name of field to be exported to Datamine Studio 3. The field name must not exceed 8 characters.
Click Next to continue to Step 3: Other project tables.
Step 3: Other project tables

See Datamine Studio table export for details.
When all files have be selected and validated, click OK to export the project.
See also
Datamine Studio
MapInfo Discover Drillhole Projects

Related tools: Manage Project
Drillhole projects can be imported with the import project tool and exported (for sharing between
MapInfo Discover users) with the Manage Project tools (see Sharing MapInfo Discover drillhole
projects).
Export Drillholes as 3D DXF Traces

Related tools: Drillhole DXF Export
Use the Drillhole DXF Export tool to export desurveyed drillhole traces in a MapInfo Discover
drillhole project, or a selection of holes, can be exported as 3D DXF vector objects. This is useful
when sharing a drillhole project with other 3D applications or for viewing very large projects
(thousands of holes) in MapInfo Discover 3D. This does not export downhole data—only the hole
traces are exported.
To export a MapInfo Discover drillhole project as 3D DXF traces:
1. Select DRILLHOLES>Project Manager, and open the drillhole project you want to export.
2. Select DRILLHOLES>External Data>Export>Drillhole DXF Export.

See also
Sharing MapInfo Discover drillhole projects
Export section layers to 3D DXF
gINT
Related tools: gINT Import
The gINT® product suite encompasses software for creation of borehole, well log and fence
diagrams, amongst other things. Bundled with MapInfo Discover is an easy to use importer
which converts data stored in the gINT® database format into the necessary MapInfo Pro tables
required for a MapInfo Discover drillhole project, and optionally automatically creating a drillhole
project.
To import data from a gINT database:
1. Select DRILLHOLES>Import>gINT Import. The gINT Importer dialog box is displayed.
2. Under Input gINT project database file, if you have previously imported this database and
saved the import settings as a template, click Open Template and select the template.
Otherwise, click the Open button and browse to the .GPJ file to be imported.

If you have selected a template, review the table and field assignments on the Collar Settings
and Downhole Data Settings tabs, and then click OK to start the import. Otherwise, for a new
database import, follow the instructions below.
3. On the Collar Settings tab, under Collar table, click Projection and choose the projection that the
collar coordinates were recorded in.
4. Under Collar fields, review the field assignments.
5. On the Downhole Data Settings tab, use the controls to move the required data table to the
Selected box.
When a table is selected, the Downhole Field Assignments Dialog Box is displayed, from which
you can assign the hole ID, depth fields, and data fields. Note that:
• For downhole depth measurements, assign the depth field in both the Top Depth (From) and
Bottom Depth (To) boxes. The importer will automatically create two separate output fields.
• Required fields, such as sample depths and borehole number, cannot be deselected.
To review and edit field assignments, double-click the table in the Selected box, or select the
table and click Set Field Mappings.
6. Under Output options, click the Save button and select the folder where the new MapInfo
Discover drillhole tables will be created.
7. To create a new MapInfo Discover drillhole project (recommended), select the Create Discover
project check box and type a project name in the adjacent box. To overwrite or refresh an
existing drillhole project, select the project name from the list and ensure that the output folder
specified in the Directory box matches that of the target project.
Note: Updating an existing project will not update any sections or plans. These will need to be refreshed
and regenerated.

8. Use the Save Template button to save your import settings so that you can quickly re-import an
updated version of this database using the Open Template option (see step 2).

If a drillhole project was created by the import, select Drillholes>Project Setup to open the new
project and review the project settings.
See also
Modifying and deleting drillhole projects
LAS
MapInfo Discover can import LAS (Log ASCII Standard, see http://www.cwls.org/las/) version 1.2 and
2.0 format files into an existing Drillhole Project. This allows the visualization and analysis of well-log
information, such as generated by the oil-gas and water-well industries) with the MapInfo Discover
Drillholes module.
The MapInfo Discover LAS import and management tools are accessed from DISCOVER>External
Data>Import:
• LAS Viewer
• LAS Template Manager
• LAS Import
A Discover Drillhole Project must be open and loaded prior to using these tools.
LAS Viewer
Related tools: LAS Viewer
The LAS Viewer is used to manage the LAS file folder location and select LAS files from the LAS
file folder. To use, open the Drillhole Project and then select DRILLHOLES>External
Data>Import>LAS Viewer.

LAS Files
Folder
Displays the folder where the LAS files are located and need to be imported.
• Click Open Folder to navigate to the desired folder.
Files
Displays a list of LAS files in the selected folder.
• Select the LAS file you want to display.
• Click Notepad to open the selected LAS file in Notepad.
Display
Displays the various sections and mnemonics of the LAS file:
• Version ( ~V or VERSION INFORMATION SECTION)
• Well (~W or WELL INFORMATION SECTION)
• Curve (~C or CURVE INFORMATION SECTION)
• Parameter (~P or PARAMETER INFORMATION SECTION)

• Other (~O)
• ASCII (~A or ASCII LOG DATA)
Import Options
• Click Manage Templates to open the LAS Template Manager.
• Click Import LAS Files to open the LAS Import tool.
LAS Template Manager

Related tools: LAS Template Manager
Drillholes>External Data Formats > LAS Template Manager
The LAS Template Manager creates and manages templates, which are used for batch
importing LAS files into a MapInfo Discover Drillhole Project Downhole Table. Two types of
templates can be created: New or Append.
To use, open the Drillhole Project and then select DRILLHOLES>External Data>Import>LAS
Template Manager.
LAS Template Manager with Append option selected in the Template Folder Type box.

Template Folder
Template
Displays a list of available LAS template files.
Type
Displays the type of the selected template:
• New – creates a new downhole table based on the selected mnemonics and parameters.
• Append – appends data to an existing MapInfo Discover Drillhole downhole table based on
the selected mnemonics and parameters.
File
Displays the file selected to use as basis for the template.
• Click Open Folder to select the desired file.
(Tools)
• To create a new type New or type Append template, click Create. On the Create
Template dialog type the name of the template in the Name box, and then select the
type of template. Cick OK. The new template is added to the Template dropdown.
• To delete a template, select the template in the Template dropdown, and click Delete.
When prompted, click Yes to confirm.
• To set field aliases, import extra information stored in the LAS file, or control null
handling, click Configure. The Import Options dialog is displayed.
Import Options
(Opened with the Configure button)
Field Alias
To standardise the field naming convention in the MapInfo Discover Downhole table, field aliases
can be used. Using an alias will convert the mnemonic naming convention from the LAS file to the
alias name defined. Aliases can be defined for the mandatory fields Well ID, Depth From, and
Depth To.
Note: MapInfo Discover Drillhole Projects require consistent naming conventions for the Hole_ID, From
and To fields.

Optional Tables
LAS files contain both a Well and Parameter section containing additional information about the
drillhole and instrumentation. If you want this information imported into a MapInfo Pro table, select
the Well Table and Parameter Table options. These tables will not be included in the MapInfo
Discover Drillhole Project.
Null Handling
LAS files can contain null values. This option allows nulls to be controlled by file or globally:
• Source file – Use the null value defined in the NULL mnemonic. This is usually -999.250.
• Global – Use a global null value. This is useful if you are batch importing LAS files with a
variable null value. Type the value in the Null box.
Downhole Project
(Append type templates only)
Tables
Displays the downhole tables in the current MapInfo Discover Drillhole Project. Select a downhole
table to use in the construction of an Append type template.
• Click Refresh if any new tables have been added to the project since the LAS Import
tool was opened.
Mandatory Fields
Map the mnemonics from the LAS fields to the corresponding field in the MapInfo Discover Downhole
table:
• Well ID – The Hole_ID field, usually WELL, API or UWI.
• Depth From – The start depth of the downhole interval, usually DEPT.
• Depth To – The end depth of the downhole interval, usually DEPT.
Note: LAS files generally only have one interval mnemonic: the DEPT mnemonic is used for both the
Depth From and Depth To values.
Additional Fields
Select downhole data mnemonics in the LAS file to be included in the MapInfo Discover Downhole
table:
For type Append templates:
• LAS Fields – Lists all data mnemonic from the selected LAS file.
• Downhole Table Fields – Lists all fields from the selected MapInfo Discover downhole table.
Click to select the field that matches the mnemonic. Select <None> if appending a new field to the
downhole table.
For type New templates:
• Fields – Data mnemonic from LAS file
• Data Type – Define the data type for the output MapInfo Discover Drillhole table: Character or
Float.

• Width – Define the width for the output MapInfo Discover Drillhole table when the Data Type is
Character. Must be between 1 and 254.
• Required – Select or clear to include or exclude the mnemonic in the output MapInfo Discover
Drillhole table.
Click Save to create or save the template.
LAS Import
Related tools: LAS Import
The LAS Import tool is a component of the LAS Manager. The LAS Import tool adds and
appends new downhole data tables to an open MapInfo Discover drillhole project. It supports
version 1.2 and 2.0 LAS files.
To use, open the Drillhole Project and then select DRILLHOLES>External Data>Import>LAS
Import.
LAS Files
Displays all available LAS files. By default all LAS files are selected to import. The folder location is set
in the LAS Viewer.
• Holding down the CTRL or SHIFT key, select the files you want to import.
• Click Select All to select all files.
• Click Clear Selection to clear all selections.

LAS Template
Template
Select the template to use when importing the selected LAS Files.
• To modify or create a new template, click the LAS Template Manager button.
Template type
Displays the type (New or Append) of the selected the template.
Drillhole Project
Project Name
Displays the currently open MapInfo Discover Drillhole Project.
New Table Name
If importing LAS files with a type New template, the table name is displayed.
Append to Table
If importing LAS files with a type Append template, select a Downhole table from the current project
to append the LAS files.
(Tools)
• If new LAS files, templates or downhole tables have been added after the LAS Importer was
opened, click Refresh to display these files.
• After importing LAS files, if problems were encountered with importing any files, click Import
Error Log to view the log file.
All files and parameters have been selected in the Import LAS Files dialog, click OK to import the LAS
files.
WinLoG
Related tools: WinLoG Import
WinLoG is a well-logging application used in the environmental and hydrogeology fields.
MapInfo Discover can easily import a WinLoG database, converting the data into the necessary
MapInfo Pro tables required for a MapInfo Discover drillhole project, and optionally automatically
creating a drillhole project.
Before importing a WinLoG database, you need to know the following:
• The projection of the collar coordinates.
• Are all the wells/bores vertical, or does the database contain some inclined holes? WinLoG calls
these “deviated” boreholes.
• Which downhole data tables within the WinLoG database are to be used, and which fields in each
table are required. WinLoG stores data in a standard Access database (.MDB) structure,
regardless of what downhole data was input. Therefore every WinLoG database will have exactly
the same standard tables and table structure (e.g. Lithology, Geophysics_Data, Samples,
Water_Data, etc), even if these tables are empty.

To import data from a WinLoG database:

1. Select DRILLHOLES>External Data>Import>WinLog Import . The WinLoG Importer
dialog box is displayed.
2. Under Input WinLoG project database file, if you have previously imported this database and
saved the import settings as a template, click Open Template and select the template.
Otherwise, click the Open button and browse to the .MDB file to be imported.
If you have selected a template, review the table and field assignments on the Collar Settings,
Survey Settings, and Downhole Data Settings tabs, and then click OK to start the import.
Otherwise, for a new database import, follow the instructions below.
3. On the Collar Settings tab, under Collar table, click Projection and choose the projection that the
collar coordinates were recorded in.
4. Under Collar fields, review the field assignments.

5. If the database consists entirely of vertical holes or wells, you can skip the Survey Settings tab.
The WinLoG Importer will automatically create the necessary Dip and Azimuth fields required by
the MapInfo Discover Drillhole module and set these values at 90 and 0 degrees respectively.

If the database contains any inclined holes (WinLoG version 4 and later), on the Survey Settings
tab, under Borehole survey table, select Assign a separate downhole survey table for
angled holes. Tthe WinLoG DeviationSurvey table is automatically converted for use in MapInfo
Discover.
Note: WinLoG uses a dip of 0 degrees for vertical holes; these will be converted automatically to 90
degrees. Thus a WinLoG dip of 5.2 degrees will be converted to 84.8 degrees for use in MapInfo
Discover.
6. On the Downhole Data Settings tab, use the controls to move the required data table to the
Selected box.
When a table is selected, the Downhole Field Assignments Dialog Box is displayed, from which
you can assign the hole ID, depth fields, and data fields. Note that:
• For downhole depth measurements, assign the depth field in both the Top Depth (From) and
Bottom Depth (To) boxes. The importer will automatically create two separate output fields.
• Required fields, such as sample depths and borehole number, cannot be deselected.
To review and edit field assignments, double-click the table in the Selected box, or select the
table and click Set Field Mappings.
7. Under Output options, click the Save button and select the folder where the new MapInfo
Discover drillhole tables will be created.
8. To create a new MapInfo Discover drillhole project (recommended), select the Create Discover
project check box and type a project name in the adjacent box. To overwrite or refresh an
existing drillhole project, select the project name from the list and ensure that the output folder
specified in the Directory box matches that of the target project.
Note: Updating an existing project will not update any sections or plans. These will need to be refreshed
and regenerated.

9. Use the Save Template button to save your import settings so that you can quickly re-import an
updated version of this database using the Open Template option (see step 2).

If a drillhole project was created by the import, select Drillholes>Project Setup to open the new
project and review the project settings.
See also

8 - Working with tables
In this section
Opening and closing tables 97

Refreshing tables with database connections 100
Searching and replacing text in tables 102
Selecting records by attribute 103
Sorting tables 104
Changing the map bounds of a mappable table 105
Splitting tables 107
Digitizing and data entry 108
Adding unique identifiers to table records 135
Updating multiple columns 135
Working with multiple tables 137
Working with tables
Opening and closing tables

• Favourite tables
• Opening multiple tables
• Closing all tables
Favourite tables
Related tools: Favourite Tables
The DISCOVER>Manage>Favourites>Favourite Tables tool enables frequently used tables
to be added to a list where they can be opened and displayed quickly and easily. Instead of
having to use File>Open to open tables each time, tables located in different folders or on
different network drives can be opened from a single source. Favourite tables can also be assigned an
"alias" name to make it easier to determine the contents of the table in the list if desired.
Favourites Dialog Showing Tables List
To add a favourite table:

1. Select DISCOVER>Manage>Favourites>Favourite Tables.
2. Click the Add button.
3. Click File Open and browse to the location of the table to add.
4. Enter an alias name for the table into the Name window if desired.
5. Click OK.

Working with tables
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add another table to the list.

To open Favourite Tables:
1. Select Discover>Table Utilities>Favourite Tables.
2. To open a single table select it from the list and double-click with the mouse or
click Open Tables.
3. To select multiple tables click and drag with the mouse or hold down the SHIFT or CTRL keys.
4. Select a Preferred View from the following:
• New Mapper for All – Open the selected tables into a single map window
• New Mapper for Each – Open the selected tables into separate map windows
• Current Mapper – Open the selected tables into the current map window
• Browser – Open the selected tables as browser windows only
• No View – Open the selected tables but do not display them in a map or browser window
5. Click Open Tables.
Additional Options:
• To remove a table highlight it and click the Remove button.
• To edit a table name or location highlight it and click the Edit button.
• To re-order tables highlight the table in the list and click on the Up and Down arrow
buttons.
• Opening multiple tables
Opening multiple tables

Related tools: Multi-File Open
Open many tables at once from a number of different folders.
The DISCOVER>Import>Multi-File Open is extremely useful when working with many tables.
It is not uncommon for a user to want to open a number of tables from different folders and add
them to a new map window. Rather than using the MapInfo Pro HOME>File>Open Table menu
option once for each different folder containing the desired tables, the MapInfo Discover Multi-File
options enable a user to choose all the tables from the one dialog.

Working with tables
Open Multiple Tables dialog
Select the disk drive from the Look in drop-down list. Browse through the folders in the drive until a
desired folder is reached. Highlight the table(s) from the folder and click on the Add File button. The
selected tables will then be displayed in the Selected Files window. Choose the mode of display from
the Preferred View drop-down list. The available preferred views include opening all the selected
tables into the one map window, each table into a separate map window, into a currently open map
window, as browser windows or as no view. If all the tables to open are located within the one folder,
click Open when all tables have been selected.
If some of the tables exist in other folders (or on another disk drive), change to the appropriate drive
and folder. Select another table and use the Add File button to add this table to those already in the
Selected Files window.
To remove a table from the Selected Files list make sure it is highlighted and then click on the Remove
File button. When all the files to be used are selected, choose the Preferred View and click on the
Open button.
Closing all tables

Related tools: Close All
The MapInfo Pro HOME>File>Close Table or HOME>File>Close All commands enable all or
a selection of the currently open tables in the work session to be closed. In addition to closing
selected tables from the currently open table list the MapInfo Discover DISCOVER>File>Close
All command can also enable unused or query tables to be removed from the current work session.

Working with tables
Close All Dialog
Hold down the SHIFT key or click and drag holding down the left mouse button to select consecutive
tables from the list to close. Hold down the CTRL key to select non-consecutive tables.
Click the Unused button to close all tables which are open but not currently visible in a map or browser
window. This option should be used before saving a workspace to close any unused tables open in the
background. This should help to minimize problems with opening the workspace in the future if all
unnecessary tables are removed prior to saving the workspace.
Click the Query button to close all tables created from map or browser window selections including
queries created using the TABLE>Selection>Select or TABLE>Selection>SQL Select menu
options.
If the Save Queries in Workspaces option in the PRO>Options>Preferences>Startup dialog is
checked then any open query tables created using the TABLE>Selection>Select or
TABLE>Selection>SQL Select will be written to a saved workspace. Remove unwanted queries
using the MapInfo Discover Close All command before saving the workspace.
Refreshing tables with database connections

Related tools: Configure
Refresh On
Refresh Off
Refresh
Tables linked to a remote DBMS database, such as SQL, Oracle or Access, can be manually or
automatically refreshed at a specified time interval. This ensures that the most recent exploration or
mining data is being used at all times with MapInfo Pro. In order to use the DBMS refresh tools, a
remote database connection must be created and the database tables already open into MapInfo Pro.
See the MapInfo Pro User Guide for more information on how to set up and work with remote database
connections.
Note: If you have created a Live Access or Live Access with caching DBMS table, you do not need to
refresh the table.

Working with tables
The following DBMS refresh tools are available on the DISCOVER tab under Manage>Tables:
Use the Configure tool to setup automatic DBMS refresh.
Use the Refresh On tool to turn on automatic refresh.
Use the Refresh Off tool to turn off automatic refresh.
Use the Refresh tool to manually update DBMS connections between scheduled
updates.
Select DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Configure to display the Select Database Tables to Update

dialog:
All of the DBMS currently open tables are displayed along with the remote database connection details
including DSN name, database file path and driver information.
To configure, select the remote database tables to be updated automatically and then specify an
Update Interval Time in Minutes or Hours. Click OK to apply.
If a remote database table is closed during the automatic update, a warning message is displayed. To
prevent warning messages being displayed for closed tables, open the Configure dialog box and
remove the tables from the update list or turn off the automatic refresh altogether.

Working with tables
Searching and replacing text in tables

Related tools: Search and Replace
Search one or more columns in a table for a particular text string with the option to replace each
occurrence with a new string.
The search facility enables identification of selected records which contain specific words or
characters. For example, select all sample numbers that contain the letters "SS" or all surveys that
contain the word "Aeromagnetic". The text search may be case-sensitive but does not require that the
whole word is entered. MapInfo Discover will search selected fields for all records which contain the
characters and return all records regardless of the other characters in the string.
To start a search, select the QUERY>Text>Search and Replace tool and select the table to search
from the Select a Table dialog. The Text Search dialog is displayed.
Text Search dialog
Select the columns to search from the list. Click and drag holding the left-mouse button to select
consecutive search columns or use the SHIFT key. Use the CTRL key to select non-consecutive search
columns from the list.
Choose the type of search from Find text only or Find and replace selected text or whole string. All
searches can be designated to find records according to case by checking the Case sensitive search
box. To view the selected records check the Browse selection box. If this box is not checked a dialog
will appear with information relating to how many records are found and/or replaced with the selected
text.
Enter the entire text string or selected text characters from the search text string in the Find window.
In the above example, MapInfo Discover will search for all occurrences of the text "Riversleigh" in the
Unitname field. The returned search records can also be replaced with new text if desired. Although
the above search is performed on a character column, searches can also be made on numeric fields
whereby MapInfo Discover will search and/or replace the selected numerical data.
If a Find and replace text search has been selected enter the replacement text in the Replace with
window. For example, find all occurrences of “North” in the selected field and replace with “Nth”.
Depending on the Find and Replace option selected, records which only contain the text “North” may
be replaced or all records which contain the text “North” along with other text may be replaced.

Working with tables
The search result is held in a temporary table which is named according to the search text specified.
In the above example, a temporary table called “Riversleigh” is created.
Selecting records by attribute

Related tools: Select by Attribute
Use the QUERY>Text>Select by Attribute tool to easily select records from an automatically
created list of unique attributes for a selected column via an automatically created list of unique
attributes in the selected column.
Select by Attribute dialog
Use this option to quickly see a list of all the unique entries in a selected column. For example, visualize
a list could easily be created of all the rock types logged in a drillhole downhole lithology table. The
user could then choose just the units of interest (e.g. QV and Fault) and create a query of all intercepts
with these lithologies.
To use the tool, choose the source table from the Table to Select From pull-down list. Select the
attribute column from the Selected based on field pull-down list. A complete list of unique data entries
for the selected column is displayed in the Groups window.

Working with tables
The unique field attributes will initially populate the Unselected pane. Move the required
attributes to the Selected pane using the selection buttons. To select consecutive attributes
hold the left-mouse button and drag or use the SHIFT key in combination with the mouse
control. To select non-consecutive attributes use the CTRL key in combination with the mouse
control.
A number of options are provided for displaying the output query:
• Browse selection displays the selected records in a browser window.
• Map Selection displays the selected records in a new map window.
• Zoom map to selection will zoom to the extents of the selected records in the current map
window.
The output query can be given a unique name by entering a value into the Selection Result Table text
box.
Click OK to complete the query.
Sorting tables
Related tools: Table Sort
Use the QUERY>Text>Table Sort tool to sort an original table permanently based on either a
primary column or a primary and secondary column, in the one step.
In the Table Sort dialog select the table to sort from the Table Name list. Select the primary column
to sort the table from the Primary Column Name drop-down list. Select the Ascending or Descending
option to sort the records in ascending or descending order. If required, a secondary sort column may
be selected from the Secondary Column Name drop-down list. Click OK to sort the table.
Note: Alphanumeric columns are sorted in character order, i.e. “A11” is greater than “A100”, but “A011”
is less than “A100”.

Working with tables
Sort Table dialog
By default, the selected table is sorted by the first column, with no secondary sort column.
A new table can be created which will make a copy of the original table before sorting. This will have
a default name of the input table with “_Sorted” suffixed...
Note: This operation cannot be undone.
If you wish to add a row number prior to sorting, so that the original table order can be retrieved by
sorting on this column, you can use MODIFY>Update>Unique Identifier.
Changing the map bounds of a mappable table

Related tools: Modify Bounds
Use the DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Modify Bounds tool to adjust the map bounds of a
mappable table. The map bounds of a mappable table may need to be modified under the
following circumstances:
• New map objects are to be added that are located beyond the bounds of the existing non-earth
map table.
• Map objects digitized from a raster layer and then saved may have restricted map bounds that
prevent the addition of new map objects into the layer
• Loss of data precision resulting from map bound extents that are set too large for a non-earth
map table. Restricting the bounds can help to improve the data precision.

Working with tables
Alter Map Bounds dialog
Select DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Modify Bounds and choose the table to modify the map
bounds. In the Alter Map Bounds dialog the Table Name, CoordSys, Current Map Bounds and the
Current Data Limits for the selected table are displayed. The New Map Bounds Minimum and
Maximum X and Y coordinates are automatically populated with the values calculated for the Current
Data Limits. The Current Data Limits encompass all of the map objects currently in the table.
If the Current Data Limits are not acceptable, enter new map bound coordinates into the Minimum
and Maximum X and Y windows. Click OK to alter the map bounds.
Note: When using this option, data outside the specified boundary is deleted from the table file and
cannot be recovered.

Working with tables
Splitting tables
Related tools: Split by Attribute
Use the Split Table tool to split a table into multiple tables using unique attribute values in a
field. For example, create separate tables for different geological units covering a project area
from a master table, extract tenement data by holder or split out open file geochemical data by
company.
Table Split dialog
Select the source table from the Table to Split pull-down list. Select the attribute field (e.g.
company_name or lithology) from the Split based on field pull-down list. The number of unique entries
or groups in the selected field will be indicated. If there are spelling mistakes or different entries for the
same attribute in a field these will be treated as unique and separate tables will be created for each.
A table can be split by two methods;
• Auto – A new table will be automatically created for every unique attribute in the selected field.
• Custom – The user can individually select which attributes are to be split or combine individual
attributes into Groups for splitting. A combination of individual and grouped attributes can also be
chosen. Multiple attributes grouped together will form a single output table.

Working with tables
In Custom mode, the unique field attributes will initially populate the Selected pane. To select
and deselect items use the selection buttons. To split a table using a limited number of
individual attributes, click None to deselect all attributes, then migrate each required attribute
separately to the Selected pane using the Select button. This process must be repeated for
each required attribute. If most (but not all) of the unique attributes in the source table are
required in separate tables, change from Auto to Custom mode, and just deselect the
unrequired attributes from the Selected list.
To Group a series of attributes (into a single output table), first deselect all the attributes (None). Then
in the Unselected list, hold the left-mouse button and drag or use the SHIFT key in conjunction with the
mouse control. To select non-consecutive attributes use the CTRL key in conjunction with the mouse
control.
When the attributes have been selected for grouping, press the Select button to create the split group.
The Group Properties dialog will open listing the Group members. The Group Name can be modified
if required.
Table Split Group Properties dialog
The default output table name for the newly created tables uses the original table name with the
unique attribute or group name extension. To change the default output name, click on the Save
button. The {GROUP} placeholder must be part of the output table name. As MapInfo Pro truncates
table names longer than 30 characters when they are displayed in MapInfo Pro it is recommended to
try and keep output table names as short as possible.
Digitizing and data entry

The MapInfo Discover digitizing and data entry tools are designed to streamline the entry of table data
and creation of digitized map objects. Attribute data in a column can be incremented automatically,
validated, or selected from a look-up table. Customized styles can also be applied to objects as they
are created.
The following tools can be found on the DISCOVER tab under Data Entry:
Picklist Manager
Use this tool to manage picklists by either modifying existing picklists or creating new picklists
by importing from external files or creating a brand new picklist. For information about how to
use this tool, see Creating and managing picklists.

Working with tables
Apply Style
Use this tool to apply a single picklist style to either selected map objects or to newly created
map objects. For information about how to use this tool, see Applying a single style from a
picklist.
Apply Picklist
Use this tool to apply multiple selected picklist styles to map objects in a table either permanently
or as a thematic map. For information about how to use this tool, see Applying multiple styles
from a picklist.
Apply Structural Symbols
Use this tool to apply structural symbols to a point dataset. For information about how to use this
tool, see Applying structural styles from a picklist.
Note: The Structural Symbols tool can also be found under ANALYSIS>Display.
Setup Table
Configure tables with validation rules and defaults for data entry. For information about how to
use this tool, see Configure table for data entry.
Enter Data
Digitize spatial or enter non-spatial validated data with attributes. For information about how to
use this tool, see Enter or digitize table data and map objects.
Single Record Entry
Digitize spatial or enter non-spatial validated data with attributes record by record. For
information about how to use this tool, see Enter or digitize table data and map objects.
Creating and managing picklists

Related tools: Picklist Manager
Object styles are managed with the Picklist Manager. Use the DISCOVER>Data
Entry>Setup>Picklist Manager to create map object and textural validation lists used for the
creation of new map objects and applying map styles and attributes to selected map objects.

Working with tables
On the Picklist Manager, an existing picklist can be selected from the Picklists box. Click the
Configure dropdown to manage the selected picklist or create a new picklist.
Note: Structural picklists have limited modification options. See Structural picklists for details.
The Styles box displays the styles and information available in the selected picklist. The following tools
are provided to create and manage picklist entries:
Add New Style Create a new picklist entry.
Delete Selected Style Delete the selected picklist entry.
Rename Style Rename the selected picklist entry.
Edit Style Edit the selected picklist entry.

Working with tables
Move Item Up/Down Moves the selected picklist entry up and down.
To create a new picklist:

1. On the Picklist Manager, under Picklists, click the Configure button and select the Create
new picklist option. The Create Picklist dialog is displayed.
2. Type the Picklist Name and Picklist Description (optional).

3. Select the type of picklist: Point Objects, Line Objects, Polygon Objects, No Objects, or Structure
Symbols.
You can also create a picklist from an existing picklist and then modify it by checking the Create
from existing picklist option and selecting the appropriate picklist.
Note: If you need to shorten or modify a structural picklist, use this option to create a copy, and then
customize the new copy. See Structural picklists for more information.
4. Click OK to create a blank picklist.
5. Under the Styles box, click the Add New Style button.
6. The MapInfo style dialog is displayed, from which you can define a style for the selected
object type. Click OK and type in a description for the new style (e.g. Shale) into the New Style
Description dialog. Click OK.
7. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you have defined all the required styles in this list.
8. Use the other controls below the Styles box to Delete, Rename, Edit, and order entries in the
picklist.

Working with tables
9. Click the Save button.

To create a picklist from an existing dataset:
1. On the Picklist Manager, under Picklists, click the Configure button and select the Import
picklist option. The Import Picklist dialog is displayed.
2. Choose a File Type:

• Colour Map – Imports a colourmap created in the legacy ColourMap tool in older versions of
MapInfo Discover (superseded by the Data Entry tools).
• GeoStyles – Imports files from the legacy Styles Library tool (superseded by the Picklist
Manager).
• Legend – Import legend files from the Drillholes>Legend Editor tool.
• MapInfo Professional – Import patterns and textural information from a MapInfo Pro TAB
file.
• Mobile Picklist – Import textural information from a Discover Mobile picklist file.
• Mobile Style – Import style information from a Discover Mobile picklist file.
• Thematic Map Layer – Import patterns and textural information from a MapInfo Pro
Thematic Map layer.
3. Click OK and select the file to be imported. If the file contains multiple object types, these will be
separated into several picklist files.
picklist.
To append a picklist onto another picklist:
1. On the Picklist Manager, under Picklists, click the Configure button and select the
Append Picklist option. The Append Picklist dialog is displayed.

Working with tables
2. Select a picklist in the Append Picklist and To Picklist combo boxes. The picklists must have
the same object type.
Note: Only picklists of the same object type can be appended, i.e. you cannot append a Line Objects
picklist to a Polygon Objects picklist.
3. Click OK to append.
picklist.
To delete a picklist:
1. On the Picklist Manager, click the Picklists box and select the picklist you want to delete.
2. Click the Configure button and select the Delete existing picklist option.
3. A warning message will appears asking if you want to delete the selected picklist, click OK button
to delete the picklist.
Note: See Structural picklists for how to recover a deleted default structural picklist.
To rename a picklist and description:

1. On the Picklist Manager, click the Picklists box and select the picklist you want to rename.
2. Click the Configure button and select the Rename picklist and description option. The
Rename Picklist dialog is displayed.
3. Modify the Picklist Name and Picklist Description text boxes as required, click OK to commit the
change.

Working with tables
To modify an existing picklist:

1. On the Picklist Manager, click the Picklists box and select the picklist you want to edit.
2. The picklist entries are displayed in the Styles box. Use the tools under the Styles box to perform
the following editing tasks:
• To add a new entry, click Add. The MapInfo style dialog is displayed, from which you
can define a new entry. Click OK and type in a description for the new entry (e.g. Shale).
Click OK.
• To delete an entry, select the entry in the Styles box and click Delete.
• To rename an entry, select the entry in the Styles box and click Options.
• To add/remove an entry to a group, select the entry in the Styles box and click Options.
• To add/remove an entry comment, select the entry in the Styles box and click Options.
Note: Entries can be added to a group to streamline the data entry process when using the Data
Entry tools.
• To edit an entry, select the entry in the Styles box and click Edit. The MapInfo style
dialog is displayed, from which you can edit the entry. Click OK.
• To reorder entries in the Styles box, select the entry you want to move and use the Move Up
and Move Down buttons to reposition.
3. Click the Save button to save your changes.
To export an existing pickist:
1. On the Picklist Manager, under Picklists, click Configure and select the Export Picklist option.
The Export Picklist dialog is displayed.
2. Choose from the available File Types:

• Legend – Export to legend files to be used in the Drillholes>Legend Editor tool.
• Mobile Picklist – Export textural information to a Discover Mobile picklist file.
• Mobile Style – Export style information to a Discover Mobile style file.
3. Click OK.

Working with tables
4. Select the required options on the File Export dialog and click OK to export.
Structural picklists
Discover provides three default structural picklists:
• ET Structure - Australia
• ET Structure - Canada
• ET Structure - USA
Only limited modifications can be applied to structural picklists, due to their intrinsic reliance on
Discover structure codes, Dip and plunge angles, and the resulting display of Oriented structural
symbols. Because of these restrictions, the following modifications cannot be applied to a Structural
Picklist:
• Add new style
• Symbol Style modified (except colour and size)
It is strongly recommended to always first create a copy of one of the default structural picklists (ET
Structure – Australia, Canada or USA) provided by Discover using Create a new picklist, and then
modify the copy. This is particularly useful if you need to create a short picklist of only commonly used
structural types in your area.
If one of the default structural picklists is inadvertently modified (e.g. multiple rows or structural types
deleted), these default picklists can be recovered from the Discover Picklists folder.
To restore a backup of the default structural picklists:
1. Close the Picklist Manager.
2. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the C:\ProgramData\Encom\Discover\Picklists folder. This
folder contains backup copies of the various ET Structure picklists in .XML format.
3. Copy the required picklist:
s_ET_Structural.xml (Australia)
s_ET_Structural_Canada.xml (Canada)
s_ET_Structural_USA.xml (USA)
4. Navigate to the C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Discover\Picklists folder,
and paste in the picklist copied above, overwriting the existing picklist of the same name in this
location.
5. Restart the Picklist Manager.
Applying a single style from a picklist

Related tools: Apply Style
A single picklist style can be applied to one or more selected map objects or applied when
creating new map objects. When applying the style, an optional Code can be entered into a
defined table field. If no table field is defined, the style of the selected style will be applied to the
map objects.

Working with tables
To apply a single style to one or more selected map objects:

1. Select DISCOVER>Data Entry>Apply>Apply Style to open the Apply Style dialog.
2. Select the map object(s) in the Mapper window or Browser window.

3. In the Picklists box, select the picklist.
4. In the Styles box, select the style you want to apply.
5. Click Apply.
To apply style description to objects:
2. Select the map object(s) in the Mapper window or Browser window.
5. Select the Insert style description check box.
6. Select the table you want to apply the style description.

Working with tables
7. Select the table column you want to apply the style description.
8. Click Apply.
To apply a style when digitizing objects:
Note: When setting a style for digitising, ensure that no map objects are selected. If an object is selected,
the style will be applied to that object.
4. Click Apply.
5. The selected style will be applied to any new objects.
Note: If you wish to insert the style description text in the new object record, select the Insert style
description check box and populate the table and column dropdown boxes.
Applying multiple styles from a picklist

Related tools: Apply Picklist
Use the Apply Picklist tool to apply styles from multiple picklist entries. This tool allows for all
or selected picklist entries to update the defined MapInfo Pro table.
To apply multiple styles permanently to a table:
1. Select DISCOVER>Data Entry>Apply>Apply Style to open the Apply Picklist dialog.

Working with tables

Note: By default all styles are selected, if you wish to apply certain styles select those styles.
4. In the Style Table Options box select Source Table.
5. Select the Table you wish to update the object style.
6. Select the table Column that contains the matching Code descriptions.
Note: The Source Table is the MapInfo Pro table you want to permanently update the object styles in.
The Apply Picklist tool works by matching the exact values in the Code field of the picklist to the
values in the defined MapInfo Pro table.
7. Click Apply.

Working with tables
To apply multiple styles to a table as a Thematic Map:

1. Select DISCOVER>Data Entry>Apply>Apply Style to open the Apply Picklist dialog.

Note: By default all styles are selected, if you wish to apply certain styles select those styles.
4. In the Style Table Options box select Thematic Map.
5. Select the Table you wish to update the Thematic object style.
6. Select the table Column that contains the matching Code descriptions.
Note: The Thematic Map option creates a new Thematic layer for the defined MapInfo Pro table. The
Apply Picklist tool works by matching the exact values in the Code field of the picklist to the values
in the defined MapInfo Pro table.
7. Click Apply.
Note: Individual Thematic map styles are the only type currently supported by this tool.

Working with tables
Applying structural styles from a picklist

Related tools: Structural Symbols
For information on customising and managing structural picklists, see Structural picklists.
This functionality requires a field in the source dataset pre-populated with the relevant Discover
Structural Codes, Dip Direction and Dip/Plunge fields (see Working with structural data).
To apply multiple styles permanently to a table:
1. Select DISCOVER>Data Entry>Capture>Structural Symbols to open the Apply Structural
Symbols dialog.
Note: This tool can also be found under ANALYSIS>Display.
2. In the Picklists box, select the structural picklist.

3. In the Styles box, select the styles you want to apply.
Note: By default all styles are selected, if you wish to apply certain styles, select those styles.
4. In the Style Structural Options box select the Table you want to update the structural styles.
5. Select the Dip Direction, Dip and Discover Code fields (see Working with structural data).

Working with tables
6. If dip labels are required for the structural symbols click the Label Options button to open the
Structure Text Labels dialog.
Text label options:

• No Labels – Default state, no dip/plunge labels displayed.
• MapInfo Auto labels – Dip/plunge labels created as MapInfo Pro custom auto labels within
the structure table.
• Cosmetic Text Labels – Dip/plunge labels created on the Map Window Cosmetic Layer in
the Map Window.
• Show labels at 0 and 90 – Display dip labels at 0 and 90 degree angles; by default, this
option is not enabled.
Click OK after selecting the label options.
7. Click Apply to change the point objects into rotated structure symbols.
Configure table for data entry

Related tools: Setup Table
Use the DISCOVER>Data Entry>Setup>Setup Table tool to configure any MapInfo Pro TAB
file with validation rules for data entry using the MapInfo Discover Enter Data or Single Record
Entry tools (see Enter or digitize table data and map objects). The tables can be either
mappable or non-mappable. Because the validation settings are stored in the TAB file metadata, no
auxiliary files are required. This has the advantage of the validation settings being easily transported
with the table. TAB files linked to images, grids and read-only files such as Excel spreadsheets cannot
be used with this tool.
To configure rules for validating table data:
1. Select DISCOVER>Data Entry>Setup>Setup Table. The Select Tables dialog is displayed.

Working with tables
2. All open vector and non-mappable tables are listed in the Select Tables dialog box. Select a
table. Only one table can be configured at a time. To open a different table, Click the Open button
and select the TAB file you want to open in MapInfo Pro. The table type and validation status is
indicated by the following icons:
Mappable vector table with validation
Mappable vector table without validation
Mappable vector read-only table
Non-mappable table with validation
Non-mappable table without validation
Non-mappable read-only table
3. Click OK to load the selected table in the Setup Digitizing Table dialog box. The table name,
projection and location are displayed under Table Options. The Table Fields box is populated
with the table fields as rows and field properties as columns in a spreadsheet-like grid. The table
validation columns are initially blank.
Note: Validation settings that are applicable to each field are shaded blue. For example, you can only
select a look-up table (of text values) for a text field (type Char). Similarly, minimum and maximum
numerical values can only be set for numerical fields (type Integer, SmallInt, Float, and Decimal).
4. Make the validation settings for each field or as required. To clear a selection in the Setup
Digitizing Table, right-click in the cell and select Clear Value. For more information about
individual validation columns, see Table Validation Options.

Working with tables
Setup Digitizing Tables dialog showing validation settings for each table field
Table Validation Options

Validation options available from the Setup Table tool depend on the field type.
Option Description
Name Name of the MapInfo Pro field.
Type MapInfo Pro field type and width where applicable.

Working with tables
Option Description
Parameter Defines the field for automatic data insertion. The options available are:
• MapX table projection centroid X/Easting/Longitude value. Automatically
inserts the object centroid value into a numeric field type with the table
projection.
• MapY table projection centroid Y/Northing/Latitude value. Automatically inserts
the object centroid value into a numeric field type with the table projection
• RepeatValue repeats previous record cell value in new record.
• CurrentDate inserts the current date.
• CurrentTime inserts the current time.
• CurrentDateTime inserts the current date and time.
• Dip (used for structure symbols) the field that contains the dip (see Dip and
plunge angles).
• DipDirection (used for structure symbols) the field that contains the dip
direction.
• DiscoverCode (used for structure symbols) the field that contains the Discover
Code (see Discover structure codes).
Visible Option shows and hides fields. By default, fields are visible. Fields that have
validation options defined cannot be hidden.
Lookup Table Select a picklist to use as the validation list for that field. The default location of
picklists is:
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\
Encom\Discover\Picklists
Exclusive This option is dependent on a Lookup Table picklist being selected. By default,
Exclusive is enabled. When selected, only values contained in the picklist can be
selected when entering data. When cleared, all values in the picklist selected or
freehand text can be entered.
Optional This option allows the user to make the entry of data into the field optional or
mandatory. By default, Optional is enabled. When selected, data is not required in
the field, including if a picklist has been defined. When cleared, data must be
entered into the field regardless of whether a picklist is defined for a field or not.
Default value Default value of field in new records:
• If text field and Lookup Table option is selected, click to select a default value
from the picklist. Otherwise, type a value.
• If a date or time field, pick the default date/time.
• If a numerical field, type a value.
Map Style This option is dependent on a Lookup Table picklist being selected. If Map Style is
selected when a map object is digitised into a Map Window, the style attributes for
the picklist entry selected will be used by the new object. To easily determine which
field has the Map Style applied, the name of the field in the Data Entry and Single
Record Entry tools is bolded.

Working with tables
Option Description
Increment Increments a numerical field or a character field containing numbers by a fixed
value.
Min Numeric Minimum numerical value.
Max Numeric Maximum numerical value.
Min Date Minimum date value.
Max Date Maximum date value.
Min Date Time Minimum date/time value.
Max Date Time Maximum date/time value.
Min Time Minimum time value.
Max Time Maximum time value.
Note: To clear a selection in the Setup Digitizing Table, right-click in the cell and select Clear Value. If
desired, multiple cells can be highlighted and cleared.
Enter or digitize table data and map objects

Two methods are provided for entering data into a MapInfo Pro table:
• Data Entry – displays the table as a multi-record browser, allowing the entry via a data grid
(see Multiple record data entry).
• Single Record Entry – displays each record in a table individually, allowing the entry of
data one record at a time (see Single record data entry).
Data can be entered into standard MapInfo Pro TAB files (without validation) or TAB files with validation
settings created with the select DISCOVER>Data Entry>Setup>Setup Table. tool (see Configure
table for data entry).
Data can only be entered in existing TAB files: the Data Entry tool does not create MapInfo tables nor
alter their structure.
Tables can be either mappable or non-mappable. When opening a table an icon is displayed to indicate
the validation status of the table:
Mappable vector table with validation
Mappable vector table without validation
Mappable vector read-only table
Non-mappable table with validation
Non-mappable table without validation
Non-mappable read-only table

Working with tables
Multiple record data entry

Related tools: Enter Data
To enter non-mappable data with the Data Entry tool:
1. Select DISCOVER>Data Entry>Data Entry.
2. All open tables are listed in the Select Tables dialog box. Select a table. To open another
table, Click the Open button and select the TAB file you want to open in MapInfo Pro.
3. Click OK to load the selected table in the Data Entry tool. The table names are displayed on the
tabs at the top of the data sheet. The number of records and the current selected record are
displayed on the navigation bar at the bottom of the dialog box.
Note: If multiple tables are open, a tab is displayed for each table. The order of the tabs displayed can
be modified by dragging the tab left or right.
4. Use these tools to open another table or view table information:
• Open another table for data entry.
• Close selected table.
• View information about the open table such as Name, Path and Projection.
• View all tables loaded or display hidden tables in Data Entry.
5. Use the navigation bar or keyboard arrow keys to move up and down the table records and
left and right between columns. You can then:
• Edit values. Use the TAB and right/left arrow keys to move between cells. Use the navigation
bar and up/down arrow keys to move between records. Click a cell to edit. If a picklist is
defined in the validation settings, select from the valid picklist values. Values are validated on
entry.

Working with tables
• Clear values. Right-click in the cell and select Clear Value or click in the cell and press DEL.
• Add a new record (to the end of the table). If validation settings have been set
up for this table, some columns will be populated by the increments or
defaults defined for that field.
• Use the TAB and arrow keys to move between cells. Type values in fields as required. If a
picklist is defined in the validation settings, click the cell and select from the valid picklist
values. New and edited values are validated on entry.
• This tool can only be used with non-mappable tables. To enter a new record into a mappable
table, create a new object in the map window.
• Delete selected records. Click, CTRL+click, or SHIFT+click to select the
required records.
• Click once to display only records that fail the validation rules. Click again to display
all records, including those that have failed a validation check.
• Run a validation scan across the entire table. If validation issues are detected, a
red icon is displayed next to the records that failed the validation check.
• Click to display on-screen-keyboard.
• Click to hide or show hidden fields.

6. Click Save to save your changes to the current table.
Note: All validation errors must be resolved before the table can be saved. The Data Entry tool cannot
be closed when there are unresolved errors.
Enter Data dialog showing entry of data in a non-mappable table

Working with tables
To digitize mappable objects with the Data Entry tool:

5. Make the table you want to enter into editable.
6. Digitize a map object using the tools on the MapInfo Pro SPATIAL>Page>Insert menu.
Note: You cannot enter a new browser record using the Data Entry tool for a mappable table. To create
a new record you must digitize a new map object in the map window.
7. Use the navigation bar or keyboard arrow keys to move up and down the table records and left
and right between columns. You can then:

Working with tables
• Edit values. Use the TAB key and right/left arrow keys to move between cells. Use the
navigation bar and up/down arrow keys to move between records. Click a cell to edit. If a
picklist is defined in the validation settings, select from the valid picklist values. Values are
validated on entry.
• Delete selected records. In the left-most column, click, CTRL+click, or
SHIFT+click to select the required records.
• Toggle editability of selected table (MapInfo Pro function).

Note: The Data Entry tool supports the selection of singular map and browser records and
objects. Multiple record or object selections are not supported.
8. Click the Save button to save your changes to the current table. All validation errors must be
resolved before the table can be saved and the Data Entry tool can be closed.
Enter Data dialog showing entry of data in a mappable table
To digitize point structure symbols with the Data Entry tool:


Working with tables
6. Make the table you want to enter into editable.
7. Digitize a point using the tools on the MapInfo Pro SPATIAL>Page>Insert menu.
Note: Only point map object are supported when digitising structure symbols.
Note: You cannot enter a new browser record using the Data Entry tool for a mappable table. To create
a new record you must digitize a new map object in the map window.
8. Use the navigation bar or keyboard arrow keys to move up and down the table records and left
and right between columns. You can then:
• Edit values. Use the TAB key and right/left arrow keys to move between cells. Use the
navigation bar and up/down arrow keys to move between records. Click a cell to edit. If a
picklist is defined in the validation settings, select from the valid picklist values. Values are
validated on entry.

Working with tables
• Delete selected records. In the left-most column, click, CTRL+click, or
SHIFT+click to select the required records.
• Label structural symbol options for digitizing structure points.
• Toggle editability of selected table (MapInfo Pro function).

Note: Because the structure symbols are drawn dynamically, the strike of a structure can be
easily aligned with a feature on an existing map.
Note: The Data Entry tool supports the selection of singular map and browser records and objects.
Multiple record or object selections are not supported.
9. To digitize rotated structural symbols the table must be set up correctly in the Setup Table tool.
The table must be mappable and have three numeric fields with the following parameters: Dip,
DipDirection and DiscoverCode (see Working with structural data). There must also be a
character field defining one of the structural picklists, and the Exclusive and Map Style options
must be enabled.

Working with tables
Structural table setup
10. Click the Save button to save your changes to the current table. All validation errors must be
resolved before the table can be saved and the Data Entry tool can be closed.
Enter Data dialog showing entry of data in a structural table

Working with tables
Single record data entry

Related tools: Record Entry
Note: The Record Entry tool can be docked into the active MapInfo Pro session window. To dock or
undock, click on the top of the dialog and drag into the preferred location.
To enter non-mappable data with the Record Entry tool:

1. Select DISCOVER>Data Entry>Record Entry.
2. Select a table from the list of open tables in the Table dropdown box.
3. Located at the bottom of the dialog are the following options:
Add a new record
Delete the current record
Save the table edits
Temporarily hide fields or display hidden fields and select the fields
you wish to view
Sync the table you are editing in the Single Record Entry tool and the
table in MapInfo Pro. This can occur if you edit the structure of the
table while the Single Record Entry tool is open.
Note: If validation issues are detected, the cell record is outlined in red.
4. Once all the data has been entered click the Save button to save your changes to the
current table.

Working with tables
To enter mappable data with the Single Record Entry tool:

Note: You cannot enter a new record using the Single Record Entry tool for a mappable table. To create
a new record you must digitize a new map object in the map window
1. Select DISCOVER>Data Entry>Record Entry.
2. Select a table from the list of open tables in the Table dropdown box.
3. Located at the bottom of the dialog are the following options:
Add a new record
Delete the current record
Save the table edits
Temporarily hide fields or display hidden fields and select the fields
you wish to view
Sync the table you are editing in the Single Record Entry tool and the
table in MapInfo Pro. This can occur if you edit the structure of the
table while the Single Record Entry tool is open.
Note: If validation issues are detected, the cell record is outlined in red.
4. Once all the data has been entered click the Save button to save your changes to the
current table.

Working with tables
Adding unique identifiers to table records

Related tools: Unique Identifier
Use the MODIFY>Update>Unique Identifier tool to add an incrementing numeric code, with
optional alphabetic prefixes/suffixes, to a table based on the row number.
This can be used to generate a unique “sample ID” to a table if this does not exist or is in an invalid
format for sorting. To add a unique ID to each row in a table:
1. Select MODIFY>Update>Unique Identifier.
2. Select the Input Table.
3. Enter a Start Number and Increment Value (e.g. 434, 435, 436, etc).
4. Optionally specify a Prefix and/or Suffix (e.g. pictured example adds a 'GHRC' hole refix to the
numeric value): the resulting code will therefore be an alphanumeric code.
5. Either add a New Field (and specify its position) or use an Existing Field for the output UID. For
new fields, the field type will automatically be assigned depending on the UID format. For existing
fields, only field types compatible with the UID formatting defined will be able to be selected.
6. Click OK to populate the table.
Updating multiple columns

Related tools: Mulit-Column Update
Use the MODIFY>Update>Multi-Column Update tool to update columns in one table with data
from columns in another table where there is a common join such as sample number or drillhole
name between the two tables. MapInfo Discover can update up to 30 columns at the one time
so long as the columns already exist in the table to update. Only the records which match the join
criteria are upated and any other unmatched records in the table retain their original values. This
enables subsets of data to be easily updated.
For example:
• Update surface sample table with assay data
• Update drillhole collars with survey data

Working with tables
Multiple Column Update dialog
To update multiple columns:

1. Check that the table to update contains columns to store the new values. If the columns do
not already exist in the table, create them using DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Structure
Manager.
2. Open the table to update in MapInfo Pro.
3. Open the table to update the values from into MapInfo Pro.
4. Select MODIFY>Update>Multi-Column Update.
5. Select the table to Update values in from the pull-down list.
6. Select the table to Get values from in the pull-down list.
7. Select the column in the table to update pull-down list and select the matching join column in the
from value table pull-down list.
8. Under Field Mapping select the first column in the Update From pull-down list.
9. Select the corresponding column in the table to update from the Update To pull-down list.
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 to match all columns to update from and to in each table.
11. Click OK to update columns.
Note: If the column name in Update To matches the column name in Update From simply select the
next Update From column to automatically display the matching Update From column.

Working with tables
Additional options:
• To save or load a set of Field Mappings, use the save/load buttons. This will save/load
the mappings based on the field names but not types. If not all saved fields exist when
loading a mapping, a summary report will be provided detailing which fields do not exist or are
invalid.
• To remove an entry under Field Mapping, select a cell in the row and click the Delete
button.
• Check the Allow Undo option to enable updates to a table to be undone using
TABLE>Selection>Revert Table. This will return the data in the table to the last
time it was saved.
• If a table is in non-native format, the join fields are not indexed or the datatypes are different
between the update from and to columns the Alert button is displayed. Place the cursor
over the button to view message. See Troubleshooting for more information.
Troubleshooting:
• To reduce processing time make sure table to update from is in native MapInfo Pro format instead
of linked to an Excel or Text file.
• To reduce processing time index the join column in each table, use
TABLE>Content>Table>Modify Structure.
• To avoid data loss, ensure columns in the table to update are the same datatype as the columns
in the update table. Eg. Character, Float, Date, etc. To compare and modify tables. use
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Structure Manager.
Working with multiple tables

• Opening and closing multiple tables
• Packing multiple tables
• Appending multiple tables
• Importing multiple MID/MIF files
• Exporting multiple MID/MIF files
• Reprojecting multiple tables
• Multi-table, multi-field editing
Opening and closing multiple tables

See Opening and closing tables.

Working with tables
Packing multiple tables

Related tools: Multi-Pack
Use Discover>Table Utilities>Multi-Pack to pack multiple tables. Select the tables to pack
from the available open tables list. Choose to pack only the tabular component of the table, the
graphical component of the table or both tabular and graphical table components. Click OK to
pack the selected tables.
Multiple table selection for packing tables
Appending multiple tables

Related tools: Multi-Append
Use the MODIFY>Update>Multi-Append tool to append multiple tables to another table. Select
the table to append to from the available Open Tables list. Select the table to append the other
tables to from the Append to Table pull-down list. Choose the order in which the tables are to
be appended. Use the arrow keys to re-order if necessary. Click OK to append the selected tables.

Working with tables
Note: With the Multi-Append tool, all tables selected must have the same number of columns. If the
tables have the same number of columns but do not have the same structure then data conversion
errors (such as when character values are read into a numeric column) may occur during the
appending process.
Importing multiple MID/MIF files

Related tools: Multi-MIF Import
Use the DISCOVER>File>Import>Multi-MIF Import tool to import multiple MID and MIF files
into MapInfo Pro.
Select a directory to store the new MapInfo Pro files created from the imported MID/MIF files. Follow
the same procedures for Opening multiple tables regarding selecting folders and files to add to the
Selected Files window, choosing the Preferred View, and removing files from the list.
Exporting multiple MID/MIF files

Related tools: Multi-MIF Export
Use the DISCOVER>File>Export>Multi-MIF Export tool to export multiple tables to MID/MIF
format. Select the tables to export from the available open tables list. Choose to export to the
same directory as the tables or to a new directory. Click OK to export the selected tables.
Reprojecting multiple tables

See Reprojecting multiple vector tables.
Multi-table, multi-field editing

Related tools: Structure Manager
The DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Structure Manager is a powerful tool allowing the easy
comparison and editing of multiple fields across multiple tables. It essentially provides the multi-
table and field functionality of the MapInfo Pro Modify Table Structure dialog
(TABLE>Content>Table>Modify Structure). It is of particular use when altering the structure (field
names, formats, field order, etc) of a number of similar data tables prior to combining them using the
Multi-Append tool.
The Structure Manager contains the following multi-field editing options:
• Addition
• Deletion
• Copying
• Rename
• Type Alteration
• Reorder
The tables to be compared/altered need to open in MapInfo Pro prior to running the tool. Image and
raster tables cannot be viewed or modified with this tool.

Working with tables
The Structure Manager dialog matching two tables by field name
The Structure Manager enables multi-table comparison through a customizable grid/browser view.
First, a Base Table needs to be selected from the pull-down list of open tables. Generally this is the
table whose structure will be used as a template for other comparison tables; it will be the first table
displayed. Multiple comparison tables can then be selected; these will be displayed adjacent to the
Base Table.
The Structure Manager dialog is resizable, as are individual column widths.
The operation of the Structure Manager is described in the following topics:
• Field matching
• Editing tools
• Object count
Field matching
Two field matching methods are available at the top right of the dialog:
• Match by Field Name will display fields with the same name in the same row. This is an excellent
way to check whether assay fields are named identically e.g. two tables might have a “Cu” field,
whilst a third table might have a “copper” field. Another example: one table may have a “HoleID”
field, whilst another a “Hole_ID” field. It also allows a simple visual comparison of the field types of
matching fields: three tables may have “HoleID” fields of differing types (e.g. Character(10),
Character(40) and Integer).
• Match by Column Order: fields are displayed in their individual table orders. This is useful once
field names and field types have been mirrored/replicated across the tables (using the Match by
Field Name option): it allows an easy visual comparison of whether the fields are ordered
identically across multiple tables.

Working with tables
Matching options
• Non-matching fields are displayed in a cascading view below the Base Table fields. This
tool will attempt to match field names between comparison tables in the cascade view.
• The Case Sensitive option at the bottom left of the dialog enables matches only between field
names of the same case (e.g. “HoleID” will not match “holeID” or “holeid”).
Editing tools
At the base of the Table Structure Manager dialog are the editing tools. These require a field selection
to open: this can be a single field, multiple fields within a table or multiple fields across multiple tables.
Field selection is with the left mouse button: either hold this button down to highlight multiple adjacent
fields, or use it in combination with the keyboard CTRL button to select non-adjacent cells. However,
not all editing functions can handle multiple cell selections (e.g. you cannot rename multiple fields in
the same table at once); an appropriate warning message will be returned if the current selection is
invalid for the selected editing tool.
Each editing button will open an appropriate dialog, which can be resized to allow the full target file
name to be visible:
The Add Fields dialog resized to display the full target field names
• Add - adds a new field with the specified name and type to each selected table. The new field will
be added to the end of each table. This option requires a single field selection in each target table;
this can be a populated or blank field, neither of which will be altered.
• Delete - deletes all selected fields.
• Copy – copies the selected fields to other tables. The field, if it does not exist, will be appended to
the end of the destination table.

Working with tables
The warning dialog displayed when copying a field that already exists
• The Edit button accesses the following functionality:

• Rename - a single field from each table can be renamed.
• Change Types - multiple fields can have their types/format altered (e.g. from integer to float).
The selected fields do not need to have the same initial type. Note however that this may result in
data truncation or loss, e.g. changing latitude and longitude fields from float to integer will result in
a massive loss of precision. A warning message to this effect will be displayed prior to finalizing
field type alterations.
The warning dialog displayed when altering field types
• Order - a single field from each table can be assigned a new field position. This will result in a
reordering of all fields below this new position, e.g. moving a field to the 3rd position within its
table, the existing 3rd field will be moved to the 4th position, the 4th to the 5th, etc. If the specified
position does not exist within the table, the field will be placed at the end of the table (e.g. moving
a field in a 10 field table to position 20 will simply place it at the end of the table).
Object count
The Display Object Columns option at the bottom left of the dialog will add an Obj field to each
mappable table. This field is not editable, but allows a count of the total number of objects in a table,
as well as a count of each object type (points, lines and/or regions). To initiate an object count, select
the pull-down arrow in the Type cell of the appropriate Obj field; for a small number of objects the total
and sub-counts will be displayed.
An Object field displayed with its record count
If the table contains a large number of objects, a warning message will be displayed indicating the total
object count and that the sub-count may take some time.

Working with tables
Object count warning message for larger datasets
Click OK to continue with the count. When the warning message disappears, re-access the Type pull-
down arrow to view the count result.
A Text Report of the current multiple table comparison (it requires at least two tables to be open in the
dialog) can be generated using the button at the bottom left of the dialog. This output can be copied
and pasted to a text editor (e.g. Notepad or Word) using CTRL+C and CTRL+V.

9 - GPS Connect tool
The GPS Connect tool allows the visualization of a live GPS point within a
selected MapInfo Discover map window and the collection of point, line or
polygon objects from the live GPS NMEA feed.
In this section
Supported Platforms 145

User Interface 146
Connecting the GPS Receiver 146
Setting up the GPS data capture 155
Selecting a GPS map window 161
Capturing GPS data 161
GPS Connect tool
Supported Platforms
GPS Unit
The GPS Connect tool has been tested on several external GPS receivers connected via either USB
cable or Bluetooth, as well as internal (onboard) GPS receivers.
Limited testing of Bluetooth connectivity with smart-phone GPS (Android and iPhone phone operating
systems) has also been conducted. Note however, that the choice of application (app) used to capture
and broadcast the NMEA stream on the smart-phone can significantly affect the precision, quality and
support of the GPS position.
Supported GPS Feed

• NMEA -0183 (National Marine Electronics Association) Version 4.10
• The following NMEA parametric formatters are supported in the GPS feed:
• RMC
• GSA
• GSV
• GGA.
• Assist GPS (AGPS) a protocol used by mobile phone carriers is not supported.
NMEA Sentence Details

The following parametric formatters are supported for a positional fix, all other formatter types will be
dismissed.
• RMC: Recommended minimum navigation information required for the position fix.
• GSA: Detailed satellite information and signal quality.
• GSV: Satellite number and elevation information.
• GGA: GPS receiver information.
The GPS Connect tool will only support these four sentence types from a Global Navigation Satellite
System (GNSS) receiver compatible with the following talker identifier mnemonics:
• GP: American GPS (Global Positional System).
• GL: Russian GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System).
• BD/GB: Chinese BDS (BeiDou Navigation Satellite System), the BeiDou system is not support in
the NMEA-0183 version 4.10 standard. Therefore, limited support is offered for this satellite
system, which depends on the GPS receiver output and sentence format.
Any other national satellite system is currently not supported.

GPS Connect tool
User Interface
The GPS Connect tool loads a ribbon tab into MapInfo Pro. The tab is divided into two groups
Configure and Data Capture.
The Configure group has tools for setting up the GPS receiver and Data Capture.
The Data Capture group contains tools for capturing point, point trace, line and polygon data, stopping
and pausing capture and manually centering the map display.
Note: To toggle the visibility of the GPS tab in MapInfo Discover navigate to
PRO>Options>Configuration>Ribbons.
Connecting the GPS Receiver
GPS Setup
GPS>Configure>GPS Setup
The GPS Setup tool contains all the required options for setting up the GPS receiver, displaying
satellite information and display options. The GPS Setup dialog must remain open when connected to
a GPS receiver and a live GPS feed is active, the GPS Setup dialog can be minimised when in use to
save screen space. If the GPS Setup dialog is closed when the GPS receiver is connected the live
connection will be terminated.
Four tabbed pages are available Location, Satellite, Hardware and Settings.

GPS Connect tool
Location tab
The Location tab displays the current fix location information with the following options available:
• Longitude: Displays the X or Longitude coordinate from the GPS receiver in either decimal
degrees or degrees/minutes/seconds format.
• Latitude: Displays the Y or Latitude coordinate from the GPS receiver in either decimal degrees
or degrees/minutes/seconds format.
• Elevation: Displays the elevation/altitude of the GPS receiver above mean sea level of the geoid
in either meters or feet units.
• Projection: Map projection of the X and Y coordinates displayed for the current GPS receiver
position. The default project displayed is Longitude/Latitude (WGS 84), this is the native
projection of the GNSS.
• Speed: Displays speed of the GPS receiver over the ground in either Km/h, Miles/h, Meters/sec,
Feet/sec or Knots.

GPS Connect tool
• Bearing: Displays the current bearing/heading direction of the GPS receiver, the bearing can be
displayed in either true north or magnetic north. If magnetic north is displayed a declination can
be adjusted for your global position.
• Date/Time: Displays date and time for the current GPS receiver position. The date is calculated
from either the computer Locale or Universal Time Coordinated (UTC), the date is displayed as a
short date with several display options for separators. The time is calculated from either the
computer Locale or UTC, the time can be displayed in either 12 or 24 hour format.
• NMEA Sentences: This toggle turns on or off the display of the live GPS NMEA feed.
• Stream Box: This box displays the live GPS NMEA feed in real-time.
• Signal Quality Icon: This icon displays the quality of the GPS receiver fix, three states of fix
quality are displayed:
• No Signal Fix: No satellite fix has been established for the connected GPS receiver or
there is no connection to the GPS receiver.
• 2D Signal Fix: Only a 2D quality fix has been established with the satellite network, this is
usually not good enough for a reliable positional fix.
• 3D Signal Fix: A 3D fix has been established with the satellite network, this means enough
satellites and the geometry in the constellation will provide a reliable positional fix.
• GPS On/Off button: This toggles the connection to the GPS receiver.
• Grey indicates no connection.
• Green indicates a live GPS receiver connection.

GPS Connect tool
Satellite tab
The Satellite tab displays the active satellite constellation and quality information, the following options
are available:
• Satellite Constellation Map: Displays the location and position of the satellites being tracked
from the GPS receiver, numbers are the satellite identifier/PRN. Grey satellites are being tracked
but not used for a positional fix, red satellites are being used for a positional fix.
Note: The satellite PRN number can be used to determine which satellite network/s are being tracked by
the GPS receiver.
• Status: Displays the signal fix quality either No Fix, 2D Fix or 3D Fix, this information is
graphically displayed by the signal quality icon.
• Satellites: Displays the number of satellites use for the positional fix followed by the total number
of satellites in the constellation which may or may not be used for the positional fix e.g. 6 used/12
tracked.
• PDOP: Dilution of precision value (Measure of accuracy of 3D position).
• HDOP: Dilution of precision value (Measure of accuracy in 2D X/Y position).

GPS Connect tool
• VDOP: Dilution of precision value (Measure of accuracy in 1D Z position).

Note: A value below 2 is good with a value between 2 and 5 acceptable, any higher indicates a bad
quality position fix with low confidence.
Hardware tab
The Hardware tab has all available options required for establishing a connection to a GPS receiver,
the following options are available:
• Connection Method: Select the method for connecting to a GPS feed, either COM Port or Log
File. COM Port is the default option. The GPS receiver will have a COM port allocated to it, the
correct one will need to be used for a connection. The Log File option allows a previously saved
text file to be used to playback the NMEA feed.
Note: Using a COM port is a standard method for connecting devices within the Windows Operating
System.
COM Port Connection Method
When the COM Port method is selected the following options are available:

GPS Connect tool
• Protocol: GPS receiver communication protocol used, default is NMEA.

• COM Port: COM Port number the GPS receiver is using for inbound communication.
• COM Port Name: Friendly Windows name for COM port which may assist in determining the
COM the GPS receiver has been assigned.
• Baud Rate: Rate at which information is transferred, generally a GPS receiver is set to 4800
(Refer to GPS receiver specifications for this value.)
• Parity: Method of detecting errors in data transmission, generally a GPS receiver is set to
None (Refer to GPS receiver specifications for this value.)
• Data Bits: Number of data bits in each character, generally a GPS receiver is set to 8, (Refer
to GPS receiver specifications for this value.)
• Stop Bits: Number of bits at the end of a character, generally a GPS receiver is set to 1,
(Refer to GPS receiver specifications for this value.)
• Save Log File: Toggle to save a log file of the GPS feed, the log file can be used to playback
the GPS receiver location. Logs can be saved with either *.GPS or *.TXT extension.

GPS Connect tool
Log File Connection Method
When the Log File method is selected the following options are available:
• File Path: Browse to a folder to select a log file for playback, a log file can have either *.GPS
or *.TXT extension.
• Playback Mode: When viewing a log file GPS feed select the method to view either restart or
continue. Restart will play log file from the beginning of the GPS feed each time you start and
stop the GPS connection. Continue will play the log file from the last location the GPS
connection was stopped at.
• Playback Speed (X): Speed at which the log file will be play at, the default speed is 1 times,
this will playback the GPS feed at 1 second intervals. The maximum playback speed is 10
times with the minimum 0.1 times.

GPS Connect tool
Settings tab
The Settings tab has all available options required for formatting the display on the Location tab and
units used when capturing the GPS location data, the following options are available:
• Projection: Map projection of the X and Y coordinates displayed for the current GPS receiver
position. The default project displayed is Longitude/Latitude (WGS 84), this is the native
projection of the GNSS.
• Projection Format: Select the format of the X and Y coordinates displayed for the current GPS
receiver position, either Decimal Degrees or Degrees/Minutes/Seconds.
• Elevation Unit: Select the unit for the current GPS receiver elevation, either Meter or Feet. Meter
is the default unit.
• Speed Unit: Select the speed unit of the GPS receiver, either Km/h, Miles/h, Meters/sec, Feet/
sec or Knots.
• Bearing: Select the bearing type displayed, either true north or magnetic north. If magnetic north
is displayed a declination can be adjusted for your global position.

GPS Connect tool
• Declination: Enabled when magnetic north bearing is selected. Type in a numeric declination
value for your relative global position.
• Time Zone: Select either Locale or UTC. Locale will use your local computer regional settings for
time, UTC or Universal Time Coordinated will use the current time as specified by the GPS
receiver.
• Time Format: Select either 12 or 24 hour time display.
• Date Format: Select the date and date separator format.

GPS Connect tool
Setting up the GPS data capture
Capture Setup
GPS>Configure>Capture Setup
The Capture Setup tool contains all the required options for setting up the GPS data capture and
default object styles.
Three tabbed pages are available Table, Style and Settings.
Table tab
A data capture table is where the GPS data will be stored. If a data capture table has been selected
when a data capture session is stopped the GPS data capture will automatically save the data into the
specified table. A single table or separate tables can be used for each data capture type. If no data
capture tables have been selected for one or all of the data capture types when a data capture session
is stopped the data will be saved into a new or open table.

GPS Connect tool
• Point: Toggle to select the MapInfo Pro vector table to insert point data. It is optional to save
attribute data for the GPS location. Click the adjacent button to open the Selected Table Fields
dialog, the following attributes can be saved into a table Longitude, Latitude, Elevation, Date
Time, Speed, Bearing, PDOP, HDOP and VDOP.
Note: The Point data capture type on the GPS ribbon will only enable if a data capture table is selected.
This is the only data capture type which has to have a table selected to enter data into.

GPS Connect tool
• Point Trace: Toggle to select the MapInfo Pro vector table to insert point trace data. It is optional
to save attribute data for the GPS location. Click the adjacent button to open the Selected Table
Fields dialog, the following attributes can be saved into a table Longitude, Latitude, Elevation,
Date Time, Speed, Bearing, PDOP, HDOP and VDOP.
• Polyline: Toggle to select the MapInfo Pro vector table to insert polyline data.
• Region: Toggle to select the MapInfo Pro vector table to insert region/polygon data.

GPS Connect tool
Style tab
Define the default object styles used for data capture.

• Point: Click the Point button to select the default point and point trace object style.
• Polyline: Click the Polyline button to select the default polyline object style.
• Region: Click the Region button to select the default region object style.
• Symbol: Click the Symbol button to select the default live GPS object style.

GPS Connect tool
Settings tab
COM Port Connection Method
When the COM Port method is selected on the GPS Setup dialog Hardware tab the following options
are available:
• Capture Type: Select the method of capturing data either Distance or Time. When distance is
selected the user can specify the distance interval when a node or point is captured along with the
unit. When time is selected the user can specify the time interval when a node or point is captured
along with the unit.
• Distance Units: Enabled when distance capture type is selected, either Meter or Feet can be
selected.
• Capture Interval: Type in the numerical unit for the interval for node or point capture. Unit is
either in Meters or Feet.
• Auto-Center Map: Select the tolerance for when the map window will recenter for the live GPS
location.
• Live GPS Location: Toggle the display of the live GPS location position in a map window, either
On or Off can be selected.

GPS Connect tool
Log File Connection Method
When the Log File method is selected on the GPS Setup dialog Hardware tab the following options are
available:
• Distance Units: Select distance units either Meter or Feet can be selected.
• Note
• When capturing data in Log File mode only distance can be used, time cannot be used.
• Auto-Center Map: Select the tolerance for when the map window will recenter for the live GPS
location.
• Live GPS Location: Toggle the display of the live GPS location position in a map window, either
On or Off can be selected.

GPS Connect tool
Selecting a GPS map window
Display Window
GPS>Configure>Display Window
The Display Window tool opens the Select Map Window dialog which displays all thee open map
windows in MapInfo Discover. This map window will be used for the display of the live GPS symbol.
Note: A map window can only be selected when the GPS receiver is not connected and no active GPS
feed.
Capturing GPS data

GPS data can only be captured as a single data type in one capture session, if another data type needs
to be captured a new data capture session will need to be started. To begin capturing data either a
COM Port or Log File connection must be established and active, an easy way is to make sure there
is a live GPS point in the selected map window.
Point Trace
GPS>Data Capture>Point Trace
The Point Trace option will create a series of point objects at the specified time or distance
intervals from the Capture Setup Settings tab. To begin a point trace capture session click the
Point Trace button. Points will continue to be captured until you click the Stop button. If you need
to temporarily stop the capture session click the Pause button, to continue the capture session click
the Resume button. If you have specified a table for data capture, the objects will be saved
automatically into that table. If no table has been specified you will be prompted to save into an open
or new table.

GPS Connect tool
Polyline
GPS>Data Capture>Polyline
The Polyline option will create a polyline object with nodes at the specified time or distance
intervals from the Capture Setup Settings tab. To begin a polyline capture session click the
Polyline button. Nodes will continue to be captured until you click the Stop button. If you need to
temporarily stop the capture session click the Pause button, to continue the capture session click the
Resume button. If you have specified a table for data capture, the objects will be saved automatically
into that table. If no table has been specified you will be prompted to save into an open or new table.
Region
GPS>Data Capture>Region
The Region option will create a region object with nodes at the specified time or distance
intervals from the Capture Setup Settings tab. To begin a region capture session click the Region
button. Nodes will continue to be captured until you click the Stop button. If you need to
temporarily stop the capture session click the Pause button, to continue the capture session click the
Resume button. If you have specified a table for data capture, the objects will be saved automatically
into that table. If no table has been specified you will be prompted to save into an open or new table.
Point
GPS>Data Capture>Point
The Point option will create a point object at the current GPS receiver location. To begin a point
capture session click the Point button. To capture more Points click the Point button when
required, to end the capture session of points click the Stop button. It is mandatory to specify a
table for data capture, the objects will be saved automatically into that table.
Note: The Point data capture type on the GPS ribbon will only enable if a data capture table is selected.
Pause
GPS>Data Capture>Pause
The Pause button is used to temporarily stop the data capture, it can be useful when you need
to deviate off course and do not wanted data to be captured. The pause button is enabled for
capturing Point Trace, Polyline and Region data types.
Resume
GPS>Data Capture>Resume
The Resume button is used to resume a paused data capture session. The resume button is
enabled for capturing Point Trace, Polyline and Region data types.
Stop
GPS>Data Capture>Stop
The Stop button is used to end a data capture session, when clicked the data will be
automatically saved into the specified table or a prompt will be displayed to save the data into a
new or open table.

GPS Connect tool
Recenter
GPS>Data Capture>Recenter
The Recenter button is used to manually center the live GPS position on the selected map
window.

10 - Data processing
and statistics
In this section
Pre-processing and cleaning data 165

Classifying data 165
Normalising or levelling data 171
Computing summary statistics 172
Computing a correlation matrix 175
Data processing and statistics
Pre-processing and cleaning data

Geochemical data is often received in a format that requires some manual manipulation before the
data can be used in geochemical analysis. Use the Data Handling tool to pre-process and clean the
input data. The Data Handling tool can be opened from various tools on the ANALYSIS tab and
selected other tools. The processing options available include:
Negative values
• Set negative values to Null, which is statistically ignored, or any user-specified value. For
example, if –999 is used to identify “below detection limit,” you can reset these values to zero or a
discrete value such as 5 ppb.
• Multiply negative values by a constant—for example, multiply by –0.5 to convert each negative
value to half the detection limit.
Non-numeric values
• Set non-numeric values to Null or any user-specified value.
Zero values
• Set zero values to Null or any user-specified value.
Replacement values
• To apply different replacement values for element data in a table or for multiple replacements
within the same element field, create a custom template. The template contains the element
name, the original assay value, and the replacement assay value.
To pre-process a geochemical data table:
1. Open a geochemistry table in a map window.
2. Select a tool from the ANALYSIS>Statistics group, for example Data Statistics.
3. Select the geochemistry table.
4. Click the Data Handling Options button. The Data Handling Options dialog boxis displayed.
5. Under Input, select the options you want to apply to negative, non-numeric, zero, and other data
values.
6. Under Output, select the options you want to apply to the output table.
7. Click OK and return to the previous dialog box and continue processing the modified table.
Classifying data
Data classification is used to segregate a dataset into groups defined by a range or group of values.
Point symbols can be modulated by colour, size and/or symbol type using one or more data fields.
• Classifying data by colour, size, and symbol
• Multi-field classification
• Trivariate point classification

Classifying data by colour, size, and symbol

Related tools: Data Classification
Geochemical data is often collated from different sources and to highlight this graphically a
different symbol type can be assigned to each sub-grouping of the dataset. Assay values can
then be classified into value range groups via various statistical methods and displayed as the
colour or size of the symbol.
Point classifications can be displayed as a thematic map overlay or the new point symbols can be
saved to the existing table or new table.
To apply a classification scheme:
2. Select ANALYSIS>Statistics>Data Classification. The Data Classification dialog box is
displayed.
3. In the Table box, select the geochemistry table.

4. In the Column box, select the field you want to classify.

5. To ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the data field, under Null Handling,
select Display Null Values and then click the Options button. For more information, see Pre-
processing and cleaning data.
6. Select a classification. You can classify data by colour, size and symbol concurrently.
Colour
• To classify by colour, on the colour tab, select the Colour check box, and then select a
method for distributing the data values for each colour division in the Colour method box. To
change the colour scheme, in the Colour table box, select a colour lookup table.
Size
• To classify by symbol size, on the size tab, select the Size check box, and then select a
method for distributing the data values for each size division in the Size method box. To
change the size range, edit the values in the Size min, Size max, and Size step boxes.
Symbol
• To classify by symbol type, on the symbol tab, select the Symbol check box, and then select
a method for distributing the data values for each symbol division in the Symbol method box.
The classification divisions and number of values in each are displayed in the classification table.
For many datasets, a linear range classification will not be suitable to show the data range
variation. There are a number of statistical methods to classify data, such as log and exponential
distributions, and percentile groups.
7. To edit the colour, size, or symbol assigned to a division, in the classification table, click the
Colour, Size, or Symbol cell and type or select another value.
8. To edit a division, click in a Description, >= or < cell and type a new value.
9. To add or remove divisions in the classification method, use the Add, Remove or
Clear All division buttons. Note that divisions cannot be changed for unique
value groups, such as for non-numeric data, except for a custom classification method.
10. Save a classification or load a saved classification using the Save and Load buttons.
This saves all colour, size and symbol classifications.
Note: Values outside the lowest and highest classification groups will be ignored. However, the tool
applies continuous internal data ranges. Any gaps from one classification group to the next will be
ignored.
11. Choose output options. Under Output Table:
• Select New to create a new table containing the classification applied. Click the Filter button
to select which fields in the input table will be added to the output table and to change the
name of the new table.
• Select Source to apply the classification in-place to the input table.
• Select Thematic map to display the classification as a thematic map. Any null or unclassified
points will be displayed with the null Symbol. Points styles can be further modified with the
MAP>Modify Thematic Map option or by double-clicking on the Theme Legend window.
12. Under Null Handling, click the Symbol box to define the default null symbol to all null value data.
Only selected classification properties (colour, size, symbol) are applied to null value data.

13. When you have completed defining the classifications (on the colour, size, and symbol tabs) for
the selected data field, click Apply.
To save or restore a classified table:
• Select DISCOVER>File>Save Table to save the classification or DISCOVER>File>Revert Table
to restore the table to its last saved state. To save an RGB classification thematic map, you must
save the workspace.
Note: The classified symbol may be hidden by a coincident point symbol. Use the QUERY>Map
Object>Select by Style tool to query the map table for all the samples that fall within a particular
point classification for a combination of colour, size, symbol style properties.
See also
Multi-field classification
Trivariate point classification
Selecting objects by graphical style
Related tools: Data Classification
To modulate the point styles by two or three different fields, apply the classifications consecutively,
saving the classified table between each classification. For example, to modulate the point colour by
Cu, and the point size by Pb:
1. Select ANALYSIS>Statistics>Data Classification.
2. Select the table, and then select the Cu field.
3. On the colour tab, select the Colour check box, and then select the classification options.
4. Under Output Table, select Source, and then click Apply.
5. Select DISCOVER>File>Save Table.
6. Select ANALYSIS>Statistics>Data Classification.
7. Select the table, and then in the Column box, select the Pb field
8. On the size tab, select the Size check box, and then select the classification options.
9. Under Output Table, select Source, and then click Apply.
10. Select DISCOVER>File>Save Table.
See also


Related tools: Trivariate Classification
Trivariate Point classification of geochemical data is used to identify homogeneous groups of
data within a sample population which can be distinguished from other groups. Samples that
pass a combination of the thresholds for three selected elements are displayed using the same
symbol style, colour and size to enable them to be easily viewed in the map window. Each element is
assigned an RGB channel (red-green-blue) and a threshold value; during processing each sample is
compared with the threshold values set for its channel.
Trivariate classification can be used to highlight points that are above a threshold in individual RGB
channels, as well as above combinations of thresholds on multiple RGB channels.
The output classifications can be displayed as a thematic map overlay or the new point symbols can
be saved to the existing table or new table. Classification legends can be displayed as a thematic
legend or as a MapInfo Pro table which can be edited and scaled. Each sample is assigned a point
classification code which is saved to a new column in the original or new table.
The classification code is a three-digit binary number (stored as a character string) that indicates if the
value passes the threshold on each channel. For example, the code 101 indicates that the threholds
on the R and B channels have been passed (1) but has failed (0) on the G channel.
To apply a trivariate classification scheme:
2. Select ANALYSIS>Statistics>Trivariate Classification.
3. In the Trivariate Point Classification dialog box, under Table, in the Select table to classify
box, click the geochemistry table.
4. To ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the input fields, click the Data
Handling Options button. For more information, see Pre-processing and cleaning data.
5. Under Channel selection, in the Red box, click the field you want to assign to the red channel.
Make field selections in the Green and Blue boxes.
6. Click a threshold type:
• Value: Type a threshold value for each channel in the adjacent boxes. The data range is
displayed to the right of the box.
• Percent: Type or select a percentage threshold for each channel in the adjacent boxes. The
corresponding threshold value for each channel is displayed to the right of the box.
• Percentile: Type or select a percentile threshold for each channel in the adjacent boxes. The
7. For each channel, type or select a threshold value in the corresponding box. Or click the Use
single threshold check box to use the same threshold (defined for the red channel) on all three
channels.
8. Select output options:
• Save classification code to field: The classification code field name. Click the box to select
a different, existing character field, or type a new field name. The default field name is
_ClassField.

• Set point styles: Click to assign point styles to each of the eight RGB classification codes.
For more information, see Setting point styles.
• Display custom legend: Select the check box to display the classification as a thematic
legend. For more inforamtion, see Displaying a point style legend.
• Display MapInfo legend: Select the check box to display the classification as a MapInfo Pro
table. For more inforamtion, see Displaying a point style legend.
• Display/classify points that incorporate null values: Select the check box to classify and
display all points in the input table. Clear the check box to exclude those with null values.
9. Select the type of output:
• Thematic map: Display each sample point according to their assay values relative to the
specified threshold level as a thematic map. The sample point style, colour and size are as
defined by the Set Point Styles option.
After the thematic map is created, points styles can be modified through the MAP>Modify
Thematic Map option or by double-clicking on the Theme Legend Window. To save an RGB
classification thematic map, the workspace must be saved.
• Change source: Permanently colour each sample point in the base geochemistry table
according to their assay values relative to the specified threshold level. The sample point
style, colour and size are as defined by the Set Point Styles option.
• Create new table: Create a new table with each sample point coloured according to their
assay values relative to the specified threshold level. Click the New Table Options button
and select fields from the input geochemistry table to add to the new classification table.
By default, the new table is named by adding the “_Classified” extension to the input table
name. The new table is saved to the same directory as the base geochemistry table. The new
classification table is automatically displayed in a new map window.
Note: It is not possible to control the order in which multiple sample points at the same location are
displayed. Therefore it may appear that a sample which is coloured is masked by overlying sample
points. Use the QUERY>Map Object>Select by Group tool or an SQL query on the “_Classfield”
column to query the table for all the samples that fall within a particular RGB Classification.
Setting point styles

For each of the possible eight classification codes, a separate point style can be set. Each sample will
be coloured in the map window according to these classification point styles. To view or modify the
default point styles click the Set Point Styles button. The Set Point Styles dialog box contains a symbol
button for each classification code.
Assigns a 12 pt yellow solid-filled circle to the 110 classification code.

To change a symbol style, click the symbol button and choose a new symbol style, colour or size for
the selected code. The Null symbol shape will be applied to all points assigned a null value by the
Data Handling Options tool. To use the same symbol for all RGB threshold combinations, check the
Use single symbol style box, and select the symbol style to use. To automatically size the symbols
across the classification codes, select the Graduate symbol size from check box and type a size for
the smallest symbol.
Displaying a point style legend

Two legend options are available for identifying what each symbol style represents.
Custom legend
To create a legend table that can be edited and scaled as a permanent MapInfo Pro table, select the
Display custom legend check box. The custom legend displays the legend items as text or point
objects, which can be modified using the standard MapInfo Pro map object style options. The legend
window is created in a non-earth centimetre projection and can be placed in a layout and scaled using
the frame tool.
The first five characters of the red, green and blue channel field names will be displayed in place of the
channel names. The threshold value and the threshold value as a percentage of the maximum value
is also displayed in the legend table.
MapInfo Pro legend

Check the Display MapInfo legend box to create a MapInfo Pro legend similar to those created in the
MapInfo Pro Create Legend or Create Thematic Map menu options. MapInfo Pro legends cannot be
scaled and must be saved as part of a workspace. To modify a MapInfo Pro legend, double-click in the
legend window and use the Styles and Legend buttons in the Modify Thematic Map dialog.
Null values
If the Display/classify points that incorporate null values option is checked, then a sample with a
null or 0 value (one or more elements) is deemed to be below the threshold and will be displayed using
the corresponding point symbol. If samples that contain only valid data values for all of the selected
elements are to be included in the final point classification display, then clear this option.
To ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the data table click the Data Handling
Options button. See Pre-processing and cleaning data in for more information on using this tool.
Normalising or levelling data

Related tools: Data Normalisation
Many statistical processes require data to be normally distributed. Because geochemical data
is often log-normally distributed or positively skewed, it must first be transformed or “levelled” so
the data conforms to a normal distribution. The MapInfo Discover levelling tool provides a
number of standard levelling operations that can be applied in normalising the data.

Often a dataset contains mixed sample populations such as soil samples taken over different rock or
regolith lithologies, stream sediment samples taken from different mesh size fractions or samples
analysed by different analytical techniques. In these cases data should be levelled according to each
distinct value for a group.
Data levelling can be applied to either an entire dataset table or a subset (Query).
To level (normalise) a data set:
2. Select ANALYSIS>Statistics>Data Normalisation.
3. In the Data Normalisation dialog box, in the Select table to classify box, click the
geochemistry table.
4. To ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the input fields, click the Data
Handling Options button. For more information, see Pre-processing and cleaning data.
5. In the Fields to level box, select the assay fields to level. To select multiple fields, click the first
field and drag to select consecutive fields, or hold the CTRL key to select non-consecutive fields.
6. In the Fields to level by box, select the fields that contain data such as sample geology or
regolith type, sample type or analytical method which will be used in the levelling process to
calculate values for each unique attribute entry in these fields. As each field is selected the
number of distinct values in the column is automatically displayed. To select multiple fields, click
the first field and drag to select consecutive fields, or hold the CTRL key to select non-consecutive
fields.
7. In the Levelling operations box, select one or more operations. For more information, see Data
Normalisation dialog box. To select multiple operations, click the first and drag to select
consecutive operations, or hold the CTRL key to select non-consecutive operations.
8. To filter the results columns by a minimum value, select the Include summary columns check
box and type a value in the Threshold box. The raw assay values will also be output.
9. To change the output table name and folder, in the Output table box, edit the default name or
type a folder and file name.
The levelled data table is created and opened into a new browser window.
Note: Levelled data values are calculated for each element and each selected category. Use the
QUERY>Map Object>Select by Style tool to check unique field values and remove any duplicate
or misspelled entries and populate blank entries prior to running the Data Normalisation tool.
Note: To see the source data fields after any data handling options have been applied, in addition to the
new levelled fields, select the Include working columns in output table option in Data Handling
Options. These fields are the data values used to calculate the levelling operations. If all negative
values in a field are converted to zero, they are displayed as zero. Null values will also be displayed
as zero, but will be handled correctly internally (separately to true zeros).
Computing summary statistics

Related tools: Data Statistics

The Data Statistics tool reports a number of common statistical measurements for a
geochemical dataset. If a dataset contains mixed sample populations such as soil samples
taken over different rock or regolith lithologies, stream sediment samples taken from different
mesh size fractions or samples analysed by different analytical techniques then statistics can be
calculated for each distinct value in a group.
As geochemical data generally has a lognormal or positively skewed distribution a number of additional
mean calculations aside from the arithmetic mean have been included such as geometric and
harmonic.
Summary Statistics Dialog
Data Statistics can be applied to either an entire dataset table or a subset (Query or Selection).
Select ANALYSIS>Statistics>Data Statistics to display the Data Statistics dialog box. Select
the input from the Select Table pull-down list. Select the assay fields to be used in the statistics
calculation from the Select Fields window. Click on an assay field and drag holding the left mouse
button to select consecutive fields. Use the CTRL key to select non-consecutive assay fields.
Statistics can also be calculated based on attribute entries from another field in the geochemical table
such as geology. The results table will contain an entry for each unique geological unit along with
statistics calculated from the samples that are located within each unit. Select the field to use from the
Select Group Field pull-down list.
To ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the data table click the Data Handling
Options button. See Pre-processing and cleaning data for more information.
Statistical operations
Select one or more of the following statistical operations to calculate for the geochemical data:
• Count – Total number of samples in dataset
• Count Valid – Number of samples used in the statistical calculation

• Count Invalid – Number of samples not used in the statistical calculation. Any samples set to null
in Data Handling Options are invalid samples.
• Min - Minimum assay value
• Max - Maximum assay value
• Sum - Sum of assay values
• Mean - Sum of assay values divided by number of samples
• Median - Middle assay value or 50th percentile of ordered assay values. Median of even number
of samples calculated using mean of two middle assay values.
• Range - Maximum assay value minus minimum assay value
• Mode - Assay value that occurs most frequently
• RMS (Root Mean Square) - Square root of the mean of the squares of each assay value.
• Sum of Squares - Sum of the square of each assay value
• Geometric Mean - Used for positively skewed distributions. Nth root of the product of the assay
values. Negative or zero values in the dataset will return a value of “NA”.
• Harmonic Mean - Sum of the reciprocals of each assay value divided by the number of samples.
Negative or zero values in the dataset will return a value of “NA”
• Trimmed Mean - Remove a percentage of the largest and smallest assay values and re-calculate
arithmetic mean on trimmed dataset.
• Median Dev. Mean – Median deviation from the Mean
• Median Dev. Median – Median deviation from the Median
• Variance - Measure of the ‘spread’ within a dataset. Average squared deviation of set of assay
values from their mean.
• Standard Deviation - Measure of the ‘spread’ within a dataset. Square root of the variance.
• Skewness - Estimate of asymmetry of a distribution compared with a normal distribution.
• Kurtosis - Degree of “peakness” or “flatness” of a distribution compared with a normal
distribution.
• InterQuartile Range - Measure of the “spread” within a dataset. Difference between the 75th (3rd)
and 25th (1st) quartiles—that is, Percentile(75) minus the Percentile(25).
• Percentile - Division of a dataset into one hundred groups containing equal numbers of samples.
Each percentile represents the proportion of samples that lie below this value; e.g. 60% of data
lies below the 60th percentile, 95% of data lies below the 95th percentile, etc.
• Count = 0 - Number of samples with zero assay value
• Count < 0 - Number of samples with assay values less than zero
• Count of Minimum - Number of samples with minimum assay value
• Percent of Minimum - Percentage of samples with minimum assay value
• Percent = Null – Percentage of invalid samples

The default Output Table is named using the original geochemical base table with a “_Stats” extension
and saved to the same directory. Enter an alternative name and location if desired. Click OK. The
statistics data table is created and opened into a new browser window.
Computing a correlation matrix

Related tools: Correlation Matrix
The correlation matrix is a variance–covariance matrix which is standardized to emphasize the
relative variation between two elements. Raw data is standardized by calculating the correlation
coefficient so all elements have a variance of one and a mean of zero. The correlation coefficient
is a unit-less number and is the ratio of the co-variance of two elements to the product of their standard
deviations.
Correlation coefficient values range from +1 to -1. A correlation coefficient of +1 indicates a direct linear
relationship between two elements whereas a correlation coefficient of -1 indicates an inverse
relationship between two elements. Correlation coefficients may fall anywhere between these two end
values with a correlation of zero indicating no linear relationship existing between the two elements.
For values in the correlation matrix that cannot be computed, due to one of the standard deviations
equalling zero, then a string ‘NA’ will be written in the matrix.

11 - Coordinates and
projections
In this section
Calculating distances between points in separate tables 177

Displaying cursor coordinates in a map window 178
Updating coordinates 178
Coordinate transformations 179
Reprojecting coordinates 186
Generating traverse lines and peg coordinates 188
Calculating distances between points in separate tables

Related tools: Distance Calculator
The Distance Calculator can be used to measure the distance and angle between points in two
separate MapInfo Pro tables. For example, determine an error distance and bearing between
control points in Local and UTM projection when transforming point coordinates.
To effectively utilize this tool, the two tables must share a common field to create the link or join
between them; e.g. Control point number. The join must be a one-to-one relationship. One point in the
first table can only be linked to one point in the second table.
Note: This tool has been primarily designed to work with point datasets. Region or line objects may be
used, however the distance and angle will be calculated from the object centroid which may not be
satisfactory.
Distance Calculator dialog
Select Tables for Distance Calculation

Select the two tables to calculate the distance and angle between using the pull-down lists. Make sure
that the correct Key Fields in each table specifying the join are selected.
The distance and bearing are calculated by measuring the object(s) in Table 1 to the object(s) in Table
2 where the objects contain the same attribute in the Key Field. The bearing is determined by using
grid north as the datum. The results for the calculation are stored in a new table containing the join key
and the Distance and Angle.
Output Options
By default, the output table is saved using the Table 1 name with a “Distances” extension. To change
the saved table name or location use the Save button.
When selecting the Output distance units, both metric and imperial units can be used independent
to the coordinate system convention e.g. distances between points in a UTM projection can be
displayed in miles (mi), yards (yd) or metres (m).
Note: Calculations for bearing and distance can be perform between most standard MapInfo Pro
coordinate systems including geographical, UTM and local coordinate systems.

Displaying cursor coordinates in a map window

See Displaying map coordinates, distances and bearings.
Updating coordinates
Related tools: Update Coordinates
Add or update map object coordinates into data columns in a browser or update positions of
existing points in a map window using coordinates from X and Y data columns in a browser.
Use Update Coordinates to place the coordinate positions of map objects (for example, sample points
or collar locations) into data columns in the same MapInfo Pro table. Alternatively, if new survey data
has become available, update the position of existing map objects with new coordinates from X and Y
data columns in the browser.
The Update Coordinates dialog
To update the coordinates held in the table with the current object positions, choose Map Object-
>Table Column. Coordinates may be added to existing numeric columns or to a new column. To add
new columns to store coordinates choose New Column from the X Column and Y Column pull-down
list. New columns cannot be created if the column name contains spaces or special characters.
To update map object locations in the map window with new coordinates stored in the X and Y data
columns, choose Table Column–>Map Object and nominate the X and Y columns containing the
coordinates.
For either update mode, select the projection in which the coordinates are to be updated. Auto
(selected table) will calculate coordinate positions for the map objects using the native projection of a
table (the projection in which the original map objects were created). Select User defined to calculate
coordinates in any other existing projection in the MapInfo Pro or Favourite Projections list.

The User defined projection option enables lat-long coordinates to be calculated for a table currently
containing points in AMG coordinate values. Alternatively, if new survey data is received in a different
projection to the existing data, then points can be moved to new positions using this projection data.
When processing a large table, coordinates may be updated more quickly if the table being processed
is not displayed as a browser window.
Note: The Update Coordinates tool is best suited to point data but coordinates for polyline and polygon
map objects can be calculated using the centroid X and Y coordinates. Alternatively you can
extract nodes and create points from polyline and polygon objects using the Discover>Object
Editing>Extract Nodes tool (see Extracting nodes).
Related tools: Custom Transform
Convert coordinates from one coordinate system to another based on either user-specified
parameters (such as a known shift, rotation and scaling) or based on a set of control points
between known and unknown (or non-earth) projections.
The Transformation Table window lists all of the tables that are currently open in MapInfo Pro to use
as the transformation table. Only native MapInfo Pro or TAB files connected to an editable source table
can be transformed. TAB files connected to Excel or Text files are Read-Only and will not be displayed
in the Transform Table list. Save these tables to native MapInfo Pro tables using the File>Save Copy
As tool and use the saved table for the transformation.
Note: Raster images cannot be transformed using the Transform Coordinates tool. For image
reprojection, use the Reproject Image tool.
• Performing a one-time transformation
• Creating a custom affine projection

MapInfo Discover provides two Transformation Targets:

• E, N data columns - Transform coordinates stored in XY columns according to entered
transformation parameters into new data columns in the table .
• Map Objects - Transform map objects (including complex regions and polylines) from one
coordinate system to another according to entered transformation parameters.
Transformed map objects are saved to an output table with a “_trans” suffix.
Performing a one-time transformation

In addition simple plane (bearing and offset) transformations, the Custom Transform tool supports one-
time transformations (or rectifications) on non-earth coordinates, based on a set of control points. The
methods support are, in order of increasing complexity; projective, conformal, affine, 2nd order
polynomial, 2nd order conformal polynomial, and 3rd order polynomial. The input map table to be
transformed must be a in a non-earth projection.
Note: The control point table for a one-off affine data transformation must contain four columns, which
read in order from left to right as Nonearth_Easting, Nonearth_Northing, UTM_Easting,
UTM_Northing . The naming convention of the column headings is not important, but the order of
the columns is critical.
Note: The control point table for a once-off data transformation can be used to transform tables from local
to UTM coordinates, but cannot be used to create a custom affine coordinate projection line. See
Creating a custom affine projection for further information.
1. Open the table to transform into MapInfo Pro; this should be located in a local non-earth grid
projection e.g. Non-earth (metres).
2. Select DISCOVER>Projection>Custom Transform.
3. From the Custom Transform dialog box, select the table to transform from the Transformation
Table list. Choose <Affine> from the Transformation Type pull-down list.
Note: You can select any transformation method except Plane.
4. Select the Transformation Target from E, N data columns or Map Objects.

5. Click on the Control Point Table button and browse to the control point table. The selected
control point table will be displayed on the Control Point Button. This table does not need to be
mappable.
6. Check the Show Transform Parameters box to run the transformation. The transformation
parameter, residuals and standard deviation information is saved to a text file named
MAPTRAN.LOG in the Discover temporary directory (refer to Configuring MapInfo Discover).
Check the Calculate Parameters only box to display the calculated Transformation
Coefficients only without actually transforming the data.
Example maptran.txt report
7. Click OK to commence the data transformation. Select the UTM projection from the Choose
Projection dialog box.
Once the data has been transformed a new table will be created with the same name as the original
transformation table with a suffix “_trans”. This table is automatically opened in MapInfo Pro displayed
in map or browser window.
Note: The maptran.log Total RMS is the total Euclidean distance between the X and Y residual
components of the transformation. It does not directly relate to the individual control point's RMSs,
and a large value can still be a relatively accurate transformation result depending on the scale and
area of application. The Standard deviation in X and Y indicate a better absolute measure of the
error in the transformation.
Note: The transformed data table and the original data table cannot be displayed in the same map
window. The original table is still located in the local non-earth coordinate system.

Plane transformation
Note: The plane tranformation option cannot be used to convert to or from Latitude/Longitude
coordinates. For data in a lat-long projection add two new columns to the table and populate with
coordinates in a system such as UTM or AMG using the Update Coordinates tool.
1. Open the table to transform into MapInfo Pro; this should be located in a local non-earth grid
projection e.g. Non-earth (metres).
3. From the Custom Transform dialog box, select the table to transform from the
Transformation Table list.
4. Select <Plane> from the Transformation Type pull-down list.
5. Select the transform projection from the Choose Projection dialog box and click OK. The
Transform Coordinates dialog box is displayed:
Transform Coordinates using a Plane conversion
6. Select Add New Transform from the Choose a Grid Transform pull-down list. Alternatively, load
an existing transformation from the pull-down list. When existing transformation parameters are
loaded the dialog will be populated automatically.
7. For a new transformation select how the transformation is to be defined. Transformations can be
defined by:
Origin, Bearing – Enter the X and Y transformation origin in both original and new coordinate
systems. Enter the Bearing Offset from the Current (existing base cooridnate system) to the
New grid (the transformed coordiante system) in the Current Grid -> New Grid box. Note that the
Bearing offset is positive clockwise from North. You can also enter a negative number to indicate
anticlockwise rotation offset..
Two sets of coords – When specifying the transformation as the coordinates of two points in
each system enter the Current or original X and Y coordinates for both points overlain by the
corresponding New X and Y coordinates for each point.

8. If the E, N data columns Transformation Target was selected in the opening dialog, select the
X and Y data columns containing the original coordinates from the Transform Columns pull-
down lists. Set the destination X and Y into Columns to store the transformed coordinates using
the pull-down lists.
Note: The new X and Y columns must already be available for selection in the transformation table. To
add new data columns to the table to store the transformation values use the
TABLE>Maintenance>Table>Modify Structure tool prior to running the Custom Transform
tool.
Transform Coords Now
In addition to transforming coordinates from table columns or map objects, single sets of coordinates
can be entered for immediate transformation. Check the Transform coords now box. Enter the
current X and Y coordinate to transform into the appropriate windows. Click the Calculate button to
run the transform calculation. The new coordinates are displayed in the dialog box.
Plane Transformation Scale Factor
When a plane transformation is defined by Two sets of coords (coordinate pair and a bearing offset)
then a scale factor must be entered. The scale factor is used to correct for the difference between earth
curvature and the map projection used. By default the Scale Factor is set to 1.00.
If the plane transformation is defined by two pairs of coordinates, the scale factor is implicit (as is the
bearing offset) and should not be entered.
A scale factor can be used to convert between coordinate systems in different units. For example,
converting imperial coordinates in feet to a metric coordinates system enter a scale factor of 0.3048.
Save Plane Transformation
To save a plane transformation click on the Add button once all the transformation parameters have
been entered and supply a transformation name to identify this transformation in the list.
When a previously stored transformation is selected from the list in the top left of the Transform
Coordinates dialog, the transformation parameters are applied automatically but cannot be altered.
Plane transformations are saved to a table called LGTRANS (located in the Discover configuration
folder) and should be maintained from within this function in MapInfo Discover. To delete a
transformation, open the LGTRANS table into a browser window and delete the corresponding browser
record. Transformations can also be modified from the LGTRANS browser window.
Note: Saved transformation parameters can also be used with the DISCOVER>Output>Map Grid and
Scaled Output tools to display a local (non-earth) grid and a map (projected real-world) grid in the
same map window.
Affine transformation
An affine transformation is used to display MapInfo Pro tables located in a local non-earth grid
projection with data in a real-world projection, such as UTM or lat-long.
The Custom Transform tool enables data to be transformed as a one-time process using an affine
transformation. Alternatively a custom affine coordinate system can be created and added to the
MapInfo Pro projection file as a permanent custom affine projection.

The custom affine projection can be selected for use with tables or as the map window projection just
like any other existing projection. The custom affine projection can also be used to map point datasets.
The affine transformation method is based on using a Ground Control Point table with a set of known
points in both the non-earth and a known projection space. The method will use these to determine a
set of affine transformation parameters which are the best fit for the given control points, using a least-
squares method to minimize the misfit.
For more information, see:
• Creating a custom affine projection
• Using a custom affine projection in MapInfo Pro
Creating a custom affine projection

An affine or custom coordinate system is a custom projection that contains affine transformation
parameters and is added to the MAPINFOW.PRJ file. The projection is available for selection when
creating and saving tables or setting the projection of a map window. The affine transformation
parameters define a custom coordinate system which is based on a affine transformation from a
standard projection.
The data created or saved using the custom projection is still displayed in the local coordinates. The
custom projection transformation parameters relate the local grid to real-world coordinates, enabling
MapInfo Pro to overlay UTM or lat-long data with data collected in the local grid system.
The affine transformation method is based on using a Ground Control Point table with a set of known
points in both the non-earth and a known projection space. The method will use these to determine a
set of affine transformation parameters which are the best fit for the given control points, using a Least
Squares method to minimize the mis-fit.
Example Custom Affine Projection Control Point Table
Note: In contrast to the once-off affine data transformation, the control point table for a custom affine
projection transformation must contain four columns which read from left to right as UTM_Easting,
UTM_Northing, Local_Easting and Local_Northing. The naming convention of the column
headings is not important, but the order of the columns is critical.
2. In the Custom Transform dialog box, select <Affine> from the Transformation Type pull-
down list.
3. Click on the Control Point Table button and browse to the control point table. The selected
control point table will be displayed on the Control Point Button. This table does not need to be
mappable.
4. Select the Make Affine Coordsys check box.

5. Click OK.
6. Select the required standard projection for the UTM coordinate fields from the Choose Projection
dialog box. This is the base projection the custom affine is based on.
7. MapInfo Discover will create the affine transformation and add the custom coordinate system
description to the MAPTRAN.LOG file.
8. Copy the line beginning “My affine coordinate system” from the MAPTRAN.LOG file and paste into
the bottom of your MAPINFOW.PRJ file. The MAPINFOW.PRJ file is located in the
.\\MapInfo\Professional folder.
9. Assign a new name for the custom projection and add a new projection Category line above the
protection . This projection category is used to keep all your custom projections together, and
should be in the format below:
"--- Alex’s Projections ---"
10. Optionally, for enhanced sub-centimeter precision, change the first two numbers from "10xx" to
"30xx"—e.g. change 1008 to 3008. Add an appropriate bounds add an appropriate bounds clause
to hte projection line. To specify bounds for the new projection enter the appropriate min_x,
min_y, max_x, max_y values for your data as per the example below.
Example of a custom projection's in the MAPINFOW.PRJ file:
"--- Custom Coordinate Systems ---"
"Sylvania Local Grid", 1008, 13,7, 141, 0, 0.9996, 500000, 10000000, 7, 0.895898, -0.444543,
3108129.02, 0.444537, 0.895887, -6726798.31
"Sylvania Local Grid (bounds)", 3008, 13,7, 141, 0, 0.9996, 500000, 10000000, 7, 0.895898,
-0.444543, 3108129.02, 0.444537, 0.895887, -6726798.31, -500000, -500000, 10000000,
10000000
Note: The '_trans' table lists the Transformation Coefficents as used by the following affine
transformation equations::
x' = Ax + By + C
y' = Dx + Ey + F
Note: The maptran.log Total RMS is the total Euclidean distance between the X and Y residual
components of the transformation. It does not directly relate to the individual control point's RMSs,
and a large value can still be a relatively accurate transformation result depending on the scale and
area of application. The Standard deviation in X and Y indicate a better absolute measure of the
error in the transformation.
Using a custom affine projection in MapInfo Pro

Use this custom projection to create points for data collected in local coordinates, to save data
collected in UTM or lat-long in local coordinates or to change the map window projection to display local
coordinates.

To convert existing polyline or polygon tables in local projection (non-earth metres) so they can be
overlain with UTM or lat-long data, export the tables as MapInfo Pro MID/MIF files. Open the MIF file
in a text editor and change the CoordSys line to the custom coordinate system. (To make sure the
correct CoordSys line format is used, export a MapInfo Pro table created in the custom coordinate
system as a MID/MIF file and copy and paste the CoordSys line from the MIF file). Once the
CoordSys line is replaced import the MID/MIF back into MapInfo Pro.
Note: You cannot reproject from or to a non-earth coordinate system.
For more information on creating custom projections refer to the MapInfo Pro User Guide Appendix B.
Reprojecting coordinates
• Reprojecting a table
• Reprojecting multiple vector tables
Reprojecting a table
Related tools: Reproject Coordinates
The Reproject Coordinates tool enables data which is captured in one coordinate system to
be reprojected and viewed in a new coordinate system. For example, vector data captured in
Australian AGD84 coordinates can be reprojected into GDA94 coordinates. Vector data can be
reprojected between projected (e.g. UTM), geographic (e.g. lat-long) and custom coordinate systems.
The tool works in the same way as the MapInfo Pro HOME>File>Save Copy As tool but has been
designed specifically to incorporate the NTv2 grid shift transformation parameters for selected
Canadian and Australian projections.
Reproject Coordinates dialog with NTv2 grid shift option

In the Reproject Coordinates dialog box select the table to reproject from the Filename pull-down list.
Only tables currently open in MapInfo Pro are available for reprojection. The native projection of the
table should automatically be populated in the Projection window. If the tool does not recognize the
native table projection a warning message is displayed stating that the projection is not listed in the
Encom.prj file. See below for details on how to update the Encom.prj file.
Note: The projection list available in the MapInfo Discover Coordinate Reproject tool is stored in a
separate file to the MapInfow.prj file. Therefore not all the projections in the MapInfow.prj will be
available for selection in this tool. For example, if you wish to reproject data using a custom
coordinate system clause which has been added to the MapInfow.prj file you will need to copy the
custom projection line into the Encom.prj file located in the
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Common\Projections folder.
By default, a new reprojected table is created using the original table name and a “_reprojected”
extension. To change the output file name click on the new name and modify. Alternatively, click on
the Browse button and select a new name and/or location for the reprojected table.
Note: Check the Use NTv2 grid-shift box when reprojecting images between NAD27 and NAD83
Canadian coordinate systems or AGD66/AGD84 and GDA94 Australian systems. If you are not
familiar with this method see NTv2 transformation for more information about this option.
Reprojecting multiple vector tables

Related tools: Multi-Table Reproject
Save multiple vector tables in another projection. All available open tables are displayed in the
Tables to Reproject list. Use the Open Table button to add another table to the Tables to
Reproject list if necessary. Select the tables to reproject by placing a tick in the table checkbox
or use the Select All button. Click in the table checkbox to unselect a table or use the Unselect All
button.
Click on the New Projection button and choose the new table projection. This projection will then be
displayed in the Target Projection column of the Tables to Reproject window.
A number of options are available to save the reprojected tables. The existing tables may be saved in
the new projection or new tables may be created. These new tables will be created in the original table
directory unless a different directory is specified. The new tables also have the option to be renamed
with a “_reproject” filename extension but this can also be modified to something more applicable if
desired. Click OK to reproject the selected tables.
Note: Multi-Table Reproject uses MapInfo Pro (9.0.2+) method for NTv2 (see NTv2 transformation) for
more details. Alternatively you can use Reproject Coordinates to perform the NTv2 reprojection on
an individual file.
Note: To reproject multiple raster image tables, use the Reproject Image tool.

Generating traverse lines and peg coordinates

Related tools: Traverse Lines
The Traverse Lines tool (previously Local Grid Layout) enables a user to quickly and
interactively design a local grid over an area of interest. A set of grid points (pegs) and traverse
lines with both map (real-world) and local grid coordinates will be generated; these can then be
used for geochemical sampling, drilling or geophysical surveys.
Note: This tool is not designed to convert coordinates between coordinate systems. For this task, see
Coordinate transformations.

Traverse lines created over a prospective magnetic feature.
To create traverse lines:

1. Open the background datasets into a mapper window (e.g. interpreted geology, aero-magnetics,
gravity, regional surface sampling). Set the view to encompass the target area, and use MapInfo
Pro Ruler tool to approximately gauge the width (line length) and length (baseline length) of this
area.
2. Select DRILLHOLES>Create>Traverse Lines. The Traverse Lines dialog box is displayed.
3. From the Grid Type tab, select Traverse/Cross Line Orientation.
4. From the Grid Parameters tab, click the Define Interactively on Map button. In the mapper
window, draw the initial traverse line by clicking on its start point, and while holding down the
mouse button, moving the mouse to the end of the line. Release the mouse to complete the line.
5. Under Output Options, click Save to specify a name and location for the output files. By default
a mappable _Point table will be created detailing every peg in both real world and local
coordinates. Enabling the Create Grid as Line File option will additionally create a _Line table
comprising a series of attributed grid lines.
6. Select the Add to Current Mapper Window option.
7. The details of the traverse line are displayed: X and Y start coordinates, traverse line angle, line
length and the projection of the Map window. These paramters can be manually changed in the
dialog, or the line can be redefined by clicking the Define Interactively on Map button again.
8. Specify the local grid coordinates of the start point e.g. 5000E and 10000N

9. As noted in step 1, specify the Baseline Length, and the required Line Spacing (i.e. distance
between grid lines). Press the Calculator button to return the number of lines that will result.
10. Enter the required Peg Spacing: it is likely that you will need to manually adjust the Line Length
(captured automatically via Step 3) to accommodate this value (e.g. from 1125.67m to 1200m).
Check that the line length is divisible by the peg spacing by pressing the Calculator button
11. Click the Preview button at the bottom left of the dialog.
12. To change the dimensions, spacing or orientation of the grid, simply edit the appropriate
parameters in the dialog and press Preview again (this may include redefining the initial grid
cross line). Note that if the generated grid lines have been placed on the wrong side of your initial
grid line, try changing the Grid Direction side at the top right of the dialog. Also if the grid line you
defined interactively is in the middle of the target area, try setting this control to Both.
Traverse lines definition options

Traverse lines can be defined either by specifying the orientation, length and position of:
• the baseline i.e. a line perpendicular to the required traverse/grid lines. This is generally parallel
to anomalism/host rock
• or a traverse/grid cross line, generally perpendicular to the strike of anomalism/host rock

Both options can be defined either by:

• Interactively using the Define Interactively on Map button. In the mapper window, click and hold
the left mouse button at the line start point, and drag the mouse to the line end point, releasing the
button. The lines X/Y coordinates, orientation, length and mapper projection will be automatically
populated into the dialog
• Manually by entering the necessary parameters into the dialog directly, including the required
orientation and Projection
Note: The Traverse Lines tool does not support Latitude/Longitude projections; ensure that the mapper
window is in a UTM projection system.
Grid line parameters
The user can specify any 2 of the following 3 parameters controlling the baseline and the number of
cross lines:
• Baseline Length (may be interactively populated)
• Line Spacing (distance between cross-lines)
• Number of cross-lines
To automatically calculate the 3rd parameter, select the toggle to the left of this parameter: the
Calculator button will move next to this parameter. Select the Calculator button to return the adjacent
parameter.
Note: If the Baseline Length has been populated via interactive definition, it will probably need to be
manually adjusted so that it can be divided by the Line Spacing. Check this by using the Calculator
on the Number of Lines field.
Grid parameters
The user can specify any 2 of the following 3 parameters controlling the grid cross lines:
• Line Length
• Peg Spacing (distance between grid pegs along each line)
• Number of Pegs
To automatically calculate the 3rd parameter, select the toggle to the left of this parameter: the
Calculator button will move next to this parameter. Select the Calculator button to return the adjacent
parameter.
Note: If the Line Length has been populated via interactive definition, it will probably need to be manually
adjusted so that it can be divided by the Peg Spacing. Check this by using the Calculator on the
Number of Pegs field.
Output options
The Traverse Lines tool will generate a table called tablename_Point, where the tablename is
specified using the Save As button. This mappable table will contain a point for each output grid peg,
attributed with the following fields:

• PegNum – Peg number

• Line – Line number
• LocalX – non-earth easting coordinate
• LocalY – non-earth northing coordinate
• East – easting coordinate in the specified UTM projection
• North– northing coordinate in the specified UTM projection
If the Create Grid as Line File option is enabled, an additional mappable table tablename_Line will be
created, containing a series of attributed grid lines attributed with the Line and LocalY fields.
The output grid line file, labelled with the LocalY field.
If a map window other than the original mapper window is made active, enabling the Add to Current
Mapper Window option and pressing Preview will add the traverse lines to this window. This can be
useful when displaying different datasets of covering the same area in different windows (for instance
using the DISCOVER>Windows>Link and Cursor Setup options).
Advanced options
The Advanced Options button provides the following controls:
• First Line No. – allows the initial line number in the output Line field to be set (default 1)
• First Peg No. - allows the initial peg number in the output PegNum field to be set (default 1)
• Peg No. increment - allows the peg number incrementation (default 1) to be altered (e.g. to 10,
20, 30,...)
• Peg No. Prefix – add a prefix to the peg numbers e.g. RH530, RH531, RH532…
• Peg No. Suffix – add a suffix to the peg numbers e.g. 34 west, 35 west, 36 west
• Peg numbers can be set to increase up one line, then follow back down the net line (i.e. zig-zag)
• Alternate grid lines can be offset, allowing the creation of triangular/diamond grids. To accomplish
this, specify an offset of half the Peg Spacing.

A triangular grid created using the Offset option under Advanced Options

12 - Working with map
objects
In this section
Objects and layers 195

Creating objects from a table 195
Creating and editing objects from the keyboard 198
Creating Voronoi polygons 202
Managing and applying object styles 203
Selecting objects 203
Copying, moving and transforming objects 206
Manipulating lines, polylines and polygons 211
Using polyline and polygon attributes 219
Colouring map objects by RGB values 224
Formatting vector objects 225
Cloning object styles 227
Linking objects to external documents 228
Working with map objects
Objects and layers

Before creating and editing objects in a map, the layer on which it is stored must be selectable and
editable. Use the MapInfo Pro Layer Control window to manage the properties of layers in a map.
Use the QUERY>Map Object>Location Info tool to display the browser entries for objects in the
selected table continuously as the cursor moves over the objects in the map window.
See also
Creating objects from a table

Related tools: Object Builder
Use the MODIFY>Create>Object Builder tool to create MapInfo Pro objects from descriptions
stored as coordinates in MapInfo Pro tables or text files.
If you have object descriptions other than points in a text file (in general a list of X and Y coordinate
pairs), the only way MapInfo Pro can import these objects is if the data is initially converted to a MapInfo
Interchange Format (MIF) or Drawing Exchange Format (DXF) file. In most cases this is impractical.
MapInfo Discover provides the ability to create objects from a variety of coordinate types.
In order to use coordinate data with MapInfo Discover, the text file should be opened as a table in
MapInfo Pro. For large files, save the coordinate table to a native MapInfo Pro table for quicker
processing.
For all import formats the coordinate system of the coordinate data must be known. When importing
polyline descriptions, there is the option to convert closed polylines to regions for appropriate formats.
Regions are then created with the current pen and brush styles.
Note: To build objects from Geographical or Longitude/Latitude coordinates, the data structure must be
in a decimal degree format. The Build Objects from Table tool will not accept Degrees, Minute,
Second (DMS) data format. To quickly reformat the DMS data, use the Degree Converter tool
located on the Registered tab of the MapInfo Pro Tool Manager (HOME>Tools).
For details of table structures, see:
• Row delimited polylines
• Column delimited polylines
• Endpoints in one row
Row delimited polylines

Polyline descriptions must have a delimiter to enable MapInfo Discover to determine when the last
node in an object has been read. The delimiter may be either a line between the objects (blank or
otherwise), a change in attribute (such as polygon code) or a value such as “start” or “end” entered into
another column. For each of these cases it needs to be specified which columns contain the X and Y
coordinate information.

If the polylines are delimited by row then MapInfo Discover must know whether to expect a blank line
or a line with a different value in the X or Y coordinate column. Use the Row delimited Polylines to
import objects in the Arc Line format, where the start delimiter line is a sequential record number and
the end delimiter line is “END”.
317822 6994520
317911 6999620
309400 7001427
309400 6994833
233410 7665412
236410 7665499
236410 7668390
233410 7668211
Example of polylines without attributes delimited by a blank line
Import Polylines using row delimiters options dialog
Column delimited polylines

If the polylines are delimited by column, MapInfo Discover must know which column contains the
delimiter and in what form the delimiter takes. Choose the Unique Attribute option if each node in a
polyline is identified by the same attribute value. Use Start Keyword if the start of each polyline is
identified by a word such as START, or use the Start and End Keywords if both the start and end of
each polyline are identified. If using the start/end keyword options, enter the appropriate keywords for
MapInfo Discover to search for.

EL877 317822 6994520

EL877 317911 6999620
EL877 309400 7001427
EL1234 309400 6994833
EL1234 233410 7665412
EL1234 236410 7665499
EL1234 236410 7668390
EL1234 233410 7668211
Example of polylines delimited by a unique identifier in column 1
Import Polylines using column delimiters options dialog
MapInfo Discover provides the option of importing data either as normal X and Y coordinate pairs or
as distance, bearing and elevation triplets. For the latter, the distance is taken to be measured in the
current coordinate system units, the bearing is between 0º and 359º, and the inclination is between
+90º (uphill) and –90º (downhill). If angular elevations have not been measured then MapInfo Discover
assumes the traverse is flat.
For both import options, MapInfo Discover attempts to include any other values found on the first line
of the object description as attributes in the MapInfo Pro table.
Endpoints in one row

The Line on 1 row ASCII import format contains line descriptions with the coordinates of the two
endpoints of the line in one row of the import file/table, as X1, Y1, X2, Y2. For example:
805600, 8475240, 805600, 8475260
If there are any attributes in the ASCII file, they are not carried across to the MapInfo Pro table.

Creating and editing objects from the keyboard

Related tools: Build Object
Use the MODIFY>Create>Build Object tool to create map objects by entering node
coordinates from the keyboard and to edit the node coordinates of a selected object.
Usually when creating map objects, you can draw them using a digitizer or mouse. However, in some
cases you may have an object description in coordinates (such as a property or tenement boundary)
or you may wish to create a polyline or region from a distance/bearing/elevation traverse.
Using MapInfo Discover, you can enter coordinates directly from the keyboard and build simple
objects, such as ellipses, points or lines, or more complex multi-node polylines and polygons. You can
also edit the shape of existing objects by altering the node coordinates.
If you have a list of coordinates already in a text file, use the Build Object tool to create objects
automatically from these coordinates.
If the object that you have defined lies outside the map window extents, the map window is panned to
show the object.
Selecting the object type

In the Objects from Coordinates dialog, select which map layer in which you wish to create the new
object (choose from any layers in the map window or choose to create a new table). MapInfo Discover
then uses the projection of the current map window to draw the objects. You can easily change
projection by selecting a projection with the Favourite Projections option.
Drawing objects by coordinates dialog
You should then nominate the type of object to draw, the units to use and how to specify nodes for
polylines and polygons. If the map window is in a lat-long projection, the XY Units control is set to
Degrees and disabled. If you are entering coordinates in degrees, select between decimal degrees and
degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS). DMS format is dd.mmss, for example 47º 17’ 23.45” would be
entered as 47.172345.

The dialog for entering the coordinate information depends on what type of object you have nominated
to draw.
• Draw a point
• Draw a line
• Draw a polyline/polygon
• Draw an arc, ellipse or rectangle
You can also edit the nodes of a selected object with the Build Object tool:
• Edit node coordinates
Draw a point
Select Point as the Object Type and use the Object Style button to select an appropriate point
symbol. Click on the Enter Coordinates button and key in the X and Y coordinates into the Draw Point
dialog. Click OK to create new point.
Draw a line
Select Line as the Object Type and use the Object Style button to select an appropriate line style.
Two options are available for drawing line objects: Enter Nodes by Coordinates enables a user to
enter the start and end coordinates of the new line. Enter Nodes by Distance, Bearing enables the
user to specify a starting coordinate for the line and then a distance, bearing and inclination to the end
point of the line. Choose the Enter Coordinates button to enter the line information into the Draw Line
dialog:

Draw a polyline/polygon
Select Polyline or Region as the Object Type and use the Object Style button to select an
appropriate line/region style. Two options are available for drawing polyline or region objects: Enter
Nodes by Coordinates and Enter Nodes by Distance, Bearing. Once the appropriate option has
been selected, click on the Enter Coordinates Button.
Define nodes by coordinates

Enter Nodes by Coordinates enables a user to enter a coordinate pair for each polyline or region
node. Use the Add button to add a coordinate pair to the list, and the Edit/Delete buttons to modify the
Current Nodes list. When you have entered all the nodes for the object, click the Done button and the
object is constructed in the appropriate map layer.
The dialog for entry of metric polyline/polygon nodes
Define nodes by distance and bearing

Enter Nodes by Distance, Bearing enables the user to specify a starting coordinate for the polyline
or region and then a distance, bearing and elevation to the next node. Click the Add button, and the
coordinates of the first two points are placed into the Current Nodes list.
Leave or enter the next distance/bearing/elevation value and click Add to place the coordinates of the
next point in the list. If you do not have measured elevations, then leave these as zero. Otherwise,
MapInfo Discover uses negative elevations for down and positive elevations for up.

The dialog for entry of metric polyline/polygon nodes using Distance/Bearing/Elevation
Draw an arc, ellipse or rectangle

Select Arc, Ellipse or Rectangle as the Object Type and use the Object Style button to select an
appropriate line/region style. Click on the Enter Coordinates button.
To draw an ellipse or rectangle, the diametrically opposed corner coordinates of the object need to be
entered. To draw an arc, the diametrically opposed corner coordinates of the arc need to be entered,
along with the start and end angles for the arc.
Edit node coordinates

If you have an object selected when you choose Build Object, MapInfo Discover allows you to edit the
existing node coordinates with the same methods described above. When editing a polyline or
polygon, the Add button allows you to add a node at any position within the object. You are asked
where to place the new node, and the coordinates are then added to the node list. You cannot create
or edit multi-section polylines or regions using this tool in MapInfo Discover.

Creating Voronoi polygons

Related tools: Voronoi Polygons
Use the MODIFY>Create>Voronoi Polygons tool to generate Voronoi polygons from a set of
input points.
Voronoi polygons are polygons that enclose one point with the border of each polygon. The polygon
boundaries are located at the midpoint between neighbouring points. Voronoi Polygons are the
“inverse” of a triangular irregular network and cover an area that may be thought of as the “area of
influence” for that data point. The area within the Voronoi polygon boundary is closer in distance to the
central Voronoi polygon data point than any other data point in the table.
Voronoi Polygons provide a method for creating a surface without interpolation and gridding. In many
cases, for example when analysing coal or mineral sands drillholes, creating a surface of voronoi
polygons based on the drillhole locations may be preferable to gridding.
MapInfo Discover uses the same Voronoi algorithm as MapInfo Pro's standard Voronoi tool; however,
rather than extending polygons to the minimum bounding rectangle of the input points, MapInfo
Discover can automatically clip the resulting polygons to either the convex hull, or an extended buffer
distance past the convex hull, or clipped to a selected polygon region.
Example of Voronoi Polygons generated from sample locations
MapInfo Discover generates Voronoi polygons from selected points in the front map window. By
default, the created Voronoi polygons extend no further than the outer boundary of the group of
selected points (the convex hull). However, the Voronoi polygons may be extended by any distance
outside of the convex hull by specifying the distance in metres or degrees.
A bounding polygon may also be used to contain the extent of the Voronoi polygons. Select the
bounding polygon region, and then also ensure the points are opened in the same map window. Then
select the Voronoi Polygons tool, and a boundary select will be applied to the polygon to select the
objects in the next layer underneath the boundary polygon, regardless of whether the next layer is
selectable/visible or not.

Create Voronoi Polygons dialog
When the polygons are created, they have the same table structure as the points table on which they
were based. This enables the polygons to be easily coloured, queried or thematically mapped.
Managing and applying object styles

Related tools: Picklist Manager
Use the DISCOVER>Data Entry>Setup>Picklist Manager tool to create picklists and manage
object styles. For more information, see:
• Creating and managing picklists
• Applying a single style from a picklist
• Applying multiple styles from a picklist
Selecting objects
MapInfo Discover provides additional methods for selecting map objects:
• Selecting objects by proximity
• Selecting objects by graphical style
Selecting objects by proximity

Related tools: Proximity Search
Use the QUERY>Distance>Proximity Search tool to identify map objects by their spatial
relationship to other map objects. For example, a proximity search could be used to identify
geochemical samples that are located within 2 km of an old mine site. The search can be further
refined to only identify samples that have a gold grade greater or equal to 2 ppm. Alternatively, perform
a proximity search for all significant copper occurrences that fall with 2 km of a selected fault(s).

Create a proximity search for mineral occurrences around a selected fault
1. Select the map object or map objects to search around, e.g. faults.
Note: You can choose more than one object to perform the proximity search around. To quickly select
all map objects in a layer highlight the layer in the Layer Control and choose Select All from the
right-mouse click pop-up menu.
2. Select the QUERY>Distance>Proximity Search tool. The Proximity Search dialog box is
displayed.
3. Choose the layer in the map window that is to be returned in the proximity search (e.g. mineral
occurrence layer). Enter a search buffer Width and appropriate Units to use. The Resolution
value relates to the number of segments used to create the buffer. The higher the resolution, the
smoother the appearance of the buffer. To view the buffer check the Show buffer box and choose
an appropriate Line Style.
The Proximity Search will only select map objects that are located within this buffer zone. If a
number of adjoining map objects are selected one search buffer is created that covers all the
adjoining objects.

4. To refine the selected map objects further check the Where box and use the column and operator
pull-down lists to create an expression similar to that used in an SQL “Where” condition. This
expression informs MapInfo Discover to only select map objects located within the buffer that
meet the specified selection criteria. For example, where the copper grade is greater than or
equal to 2 ppm the mineral deposit type equals Au, etc.
5. The search results may be saved to a user defined file name and location. Otherwise the results
will automatically be saved to a temporary table named PROXSRCH. Selected records may be
displayed in a browser and/or added to the current map window.
Specify a unique map object style to display the selected objects in the map window.
6. Click OK to commence the Proximity Search.
If the Show buffer box is checked, the search buffer is placed into the Cosmetic layer and may be
removed at any time. Existing buffers are not erased by MapInfo Discover when the Proximity Search
is run again.
In the example shown above, each fault is made up of 5 to 10 separate polylines. When they are all
selected, a buffer is created around all adjoining lines.
Use the QUERY>Map Object>Line Orientation tool to insert the fault orientation as an attribute
for each fault line and then create proximity searches to find mineral deposits or samples close
to specifically oriented fault lines, e.g. 40º - 60º.
See also

Related tools: Select by Style
Use the QUERY>Map Object>Select by Style tool to select all objects from a table that have
the same graphical style attributes as the selected object.
The Select by Style Dialog Box displays the style of the selected object and allows the selection criteria
to be altered. By default, MapInfo Discover selects all objects with exactly the same style from the
same layer as the selected object. You can refine the selection criteria to request MapInfo Discover to
select, for example, symbols of the same colour but of any shape or size, or regions of a particular fill
colour regardless of the fill pattern or line style.
To all objects of the same style from a table:
1. With the Select by Style dialog box open, select a graphical object from the map window - all
object types are supported including symbol, lines, polygons and text. An object in the cosmetic
layer may also be selected.
2. Click Get Selected Object Style. The object's properties are displayed.
3. Select which properties to select by. By default all available properties will be used.
4. Now choose which table to search for matching objects from the pull-down list. This can be the
same as the selection table or different table, but not the cosmetic layer.
5. By default the output selection will be named the table name plus "_selection" but this can be
altered. The resulting selection can be opened in a new browser and/or map window.

See also
Selecting objects by proximity
Copying, moving and transforming objects

• Offsetting copies of an object
• Moving, scaling and rotating objects
• Aligning objects
Offsetting copies of an object

Related tools: Offset Object
Use the MODIFY>Move>Offset Object tool to create multiple copies of a selected object at
nominated offsets in the X and Y directions. The selected object can be of any type. Attributes
can be copied from the base object to the offset objects.
Create up to 10,000 objects offset from the selected object by specific distances in the X and Y
directions. Enter X and Y offsets (positive values are up and to the right, negative values are down and
to the left) and the number of objects to create in the X and Y directions (up to 100 in each direction).
MapInfo Discover then creates a matrix of objects.

Check the Retain attributes from selection box to populate the new object records with the browser
attributes from the seed object.
Offset
Duplicating an object (left) by offsetting it in both the X and Y directions (right)
For example, to quickly create a table of mapsheet boundaries:

1. Use the Build Object tool to create the base sheet by keying in the exact coordinates for
corners of the mapsheet.
2. Use Offset Objects to then create a full set of mapsheet boundaries offset from the base
sheet by the X and Y dimensions of the mapsheet.
3. The mapsheet boundary objects can then be used in Scaled Output to quickly produce a
hardcopy map for a specific mapsheet.
Note: You can offset an object by degrees by setting the map units to degrees.
Moving, scaling and rotating objects

Related tools: Transform Object
Use the MODIFY>Move>Transform Object tool to transform one or more objects by applying
shift, scale and/or rotation.
The Object Transform tool provides a simple method to transform multiple objects. This could be used
in circumstances such as rescaling map annotation for a different output scale or shifting and rotating
all map annotation for a different map projection.
MapInfo Discover allows you to perform up to three transform procedures together – for example
rotation followed by a scale and a shift.

Note: The order in which scaling and rotation operations are carried out may produce differing results.
• Shifting – Specify the distance in the map projection units in the X and Y direction to move each
object by. Similar to map units, positive values increase the eastings and northings.
Move
Moving an object by shifting it on both the X and Y directions
• Scaling – Specify the scaling factor for each object. Choose equal scaling in X and Y to retain the
object aspect ratio. You also need to specify the basepoint position for each object, where the
scaling is to be anchored.
Scale
Base
Scaling an object uniformly by specifying equal X and Y axis ratios
• Rotation – Specify the angle to rotate each object by, in degrees anticlockwise from North (use
negative angles to rotate clockwise). You also need to specify the basepoint position for each
object, about which the rotation is performed.

Rotate
Base
Object rotation
The following points should be considered when using Object Transform:

• Transformation of each object is relative to a basepoint in each object.
• If you want to scale and rotate objects relative to one common point, use the
DISCOVER>Projection>Custom Transform tool.
• Scaling of points is not meaningful.
Aligning objects
Related tools: Align Objects
Use the MODIFY>Move>Align Objects tool to align two or more map objects. For example, you
can use this tool to create professional looking legends by aligning legend map objects and text
descriptions.
Any type of map object or combinations thereof including points, lines, polylines, polygons/regions or
text may be aligned. To align map objects, select the map objects using any of the standard selection
tools and select the MODIFY>Move>Align Objects tool. The Align Objects dialog box is displayed:
Align Object dialog

Map objects can be aligned with respect to each other vertically or horizontally. When aligning map
objects all selected objects will be aligned with the map object that has the greatest extent according
to the alignment selected. For example, a Left Vertical alignment will align selected map objects with
respect to the selected map object which is located the furthest to the left/east in the map window. The
opposite applies for the right/west of the map window for a Right Vertical alignment. Vertical Centre
alignment will align selected map objects with respect to the centre of the selected map object with the
greatest horizontal extent in the selection.
Align
Applying Vertical Centre and Horizontal Centre alignment options to map objects (left) results in the smaller object aligning
itself to the larger map object (right).
Map objects can also be aligned with respect to each other in a horizontal direction. Top Horizontal
alignment will align selected map objects with respect to the selected map object which is located the
furthest to the top/north in the map window. The opposite applies for the bottom/south of the map
window for a Bottom Horizontal alignment. Horizontal Centre alignment will align selected map
objects with respect to the centre of the selected map object with the greatest vertical extent in the
selection.
To equally distribute a group of map objects along the Vertical or Horizontal axes, use the Disperse
Vertical and Disperse Horizontal options. For example, if five objects are selected to be dispersed
horizontally, the three intermediary objects will be distributed evenly between the X coordinates of the
two end objects.
Note that for the Disperse options, coincident points (where the centroids of multiple objects are
identical) can either be treated as:
• Separate points (default), or
• As a single point so they are not separated. This is enabled by the Keep coincident points
coincident when dispersing option.
If the position of the aligned map objects is not correct use the Undo button to return the map objects
to their original position. The Undo button will only undo the last alignment and only if the original
selection has not changed.

Manipulating lines, polylines and polygons

• Smoothing
• Thinning
• Cutting
• Joining
• Inserting nodes
• Reversing line direction
• Creating donut polygons
• Clipping
Smoothing
Related tools: Smooth Lines
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Smooth Lines tool to improve the appearance of digitized
linework by smoothing abrupt changes in direction.The line smoother works by interpolating a
spline curve through the selected polylines and adding nodes where necessary.
Note: This is in contrast to MapInfo Pro smoothing which is a running average type smoothing and
operates on-the-fly. MapInfo Discover stores extra nodes for a smoothed polyline.
Smooth Lines tool: the original polyline (green) and the smoothed polyline (red).
Poor results are obtained when a minimum number of nodes define a polyline. For example, if a
polyline in the shape of a rectangle is defined by only four nodes, the line smoother modifies the
fundamental shape and produces an elliptical shaped polyline.
The polyline smoother can be used to overwrite a polyline with the smoothed line or write the smoothed
line to a separate table. If the smoothed polyline is written to a different table, then data attributes are
only carried across with the polyline if the structure of the two tables is identical.
MapInfo Discover does not smooth polygons, because of the danger of destroying topology
relationships between adjacent polygons that share boundaries. In general, if such polygons are
smoothed, then the resulting boundaries have small areas of gaps and overlap.

Thinning
You may wish to use the thin polyline options when you are using detailed data at a much smaller scale
than it was digitized at. For example, you may wish to make a less detailed copy of a complex piece of
coastline. MapInfo Discover provides two methods of thinning polylines and polygons:
• Removing every nth node
• Removing nodes in flat segments
For more thinning options, see the SPATIAL>Edit>Fix/Clean>Snap/Thin tool.
Removing every nth node

Related tools: Thin Node Number
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Nodes>Thin Node Number tool to decrease the number of nodes in
the selected polylines or regions by removing every nth node.
Node Thinning dialog
Select the polylines or regions to thin (use any of the MapInfo Pro selection methods) and then
nominate a node thinning factor. MapInfo Discover allows you to discard from 5% (1 in 20) to 95% (19
out of every 20) of the nodes in the selected objects.
This method of thinning polylines and regions may not produce acceptable results on some data sets
such as geological boundaries and you may need to use the second thinning method described below.
MapInfo Discover allows you to calculate statistics on the selection of polylines before you nominate a
thinning factor. If you wish to retain the original, more detailed, data set make sure to save the
processed data under a different name. Use the MapInfo Pro HOME>File>Save Copy As tool.
Note: Do not thin regions that have adjoining regions as common boundaries will not necessarily remain
the same.
Removing nodes in flat segments

Related tools: Thin Node Position
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Nodes>Thin Node Position tool to decrease the number of nodes in
the selected polylines or regions by removing those nodes that lie within a tolerance angle of
adjacent nodes.
Use this method of thinning nodes in a polyline or region for most natural and geological map objects
such as contours or geological boundary lines.

Node thinning by scale or size
You define the sub-sampling to be carried out on the selected objects by specifying either a thinning
width or a thinning scale. For a nominated thinning width, MapInfo Discover examines the first three
nodes in the object. If the second node lies within the thinning width of a line joining the first and third
nodes, then it is discarded, otherwise it is kept and the second to fourth nodes are examined.
For the thinning scale, the same process is carried out with a thinning width implied by the specified
scale. The thinning width is calculated as 1 thousandth of the specified map scale, so that for a map
scale of 1:10,000 a thinning width of 10 m (or whatever current units are in use) is implied.
Use the Thin for scale option when you know what scale you are viewing your data at. Otherwise, use
the Thinning width option if you know what size features and level of detail you need to retain.
Cutting
Related tools: Line Cut
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Line Cut tool to cut line, polyline and polygon objects (not points
or text) with a line that crosses the objects.
Selected the objects to cut, then select MODIFY>Lines>Line Cut. MapInfo Discover then prompts you
to select the line to perform the cutting operation. As soon as you have selected a line, MapInfo
Discover carries out the cutting operation.
If MapInfo Discover displays a message such as “An error occurred overlaying nodes”, the cutting
operation is not completed and you should check the results.
For more splitting and cutting options, see:
• Clipping
• Creating donut polygons
• The MapInfo Pro tools under SPATIAL>Edit>Split

Joining
Related tools: Line Join
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Line Join tool to join lines within a specified distance and angle
of each other.
Line or polyline data such as drainage, roads/tracks, pipelines or other utilities can sometimes be
received as a series of disjointed line segments whereby it is necessary to combine them into single
objects. The Line Join tool enables line segments which are located within a specified distance and
within a specified angle from each other to be combined into a single continuous linear object.
The lines or polylines to be concatenated must be selected in the map window prior to choosing Line
Join from the MODIFY tab.
Line Concatenate options
In the Concatenation Parameters enter a maximum distance in which to join lines. Enter a maximum
angle between line segments to join. Lines will be joined where the start or end node is within the
entered distance and angle to the start or end node of another line segment. Options are available to
stop joining lines where multiple line options are found within either the entered search distance or
angle. This will prevent incorrect joins being automatically created but may require some manual
editing using the Line Join tool at a later stage.
Another way of filtering the lines to join is to use an attribute field. Lines will only be joined which are
within the entered search distance and angle and which have the same attribute value; e.g. drainage
classifications or tool types. To use this option check the Join lines by value in column box and select
the attribute field from the pull-down list.
The resulting concatenated lines may be created in the original line table or check the Operate on
copy of data box to create a new table containing the joined linework.

Line segments to concatenate
Resulting concatenated lines
Note: If the joined lines are created in the same table, the TABLE>Selection>Revert tool can be used
to return to the original segmented line work so long as the table has not been saved. If it looks like
there are still joined lines after using this menu option, zoom in the map window to refresh the view.
To remove deleted (grey) rows from the browser of the original table select
TABLE>Selection>Save and then TABLE>Content>Table>Pack Table.
Inserting nodes
Related tools: Insert Nodes
Use the MODIFY>Update>Nodes>Insert Nodes tool to insert nodes at specified intervals from
the beginning of a line or into polylines/polygons at regular spacings between existing nodes.
Note that the MapInfo Pro Add Node tool only allows one node to be added at a time to an object.
Whereas the MapInfo Discover Insert Nodes tool enables multiple nodes to be added to line, polyline
or polygon objects in a single pass.
In certain situations it may be necessary to increase the density of nodes within a polyline or polygon
object. For example, when gridding contour or other line data and when performing detailed object
editing whilst digitizing. Aside from increasing node density between nodes in existing polyline or
polygon objects, nodes can also be inserted at specific intervals along a straight line object. This option
could be used to plan geochemical sampling programs or ground geophysical surveys.
Nodes can be inserted into a map window selection or in all objects in a table. If a map window
selection is used, select the objects prior to choosing Insert Nodes tool.

Once you have selected the objects into which the nodes are to be inserted, the Insert Nodes dialog
is displayed.
Two Insert Node Options are available:

• Insert Nodes at fixed intervals from start of line
Use this option for line objects (lines with start and end nodes only). Enter the desired interval into
the Enter Maximum Node Spacing window and choose the appropriate units from the pull-down
list.
• Insert Nodes at regular intervals between existing nodes so interval does not exceed maximum
node spacing
This option will initially measure the distance between the existing nodes and if the distance
between these nodes exceeds the distance entered into the Enter Maximum Node Spacing
window then a new node will be inserted mid-way between these nodes. If the distance between
the newly inserted node and the nodes either side still exceed the maximum node spacing then
another node is inserted mid-way between the nodes. This process will continue until the distance
between all nodes in the object is equal to or falls below the maximum node spacing.
To view the nodes once they have been created make sure the table it editable in the map
window. Select a single object and use the Reshape button to view all the nodes in a table.
Note: To create point objects from nodes within a map object, use the Extract Nodes tool. This is
particularly useful for creating points from nodes inserted along line at regular intervals.
Reversing line direction

Related tools: Reverse Line
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Reverse Line tool to reverse the drawing direction of selected
polylines or regions.
Use this tool to ensure that polyline coverage for drainage, roads etc. have a consistent line direction.
This is important for providing indications of direction of flow, or when creating worm diagrams for
stream sampling data.
To use, select the polylines or regions you want to change the direction of, and then select Reverse
Line.

Creating donut polygons

Related tools: Donut Polygons
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Donut Polygons tool when a polygon map contains overlapping or in-
lying polygons to cut-out or excise the smaller polygons from the larger ones.
Geological maps commonly show geological units occurring within or cutting across other geological
units. For example, a dolerite dyke may cut across a sandstone unit or a conglomerate may lie within
a greywacke unit. In MapInfo Pro, you must be careful that this situation is handled correctly.
For example, consider there are two geological boundaries in a layer, one inside the other. The outer
one is a Cainozoic unit, the inner one a granite intrusion. If you use the MapInfo Pro Select tool to click
on the Cainozoic unit, the selected region includes the area of the granite. This inner boundary needs
to be cut out or excised from the outer boundary, so that the outer boundary appears like a donut.
When this is achieved and you report on all mineral occurrences within the Cainozoic unit, it correctly
ignores those occurrences that fall within the in-lying granite polygon.
MapInfo Discover allows you to cut out all overlapping polygons for an entire polygon table in one step.
All the attributes that have previously been associated with the polygons are preserved. The cutting is
performed on the basis of polygon area with smaller polygons always being excised from larger
polygons.
All you need to specify are the names for the input and output files. As MapInfo Discover processes
the polygons, it may come across some cases that cannot be satisfactorily cut out. In this case a
message is written to the file DONUT.ERR in the temporary files folder.
The processing may take quite some time to complete. The more polygons and the larger the polygons,
the longer it takes to process the table. To decrease processing time, you should ensure that the table
to be processed is not open in a map window (so that MapInfo Pro does not spend extra time redrawing
the window each time an object is modified).
Note: If the data being processed has not been accurately digitized (for example, polygons overlap many
times along a common boundary) then MapInfo Discover may take a lot longer than expected as
it attempts to ensure that no overlapping polygons remain in the map.

Clipping
Related tools: Vector Clip
Use the QUERY>Map Object>Vector Clip tool to discard data that lies outside a selected
region, clipping the retained data at the region boundary. The clipped data may be written to new
tables in the same folder or to a new folder.
Note: Vector Clip does not clip objects contained in the Cosmetic layer.
You can use Vector Clip to create subsets of data from larger data sets. For example, you may wish
to keep all data for a particular tenement in one folder. You can display all your data in a map window
and select the required tenement boundary. MapInfo Discover can then discard all data that doesn’t lie
within the tenement. This allows you to easily distribute the data for just that tenement or produce maps
showing only the relevant data. This can also be a great way of producing vector data subsets for
relinquishment reports.
Whilst this can be fairly straightforward to do in MapInfo Pro with one layer, it is very time consuming
to do for multi-layered data sets. MapInfo Discover works with an unlimited number of layers, allowing
unsupervised clipping to be performed with just a few mouse clicks.
Note: To clip raster images, use the IMAGES>Image Tools>Clip Image tool.
Polygon clipping options

Choose between clipping outside and clipping inside the selected polygon. Clipping outside
removes all data lying outside the polygon, whilst clipping inside removes data lying within the polygon.
MapInfo Discover uses a combination of techniques to discard the data that is to be clipped.
For clipping outside, objects that lie totally outside the selected polygon are discarded. Similarly,
objects that lie totally within the polygon are kept without editing. For lines, polylines and regions that
lie across the boundary of the selected polygon, these objects are simply split. Other objects such as
arcs, rectangles and ellipses are converted to polylines or regions and then split. For text objects, if the
centroid of the text lies within the selected polygon, the text is retained, otherwise it is discarded (text
objects cannot be split).
Polygon clipping data tables

MapInfo Discover lists all of the tables displayed in the map window that can be clipped. Raster images
and thematic layers are ignored. If you wish to leave a table out of the clipping operation uncheck the
checkbox to the right of the table name. The table name is greyed out to show that it is not to be clipped.
By default, MapInfo Discover suggests that you do not edit your existing data, but copy the clipped data
to new tables with similar names to the original tables. The clipped tables contain the original file name
followed by a “_CLIP” or user-defined suffix.

Clip Layer Dialog showing clipping options and default clip suffix
When you click OK, MapInfo Discover asks which folder to save the new tables to (if operating on a
copy of the data). When the clipping operation is carried out, all tables are packed and saved, and
removed from the map window. Any thematic layers in the original map window are discarded, so you
should ensure that you have a workspace saved prior to re-running the Clip to Polygon command.
You cannot undo a Clip to Polygon operation, and for this reason we recommend that you operate on
a copy of the original data.
Using polyline and polygon attributes

• Assigning values to and from polygons
• Calculating line orientation
• Extracting nodes
• Calculating area change
Assigning values to and from polygons

Related tools: Assign Values
Use the ANALYSIS>Statistics>Assign Values tool to assign aggregate values using data
attributes from map objects in one table to the containing polygon map objects in another table.
For example, assign the median Au rock-chip sample value to the surrounding geological unit
polygon from which a number of rock chip samples are taken.
Alternatively, use the Assign Values tool to assign polygon data attributes in one table to contained
map objects in another table. For example, assign the underlying mapped geological unit to all soil
samples that are taken within this boundary.
Note: Assign Values is a more intuitive version of TABLE>Browser Tools>Update Column.
Specify the Assignment relationship between the two tables. Choose the From Table and from
column via the pull-down lists for the table that contains the value to assign. Choose the To Table and
to column via the pull-down lists for the table that is to be updated with the assigned value. The
method of operation is chosen in the Assign Direction control. Choose to assign from Contents to
Container or from Container to Contents.

Assigning values from one table column to another with a selectable operator
The data to be aggregated or assigned does need to be in the selected data column but may be
specified using an Expression similar to that used in various other MapInfo Pro functions. Select
Expression in from column or to column pull-down and enter in the correct syntax.
The chosen Assign Direction method will influence the Assignment operators available for
selection.
Contents to Container
If the Contents to Container assign direction is selected a number of aggregate Assignment
operators are available:
• Frequency
• Minimum
• Maximum
• Sum
• Mean
• Median
• Weighted Mean (mean weighted by the value of another column in the contents table)
• Standard Deviation
• Mean weighted by area (multiplied by a scale factor from 106 to 10-6)
The Contents to Container method can be used calculate the mean assay value of stream sediment
samples weighted by catchment area or to construct a simple density map by assigning the number of
mineralized samples within grid squares to the grid squares.
Container to Contents
Use the Container to Contents method to assign a data value such as catchment ID or lithology from
polygons to the points or map objects that lie within the polygons. MapInfo Discover assigns the
individual value from each polygon to the contained objects. The individual value may be created from
an Expression.

Calculating line orientation

Related tools: Line Orientation
Use the QUERY>Map Object>Line Orientation tool to store the orientation of selected lines
as an attribute.
This feature is useful when analysing tables containing linear map objects such as faults, fold axes or
creeks where no directional attributes exist. The Line Orientation tool can be used to obtain the
orientation of a line or polyline and add the direction as an attribute into a selected column in the table.
Line Orientation dialog
Select the column to add the line orientation attribute from the Add Line Orientation to Column pull-
down list. The direction is generally the average orientation for each polyline although options to record
the orientation of the First segment or Last segment are available. In the Use Angles in Range
choose the desired angle range from 0-360, 0-180 or 180-360 for recording the line orientation
attribute. Select a Round By interval from the pull-down list.
Click OK to update the table with the line orientation data.
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Reverse Line tool to reverse the direction of lines if necessary.
Extracting nodes
Related tools: Extract Nodes
Use the MODIFY>Update>Nodes>Extract Nodes tool to extract nodes or line segments from
a polyline or polygon. For example, extract nodes from contour lines and reprocess the three-
dimensional point data to create a new interpolation grid. Extracted node coordinates from
polylines or polygons are added to a new table as attributes with the option to display the node point
objects in a map window. Extracted line segments are automatically displayed in a map window.
Select the polyline or polygons to use in the extraction and choose the Extract Nodes tool. The Node
Extraction dialog is displayed:

Node Extraction dialog.
Select the Extraction Type. If the Extract Points option is selected the Extraction Options will
become available, so you can select an appropriate symbol style. The extracted node points are
created in the same projection as the base polyline or polygon table. All columns in the base table will
be added to the extracted node table.
For detailed linework, it may not be necessary to extract every node as a point. In this case enter a
number greater than 1 in the Extract every n nodes control. For example, Extract very 4 nodes will
extract every 4th node in the selected objects. Enter a file name and location to store the extracted
nodes.
Note: Nodes cannot be extracted from map objects in the Cosmetic layer.
Calculating area change

Related tools: Area Change
Use the QUERY>Distance>Area Change tool to quantify and map changes in area or linear
features between successive tables of data. For example, the Area Change comparator can be
used to examine polygon changes between two mapped tables representing data from different
time periods.
The area change comparison is based on the polygon attributes contained in a column specified by the
user. This column may contain data such as vegetation type, habitat ID, soil class, erosion level, etc.
MapInfo Discover groups all the polygons in a table by this attribute and identifies differences between
polygons of the same code in the different map layers. The area change calculator is primarily
designed for polygon data; however it can also report differences in overall length of linear data and
the number of point objects between two tables. Select Compute Area Change from the Data Utilities
menu option to display the Compute Area Change dialog:

Area Change dialog set-up to perform a detailed comparison between the two areas. Regions that have changed in size and
shape is displayed in different patterns as areas gained and lost
Select the two tables to compare from the Table1 and Table2 pull-down lists. Select the polygon (line
or point) attribute column to compare. MapInfo Discover automatically assigns a default report table
and map table name and destination. Use the Report Table and Map Table buttons to assign new
names and locations if desired. A tab-delimited text file export option is also available: the text file is
saved to the same directory as the Report Table, with the same name.
The report produced by MapInfo Discover lists for each unique attributed code:
• the old and new areas
• the area change (actual and percentage)
• the old and new polygon perimeter
• the perimeter change (actual and percentage)
• the number of old vs. new polygons/areas
If the Show codes lost to/gained from box is checked, a Change field will additionally report on which
attribute codes have either lost or gained in area.
In order for MapInfo Discover to display the area change information visibly in a map, the Lost area
style and Gained area style should be set. MapInfo Discover can use the original colour of the
polygons and apply a different pattern to show whether area has been lost or gained. Alternatively,
MapInfo Discover can retain the original pattern of the polygons and use a different colour to show area
change. With either of these two options, the display of the changed area retains some of the display
attributes of the original data. The user can also specify a new style to show all gained areas and a
different style to show all lost areas. In this case, all lost areas are displayed in the same style,
regardless of their map code.

Map window is opened on completion of Area Change computation. Note area gained or area lost displayed in different
patterns
Colouring map objects by RGB values

Related tools: RGB Colourizer
Use the MODIFY>Edit>RGB Colourizer tool to colour map objects based on RGB colour
schemes entered as attributes in a table. The RGB Colourizer can also be used to extract RGB
values from point, line or polygon map objects and save them into a table as attribute data.
RGB Colourizer single column and multi-column options

1. Select the table containing the map objects from the Select Table pull-down list.
2. Select the RGB Update Method:
• Update Object Colours – colour map objects based on RGB values stored in the table
• Update Column Values - extract the RGB colour values from each map object and save
them back to the table
3. The Colour Mapping options determine the RGB format to be used. The MapInfo Discover RGB
Colourizer can read colour values stored in either single or multi column format. The columns
that store the RGB values can be numeric or character data types. MapInfo Discover can also
read or store colour values in BGR format.
• Multi Column format - Red, Green and Blue values are each stored in a separate column,
e.g. Red (199) Green (181) Blue (181).
• Single Column format - Red, Green and Blue values have a formula applied to them to
create a single number string. Using the above example, the corresponding single RGB value
is as follows:
Red (199) * 65536 + Green (181) * 256 + Blue (181) = 13088181
Note: When extracting the RGB values from map objects the single or multiple RGB columns must
already exist in the table. If the table does not contain these column(s) use the
TABLE>Maintenance>Table Structure tool to add the required columns to the table.
4. The default output option is to create a new table with the updated coloured map objects or
extracted RGB values. The new table is named using the original source table with a
“_Colourized” extension. To change the output table name or location, click on the Save button.
The map objects or columns in the original table may be directly updated by selecting the Change
Source Table output option. This option will cause the map objects in the table to be permanently
coloured according to the Colour Mapping column or columns selected.
Note: The Change Source Table option is irreversible. Make sure that the RGB column or columns
selected for colouring map objects are correct as map objects can be coloured according to any
numerical values in the selected columns. It is recommended that a copy of the source table be
saved prior to using this tool or the Create New Table output is used.
Formatting vector objects

Related tools: Plot Vectors
Use the ANALYSIS>Display>Plot Vectors tool to display velocity or flow data as oriented
vectors with either a fixed vector length or with a length proportional to a magnitude attribute in
the point source table.
The Plot Vectors tool provides quick visualization of vector (magnitude and orientation) data in map
view. For example, water flow, soil creep, erosion rate, dune movement or any surface measurement
which has a magnitude and direction component can be represented in this way. To use the Plot
Vectors tool, a table must contain mapped point locations, with attribute columns for the position
coordinates (Easting and Northing) and the vector azimuth. An optional column can also be added to
control the length of the vector magnitude.

Plot Vectors dialog
1. Select ANALYSIS>Display>Plot Vectors. The Plot Vectors dialog box is displayed.

2. Select the table to create the vectors from the pull-down list.
3. Select the appropriate columns for Easting, Northing, Azimuth and Magnitude (optional).
4. From the Vector Type control, choose Vector to create vector arrows that will be proportional in
length to the magnitude of the selected data column or Scalar to create vector arrows of the
same length.
5. Select a vector Scale and Arrow Style. Adjust the length and aspect ratio of the Arrow Head and
adjust the distance units, to suit the map scale in which you are working.
MapInfo Discover will create orientated arrows at each point location according to the column
information specified. You can elect to output the vectors to either the Cosmetic layer (default option),
create a New Table to hold the vectors or to overwrite the existing points in the current vector table. If
the original point symbols are overwritten and you wish to restore them, re-run Plot Vectors and select
the Re-create Points option. Adjust the vector scaling by again re-running the tool on the same data.
The soil creep data is displayed as oriented arrows, the arrow length being proportional to the soil creep magnitude

Cloning object styles

Related tools: Clone Style
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Clone Style tool to copy the style of a selected point, line, polyline,
region or text object. This style can then be applied to selected map objects in the current or
another mapper window.
Clone Style dialog
Open the Clone Style dialog. In a map window. select the object to copy the style from, and press the
Copy Style button. The Clone Style tool will automatically detect and display all style attributes for the
selected object.
To apply the style to other objects, check or uncheck the parameters to apply in the Paste Style
Options pane. Select the target object/s to apply the style to (in the same or another map window),
and press the Paste Style button.

Clone Style dialogs for line, region, symbol, and text objects
Linking objects to external documents

Note: MapInfo Discover provides a number of tools and shortcuts to assist with setting up and using
Mapinfo Pro hotlinks within TAB file layers. For more information on using hotlinks, see
“Specialized Topics in MapInfo Pro” in the Mapinfo Pro User Guide.
You can hotlink external documents to map objects so that they are displayed when the object is
seloected in a map window. For example, you can link drillhole core photographs to drillhole collar.
When the collar is selected in the map window the core photo is displayed. Or you might link a
tenement report to a tenement boundary polygon.

Hotlinking documents or files to map objects can be used to integrate spatial data in your GIS system
with data stored in other external file formats. A map object may have one or more linked documents.
When there is more than one document to display a list of linked documents is available for selection.
Some of the more common linked document file types include:
• MapInfo table or workspace – If the document is a MapInfo Pro workspace or a MapInfo Pro
table, the table is opened within the current instance of MapInfo Pro.
• Text files – Files with the extension .TXT are opened using Notepad. Larger text files will be
opened using WordPad.
• Word/Excel/Access, etc – These files are opened if there is a recognized application registered
with the operating system. Therefore a .DOC file is opened using Microsoft Word, an .XLS file is
opened with Microsoft Excel, etc., provided this application is present on the operating system. If
there is no application registered with Windows for the linked document, MapInfo Discover will
display an error message.
Note: Each time a document is requested to be displayed, a new instance of the associated application
is started.
• Raster Images - If the document to be displayed for the selected object is in a recognized raster
format (such as BMP or TIF), the image is automatically registered and displayed as a MapInfo
Pro image file. Georeferenced images will be displayed as geographically registered images.
If the linked document is an image that has not been registered, MapInfo Discover will automatically
register the image in a non-earth projection and then display it in a new map window. This feature can
be used to display photos of mineralization, thin sections or field sketches by clicking on sites of interest
in the map window.
If the image is registered in an area that lies within the current map window, then the image is loaded
into this map window. If this occurs, the projection of the map window may change as MapInfo Pro
adjusts the map window projection to the image base projection. The projection of an image overrides
any other file type projections within the map window. Therefore any vector data present within the map
window will be warped to fit the image projection.
If two or more images are displayed in the same map window, the projection of the larger image will
take precedence. If an image has already been registered, but does not fall within the map window
(such as a location photo already registered into a non-earth projection), the image is opened in a new
map window.
Using MapInfo Discover with registered images allows the creation of a graphical imagery index. For
example, the outlines of a series of remote sensing images may have been saved as polygons. Each
of these polygons can be associated with the name of the image file that it represents. When a polygon
is selected, the associated image can be displayed in the map window.
Any number of images can be linked to one map object and these can all be displayed simultaneously.
The images can then be added to the layout window and printed out alongside the map objects to
which they are associated.
Hotlinking involves the following steps:
1. Set up the Hotlink field in the object table (see Setting up hotlinks).
2. Associate map objects with external documents (see Creating a hotlink).
3. Display linked documents (see Opening hotlinked documents)

Setting up hotlinks
Related tools: Setup Hotlink
Note: Alternatively, use the Hotlink options in the MapInfo Pro Layer Control.
To link a document with a map object the full document file path must be entered into a field in
the table next to the corresponding map object record. Select the
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Setup Hotlink tool and in the Setup Hotlink dialog, choose the
table and the column(s) to store the file path information.
The hotlink field may be created prior to entering the file path details using the
TABLE>Content>Table>Modify Structure menu option. Alternatively, click on the New Field button
to add a new hotlink field to the selected table. By default the new field is named Hotlink and is 255
characters in size although these parameters can be changed if desired. Make sure all hotlink fields
are checked and click OK to proceed.
Creating a hotlink
Related tools: Create Hotlink
Select one map object from the table in the map window to enter the linked document details.
Choose DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Create Hotlink. The Select document to associate
with map object dialog is displayed.

Browse to the desired directory and select the document to link to the map object and click Open. In
the Hotlink Selection dialog choose the hotlink field to store the document file path.
Click OK to finish. To permanently save the linked document file path, use the HOME>File>Save
Table tool.
To link multiple documents keep the map object selected, choose Hotlink Documents and browse to
the location of the new document to link. Choose a different Hotlink field to store the file path details.
The only limit to the number of documents that can be linked to an object is the maximum number of
columns that a MapInfo Pro table can contain (240). The same document can be linked to any number
of map objects.
Note: You can also manually enter document names into appropriate record fields.

Opening hotlinked documents

Related tools: Open Hotlink
Note: Alternatively, use the Hotlink options in the MapInfo Pro Layer Control.
Select a map object in the map window and select DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Open
Hotlink. If there is only one linked document, the document will be opened into MapInfo Pro or
a separate application. If there is more than one document linked to the map object, select the
desired document and the Preferred View from the list in the Display Document dialog.

13 - Map making
In this section
Creating scaled maps 234

Add a map grid 245
Add a scaled frame to a layout 248
Add a title block and scale bar 248
Add a map legend 251
Add and format text and labels 255
Apply transparent fill patterns 262
Apply geological line styles and line annotations 264
Map making

Related tools: Scaled Output
The Scaled Output tool simplifies the creation of scaled hard-copy output from a map window.
To produce an accurately scaled map using MapInfo Discover, firstly open the map window, add
all the required layers and change layer settings as appropriate, and then select
DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Scaled Output. The Scaled Output dialog box is displayed,
from which you can set the map scale and frame size, position the map in the frame, and add or remove
components, such as a map grid, title block, and a scale bar, and then create the scaled output layout.
The following tools are provided in MapInfo Discover (available under DISCOVER>Output>Scaled
Output) to create and manage your scaled output layouts:
• Scaled Output starts a new scaled output session for the current mapper window.
• Accept Parameters creates or re-creates the layout using the current scaled output settings.
• Modify Parameters re-opens the Scaled Output tool so that you can modify the scaled output
settings.
• Restore restores the scaled map view after zooming and panning.
• Close ends the scaled output session.
The steps involved in creating scaled output are:
1. Select the map scale and size
Select the output map scale and size, and paper size required
1. Select the page size and frame
Select the paper size and page frame required
2. Choose a map grid, title block and scale bar
Select the extra components to include: map grid, title block and scale bar

Map making
3. Position the scaled output map

Refine the map position, scale and size
4. Accept output settings and create the layout
Specify the map grid and title block parameters and create the layout
5. Print a scaled output layout
Save or print the map
A scaled map inserted into a Layout window by MapInfo Discover Scaled Output
See also
Print a scaled output layout
Modifying a scaled output layout
Preserving the linked, source map window
Creating additional scaled output maps
Standard map sheets
Scaled output hints

Map making
Select the map scale and size

A range of pre-set map scales are available, or a custom scale can be specified. Selecting a pre-set
scale will modify the Map Size dimensions (real world extents) displayed in the Actual Map Size box
(the units of measure are defined by the Options>Preferences>System Settings parameters). The
Map Size value will also be altered by the frame size (see Select the page size and frame) selected.
If a custom scale is specified, the Map Size will not update until the Preview button is clicked.
See also
Select the page size and frame
Position the scaled output map
Standard map sheets

Selecting a frame size from the Frame Setup list defines the size and position of the frame that
MapInfo Discover places into the layout window. This frame contains the map window and the size (in
centimetres) is shown in the Actual Map Size box.
Note: The frame size and orientation set here (for example, A3 Landscape) does not change the Printer
Setup. Select HOME>Output>Page Setup to alter printer settings. When the Layout window is
opened, it will be apparent whether the Print setup matches the selected frame size.
Alternatively, if a rectangle is selected in the Map Window before opening Scaled Output, this
rectangle is used as the frame size.
Note: The page size for the Layout window can only be altered after the Layout window has been
created. If you would like to set a preferred printer and page size, select
PRO>Options>Devices>Printer.
MapInfo Discover is shipped with a set of standard frame settings for all the common page sizes (see
Standard map sheets). You can view, edit and add to the list of page settings by choosing the
Configure button on the Scaled Output dialog. The Scaled Output Configuration dialog box is
displayed.

Map making
When creating a new frame setting, select the page size on which you wish to base the frame and then
alter the margins and frame positions. MapInfo Discover allows you to base the frame on any page size
in the groups A0-A5, B1-B5, C1-C5, and A-F.
You generally need to adjust your frame size to account for non-printing margins (which are different
on different printers and different page layouts).
The Non-Printing Margins define the area around the page edge which your printer cannot use (refer
to set-up information for your printer). In the layout window, these are the light grey margins. The Map
Frame Position offsets define the position of the lower left corner of the map frame within the printing
area. Choose Save Settings and give your new settings a name (for example, A4 Top), then choose
OK to return to the Scaled Output dialog.
Note: The Non-Printing Margins settings are separate from the Map Frame Position. Therefore, if you
increase the margin size, you will need to reduce the corresponding frame height/width to maintain
a total frame size/position that fits within the paper size.
To remove a Frame Setting from the list, click Remove under the Maintain Frame Settings List
control and select the frame to delete from the pull-down list.
Note: The Printer Setup is not stored with the MapInfo Discover Page Setup list.
The Maintain Titleblock List control enables custom title blocks to be available for selection when
using Scaled Output. Custom title blocks are configured to user-defined specifications and may contain
company logos. Click on the Add button to add a new title block to the title block list. Use the Remove
button to delete a title block from the list. See Add a title block and scale bar and Customizing title
blocks for more information on creating your own title blocks.
During the Scaled Output process the map window is re-sized relative to the layout window. Depending
on the screen resolution of your computer the resulting map window may appear very small or parts
may even appear off screen. To change the dimensions of the scaled output map window enter new
width and height values into the Max Windows Dimensions.
See also
Standard map sheets
Add a title block and scale bar

Map making
Customizing title blocks

Choose a map grid, title block and scale bar

By default, the Draw Grid option is selected. To produce a map with no map grid, clear the check box.
When MapInfo Discover draws a map grid, the grid is sized to fit the frame, and grid text labels are
sized appropriate for the output scale. You will be prompted to configure the map grid later when you
accept the scaled output parameters.
From the Title Block list, select the title block style you want to use in the map. The list of available
title blocks can be maintained using the Configure option. You will be prompted to configure the title
block later when you accept the scaled output parameters.
The Add frame border option places a frame border around the selected title block in the Layout
window. This can be useful if the title block linework is obscured by the edges of the mapper window.
From the Scalebar list, select the scalebar style you want to use in the map. If no title block has been
selected, the Scalebar is displayed separately and saved to the default MapInfo Discover temporary
directory. For details on how the different scalebars appear, see Add a title block and scale bar.
See also
Position the scaled output map

Click the Preview button to display a rectangle in the current map window showing the position of the
map. This rectangle (called MapSize) shows the area that is covered by the map, and is always drawn
in the centre of the window. You can zoom and pan the map window as required, and drag the map
size rectangle to the exact position required by selecting it. You cannot change the size of the MapSize
rectangle as this will alter the predefined map scale. Alternatively, click Set Map Position to specify
the coordinates of either the centre or one of the corners of the map. If the page size or scale are
unsuitable, you can change these settings and click Preview to redisplay the MapSize rectangle.

Map making
When you are satisfied with the size and position of the map, click OK.
To redisplay the Scaled Output tool without losing your current settings, select
DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Modify Parameters clicking the Scaled Output tool now will
start a new session and initialize the settings).
See also
Accept output settings and create the layout

Related tools: Accept Parameters
When you are satisfied with your selections, click DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Accept
Parameters. MapInfo Discover then creates the layout and prompts for the map grid and title
block settings (see below). When the settings have been entered, the scaled output layout is
drawn.
Note: If you change the view (pan or zoom) in any of the map windows after accepting the map
position, the map scale and the appearance of the map in the Layout window is altered. While
in a Scaled Output session, use DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Restore to restore
the map window to the correct aspect ratio and scale.
Map grid settings

The Map Grid dialog box is displayed, from which you can set the grid spacing, the grid style, the grid
labels, and other options. See Add a map grid for details on how to use this tool. When you have
finished making your selections, click OK to continue.

Map making
Title block settings

The Title Block and Scale Bar Options dialog box is displayed, from which you can enter the title block
details, select the position and scale of the title block, select whether the scale bar is displayed inside
the title block or separately, and other options. See Add a title block and scale bar for information on
using this tool. See Customizing title blocks for more information on creating your own title blocks.
When you have finished making your selections, click OK to continue. To cancel adding the title block
and continue creating the output map, click No Title.
Note: The title block (and optionally scalebar) is created as an individual map window and added to the
layout as a frame. This means you can switch to the title block map window and edit the details as
required. Be careful not to zoom in or out or resize the title block map window as this could change
the size of the scale bar drawn on the hard copy map.
See also
Add a map grid
Print a scaled output layout

The completed layout can then be printed with the standard print tools on the HOME tab.
See also

Related tools: Modify Parameters
To modify the settings of a scaled output layout, click DISCOVER>Output>Scaled
Output>Modify Parameters and make the necessary adjustments.
After modifying the settings, click DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Accept Parameters to
apply your changes.
You can also change the positions of the title block and map window frames in the layout window. Use
the MapInfo Pro Select tool to select the frame and drag to a new position. To realign the title block
frame with the map frame, select both frames with the Select tool while holding down the SHIFT key,
and use the align tools on the LAYOUT tab to align the frames. This is useful when the title obscures
required details on the map. You can also Add a scaled frame to a layout.
See also
Add a scaled frame to a layout
Scaled output hints

Map making
Preserving the linked, source map window

Related tools: Restore
Standard Views
Mapper State
The frame object in a layout window is dynamically linked to its source map window. Zooming, panning
or resizing the map window will have a direct impact on the frame object and vice versa. If you want to
change the map window scaling or extents (for example, to zoom in and resize labels or change object
styles), choose one of the following options to preserve the linked view:
• If the Scaled Output session for the layout is still active, use DISCOVER>Output>Scaled
Output>Restore to restore the map window to its original scale and extents.
• Use DISCOVER>Windows>Standard Views to permanently save the mapper state before
making any changes and then restore the mapper state with the same tool.
• Use the DISCOVER>Windows>Mapper State to do a one-off save and restore of the
mapper state.
For further tips, see Scaled output hints.
Creating additional scaled output maps

Related tools: Modify Parameters
If you want to make a map of the same area, but using different data to that currently displayed in the
map window, any changes to the map window extents, scale, layers and object styles will be reflected
in the current layout.
If you want to make a map for a different area or at a different scale, without closing the current
scaled output session, select DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Modify Parameters . The
size and position of the frames in the layout are not changed, but the map window is zoomed to
fit the new scale.
Note: If you alter the size, position or zoom width of the map window at any time, the scale of the map in
the layout window changes.
See also
Scaled output hints
Standard map sheets

MapInfo Discover ships with MapInfo Pro tables containing the 1:100,000 and 1:250,000 mapsheet
boundaries over Australia. These tables can be found in the Program
Data\Encom\Discover\Discover_Tutorial\Other Data directory. Each sheet is a discrete, attributed,
transparent polygon. You can use these boundaries, or other standard sheet boundaries that you
create yourself (e.g. using DISCOVER>Move>Object Offset); to have MapInfo Discover produce
correctly scaled standard map sheets.

Map making
Open the appropriate mapsheet table and display it in your map window with the data that you wish to
print. Then select the mapsheet you wish to use, using any of the MapInfo Pro selection techniques,
and open Scaled Output.
A standard 1:250,000 mapsheet ready to plot
MapInfo Discover displays the same dialog as that shown above for User-Defined Output, however
MapInfo Discover detects and estimates an output scale. Because the aspect ratio of the map is
defined by the selected map boundary, you cannot change the frame height and width in the frame
settings configuration, but you can alter the position of the frame on the page, and change the scale
that you wish to print at.
Ensure your printer set-up has the correct paper size, and then click OK. MapInfo Discover correctly
scales the map, and insert both the map name and number, if available, into the title block. If you wish
to create your own standard mapsheet layers, ensure that they have fields called Name and Number
so that the mapsheet name and number is recognized by the title block.
The scale that MapInfo Discover suggests for your selected polygon is based on the area that it covers.
You should always check the scale to ensure that it is what is required.
See also
Scaled output hints


Map making
• If any polygon is currently selected in the front map window when Scaled Output is run, the
dimensions of this polygon are used to size the map window. The selected polygon does not need
to be a regular shape like a map-sheet.
• You can use the MapInfo Pro SPATIAL>Set Clip Region command with Scaled Output to quickly
produce a plot of just that map data which lies within a given tenement.
• Use the LAYOUT>Move>Align Objects tools to re-align the scalebar/title block frames if you
have moved them.
• Use the DISCOVER>Output>Map Grid tool to overwrite or add to the map grid.
• Use the HOME>Output>Tools>Registered>North Arrow tool to quickly add a north arrow
to your map or layout.
• Using the DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Scaled Frame tool to add extra frames to the
layout. This allows you to add an accurately scaled frame to an open layout window, but
does not provide map grid or title block options.
• When printing out drillhole cross-sections, use the DRILLHOLES>Section Output tool,
which provides much of the functionality of Scaled Output.
• When running Scaled Output on a data set that takes a long time to redraw the screen, use the
ESC key to interrupt the MapInfo Pro redraws. Be careful not to cancel from dialogs for map grid
and title block details. Alternatively, set complex or large layers to invisible until ready to print.
• Use the Page Settings dialog to define other frame sizes such as oversized A0 for large maps, or
wide margin A4 and A3 for printing small maps on large format printers (with large non-printing
margins).
• If you need to make changes to the map window after it has been inserted into a layout, then you
must use the pan/zoom functions with great care, otherwise the positioning and scaling of the
frame in the layout is not correct..

Map making
Scaled Output map with additional layout frames
Exit scaled output

Related tools: Close
To exit Scaled Output, select the DISCOVER>Scaled Output>Close. You are then prompted
to save the title block, scale bar and map grid (if these tables are open) and a workspace that
includes the layout, for future use. The title block, scale bar and map grid tables need to be
saved under new names or they will be overwritten the next time that Scaled Output is used.

Map making
Add a map grid

Related tasks: Map Grid
Draw a map grid in any projection to the front map window. To use, select
DISCOVER>Output>Map Grid>Map Grid. The Map Grid dialog box is displayed, from which
you can select the grid projection, grid style, grid spacing and other options.
The Map Grid dialog box
To configure the map grid, see:

• Map grid projection
• Grid spacing
• Map grid styles
• Save the map grid
• Overlay multiple map grids
When you have finished configuring the map grid, click Preview to display a temporary grid (without
saving). If you adjust any grid settings, click Preview again to apply the changes to the preview grid.
When you are satisfied with the grid, click OK. The grid is then saved and drawn in a layer in the front
map window.
This function is also available as part of the Scaled Output map-making wizard (see Creating scaled
maps).

Map making
Map grid projection

By default (Auto option) the map window projection is automatically detected and used to construct
the grid. To change the projection of the map window, use the DISCOVER>Projection>Favourite
Projection tool (see Map projections).
If you wish to draw a map grid in another projection from the current map window projection, choose
the User Defined option. A list of projections from the MapInfo Discover favourite projection list is
displayed. Select the projection that you wish to use from the list or use the pull-down list to select
another projection. The map window projection is not changed, however the grid is drawn in the
selected projection.
You can also display local (non-earth) grids and real world grids together. To display local and real
world grids together, you should define and store a grid transformation setting (see Coordinate
transformations.)
With one or more grid transformation settings saved, choose the Custom Coordsys option from the
Projection control and select the appropriate transformation setting.
Grid spacing
MapInfo Discover suggests a rounded grid spacing based on the width of the map window. The grid
spacing is in the coordinate units of the grid projection - usually metres, but degrees for Lat/Lon
coordinate systems.
You can override the MapInfo Discover suggested grid spacing by typing in your preferred value. For
Lat/Lon grids, choose between grid spacing in decimal degrees or degrees, minutes, seconds by
clicking the checkbox.
Map grid styles

The grid is drawn in one of three basic styles:
• Lines
• Points
• Edge ticks
These basic styles may be altered by changing the line, symbol type and colour. Additionally, you may
choose to have grid labels placed in a mask outside the map frame.
For a grid drawn as lines, each grid line is a polyline with normally one node placed at each grid line
intersection. Where the grid lines show substantial curvature (for example, when a Lat/Lon grid over a
large area is displayed in a projected coordinate system) you may need additional nodes for each grid
line. Set this value in the Other Label Options button.
Grid line labels are, by default, drawn at the left and top margins of the map window. In a map window
with metres labels, choose a small font size (9 or less) so that the labels do not appear too intrusive.
The grid label font size is relative to the current map window scale.
You can also draw grid labels to the bottom and right margins of the map window. You may wish to use
this option when overlaying grids in different projections, for example so that labels for a UTM grid are
drawn at top and left, whilst labels for a Lat/Lon grid are drawn at right and bottom.

Map making
Other options available allow you to control the frequency of grid lines labels (choose from no labels,
every line labelled or an intermediate setting), and what prefix or suffix to add to the coordinate label
(for example, choose to label as E5000 or 5000 mE etc). You can simply re-order the arrangement and
add spaces or characters in between them, or remove the value altogether.
<coords> = The coordinate value of the line
<units> = units of the coordinates
<eorn> = an 'E' or 'N' for the Easting or northing axis.
When you choose to have the grid labels drawn in a mask around the edge of the map, MapInfo
Discover creates an extra table (called AUTOGRID_MASK) to hold the mask. The map window is
enlarged slightly so that the visible area of the map window (inside the mask) remains the same. In
some cases the page margins accessed via Print Setup may need to be adjusted for the map to fit
correctly on the page.
To save the Map Grid Style settings as default, tick Save as default settings, and when Preview or
OK is clicked the style settings will be saved as default.
The three basic styles of map grid that can be generated by MapInfo Discover
Save the map grid

By default, the map grid will be saved to the AUTOGRID table in the Discover Temporary directory. If
there is an AUTOGRID table open but not in the front map window, you will be asked to save this table.
If there is an existing grid in the map window, select Append to existing map grid to preserve the
existing grid. To prevent the grid from being overwritten when the Map Grid tool is used later, click Save
As to save the map grid to a different table.

Map making
Overlay multiple map grids

If you wish to overlay another grid with a different projection, choose the Overlay another AutoGrid
option. After drawing the first grid, MapInfo Discover displays the map grid dialog again and you should
choose different parameters (different projection and probably different grid style).
Add a scaled frame to a layout

Related tools: Scaled Frame
Add a scaled frame to the layout window of the front map window. A layout window is created if
one is not currently open. Select the window you want to add to the layout and then select
DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Scaled Frame. The Scaled Frame dialog box is displayed,
from which you can select the scale, size and position of the new frame.
Use this tool in conjunction with DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Legend (see Add a map legend)
to add legend and DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Title Block (see Add a title block and scale bar)
to add a title block and scale bar to a layout.

Related tools: Title Block
Use the Title Block tool to create a title block window from a custom title block template, add
details to the title block, and optionally add a scalebar. The title block map window is sized to fit
the extents of the title block so that it can be easily added to a layout window. The Titleblock
dialog box is displayed, from which you can select the title block template, scale bar type, and map
scale. See Select title block and scale bar for details.
When you have made your selections, click OK to display the Title Block and Scale Bar Options dialog
box, from which you can enter the title block details, its position and other display options. Click OK to
draw the title block in the title block map window. See Configure the title block and scale bar for details.
Use DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Scaled Frame to then add the title block as a scaled frame to
a layout. For more information, see Add a scaled frame to a layout.
This function is also available as part of the Scaled Output map-making wizard (see Creating scaled
maps).

Map making
Select title block and scale bar
Select the title block template to edit and the scalebar and scale to use. For information on adding and
removing custom title blocks from the list, see Customizing title blocks.
The title block shipped with MapInfo Discover contains a range of scalebars to choose from. Both
metric and imperial measurement system scalebars are available. The scale bar can be drawn in one
of the six selectable formats.
Alternatively, create a scale bar so that it is displayed in a separate map window that can be moved in
the layout independently of the title block. This scalebar can be saved and re-used in later layouts. To
enable the correct scale to be displayed in a layout make sure the scalebar map window is displayed
at a 1:1 zoom and that the scale bar frame in the layout window is scaled at 1:2 for page sizes up to
50 cm in width or at a 1:1 scale for layouts larger than 50 cm.
The main scale bar formats that can be selected from the initial dialog are:
Scalebar 1
Scalebar 2
Scalebar 3
Configure the title block and scale bar

The title block is stored as a template in a non-earth “cm” based table and can be customized. The
dialog displayed for data entry of title block details depends upon how the title block table is
customized. See Customizing title blocks for details on customizing the title block.
The default title block shipped with MapInfo Discover presents a dialog similar to that shown below.
The five Title Lines are concatenated (and centre justified). The details (Author, Reference etc.) are
placed in the appropriate positions within the title block. The font styles used are defined in the title
block template table on disk.

Map making
Title block options

Titleblock Position defines where in the layout window the title block frame is placed. The default is
in the lower right corner of the main map frame. Normally, the title block is displayed in the layout as a
frame on top of the map window frame. However, for customized title blocks, you may wish to have the
title block behind the map and you should check the Send Titleblock to Back check box.
By default, the title block is saved in the Discover temp folder as TITLEBLK.TAB. If you are going to
use this title block in the future (as part of a workspace) you should use the Save As button to save
the title block to a new table.
When entering title block information, you can specify a scale for the title block. By default, if the map
to be printed is more than 50 cm wide, the title block is displayed at a scale of 1:1; otherwise the display
scale is 1:2. Use this control to enter the scale required for the title block.
Scale bar options
By default the Scalebar in the format that was selected on the initial dialog will be displayed embedded
in the title block.
Show ScaleBar Seperately will display the Scalebar in a separate window. By default this will be
saved ot the Discover temp folder as SCALEBAR.TAB If you are going to use this title block in the
future (as part of a workspace) you should use the Save As button to save the scalebar to a new table.
If you choose Don’t Show Scalebar the scale bar will not be opened.

Map making
Other options
Open layout template from workspace enables a workspace for a layout to be opened with a pre-
defined format instead of opening a new empty layout. For example, the layout could contain extra
annotation (such as north arrows, extra legends, fixed logos and legends) as well as other map
windows such as an overview window for the state or country that the map is part of.
When creating a layout template to be used in this way, be careful that only those tables and windows
required for your layout are actually open when you save the workspace. You may also need different
workspaces for each different map format (paper size, orientation etc) that you wish to produce.
Display list of layers in map will display a list of the various layer names of the source map at a
selectable location. Note that by default this list is produced, but you can select the No List option if
preferred.
Add a map legend

Related tools: Map Legend
Create a customizable legend for up to 10 layers in a multi-layered map. The order of items
within the legend may be altered. The legend is created in a map window for easy insertion into
a layout
The DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Map Legend tool is used to create detailed legends where
individual map objects contain attribute data in one or more columns. For example, a geological
polygon map may contain attribute columns for geological unit, group or formation and age. The Map
Legend tool can create a legend using up to three of these attribute column entries in the map legend.
As the Map Legend tool requires the map objects to contain attribute data which can be grouped
according to graphical styles it is not suitable for use with some tables. For example, a collar table may
contain collars with the same graphical style but attributed with the Hole ID. The Map Legend tool will
create a legend with every Hole ID listed as an individual entry. If there was a second attribute column
which contained an entry for each collar such as “Drillhole” then this column could be used to create a
legend with only one entry.
The MapInfo Discover legend is created into a map window in Non-Earth (centimetres) projection.
This allows MapInfo Discover legends to be edited and scaled. MapInfo Discover legends can be
added to a layout using the DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Scaled Frame tool.
You can also create a simple legend for map objects based purely on map object style regardless of
attribute data, use the MAP>Content>Add Legend tool. The legend window created using this
method is not a true MapInfo Pro table and can only be edited by double-clicking in the legend window.
Legend tables and columns

To create a MapInfo Discover legend, the active or front map window must contain the layers to include
in the legend. Select the tables to display in the legend from the Create Legend dialog box.

Map making
The selected tables are displayed in the Map Legend dialog box.
Dialog for legend creation. The user has already selected 4 layers to incorporate into this legend.
The tables selected are displayed in map layer order. Legend items from each table are displayed in
the legend according to record order within the table. To alter the order of the legend items in a table
check the Specify Order option. This will enable legend items to be sorted alphabetically or by a user-
defined order such as geological age.
Choose the primary column from each table to be used for legend creation from the Legend Column
1 pull-down list. The column (or field) that you nominate for each table from the Legend Column 1
defines what objects are drawn on the legend. For example, if the nominated column is “RockCode”
then MapInfo Discover will create a legend entry for each unique RockCode. If then nominated column
is “Age” then a unique legend entry is created for each Age grouping. The data held in Legend
Columns 2 and 3 is added as supplementary text.
The legend tool only produces sensible results if the data is structured appropriately. That is, all records
containing a specific value in Legend Column 1 should have the same graphic style. In the above
example, all polygons having RockCode = “Czc” should have the same colour. If this is not the case,
the legend may be not be created properly as the legend graphical style is obtained from the first record
in the table that has each value.

Map making
Two additional columns containing text may be displayed in the legend. Make sure the text in these
columns is structured correctly in relation to the column specified in Legend Column 1. The text
selected for columns 2 or 3 may be obtained from a related lookup table. Select Lookup from the list
of available columns and browse to the location of the look-up table. Match the column in the look-up
table with the corresponding column from the Legend Column 1.
Legend style
By default, MapInfo Discover generates the Legend in one column with the title at the top and legend
items at 2 cm spacing. MapInfo Discover provides the option of creating the Legend in 2 columns with
a user-defined line spacing. Legends can be easily edited once they are created using the MapInfo Pro
and MapInfo Discover editing tools. The font style for legend titles and each text column can be set by
clicking the Style button. The option to display a Legend Box Border is also available.
By default legend items will only be created for map objects that are currently visible in the map
window. To include all map objects from the selected tables uncheck the Legend from objects within
map window only option.
Legend order
The order of individual items in the legend can be specified in one of the following ways:
• No ordering - items are placed into the legend in the same order that they are read from the
table.
• Custom - manually order the individual items in the legend by moving them up or down the list.
• Alphabetic order - order items in ascending or descending.
• Lookup code from table – order items according to a value in another column in the same table.
• Lookup code from lookup table - order items according to a value in external look-up table.
For each layer that the Specify order option has been checked, the Legend Order dialog box is
displayed. A list of the legend items for that layer is displayed. For Custom, use the Up, Down and
Delete buttons to alter the list. Alternatively, set the Re-order mode to Alphabetical, either ascending
(A-Z) or descending (Z-A).

Map making
When using a Lookup code to re-order legend items the Legend Order from Column Values dialog
box is displayed, from which you can select a column from either the same table or a different one. In
this instance the legend item is matched to a numeric value which MapInfo Discover can use to
determine the order of the legend items. These options could be used to re-order geological units by
Age.
Dialog for changing the order of legend items
A map legend created by MapInfo Discover

Map making
Add and format text and labels

MapInfo Discover provides a range of tools to label map objects for professional quality map
production:
• Adding text labels
• Formatting text
• Modifying label angles
• Updating labels stored in tables
• Adding line and point labels
Adding text labels

Related tools: Label Creator
Label Creator is a powerful tool for creating text labels at a specified scale (i.e. labels at a fixed
size) for professional quality map production. With this tool you can label:
• An entire table dataset
• A selection (spatial or attribute query)
• Individual objects as they are selected
To use the Label Creator tool:

1. Ensure the target dataset to label (e.g. a polyline table of survey lines or a polygon table of
boundaries) is open in the current map window. This table requires an attribute field from which
the labels will be created (e.g. 'Line' or 'Zone').

Map making
2. If a subset of the dataset is to be labelled (recommended initially for larger datasets to finesse the
labelling parameters) make a selection with the appropriate tool. For example, to label only lines
within particular Map Sheet polygons, ensure the Map Sheet series is open in the same window
as the polyline table, and then SPATIAL>Selection>Boundary Selection to select one or
more map sheet polygons (hold down SHIFT to multi-select). The lines contained by these
polygons will be selected.
Note: A selection is not required for adding labels dynamically to individual objects using the
Labelling Object button.
3. Select DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Label Creator.
4. Select the target table or *Selection* in the Label Source Table pull-down list. If using the
Labelling Object button, specify the source table instead of <Selection>.
5. Select the attribute field to create labels from in the Label Source Column pull-down list.
6. Set the desired Style options (colour, font and size, etc). Labels are sized according to scale. This
can be either by the scale of the current Window Scale, or a user-defined Map Scale
(recommended)
7. For polylines and polygons, labels can be either centred on the Object, or aligned with the First or
Last point (Object node) using the Options Label control. The Angle of the label can also be set
as either Parallel to the object (recommended for polylines) or Fixed. A fixed angle allows the
user control over the label display angle. A number of Advanced labelling options are available for
more precise label control.
8. Labels can be output to either the MapInfo Pro Cosmetic Layer or a defined Table. If finessing
your labels in terms of size, scale, density, etc, it is recommended to operate on only a small
subset initially (see step 2 above), and utilize the cosmetic layer for output. The Clear Cosmetic
Layer button allows its contents to be quickly deleted with the dialog still open, so that another
variation of label parameters can be regenerated.
9. If labelling an entire table or existing selection, click Generate to create your labels. If
dynamically adding labels to individual objects, click the Labelling Object button so
that it indicates ON, and select the objects to label.

Map making
Advanced labelling options

The Advanced button on the Label Creator tool allows the following options:
• Control the Vertical position of the label with respect to the object. The vertical position of the
label can be positioned Above, Centered and Below the object centroid. If set to either Above or
Below, the Perpendicular Offset can be set (in mm) from the map object centroid.
• Offset Labels East and North (in mm) of their initial position. Use negative values for West and
South displacements
• Change the Case of labels to:
• <Proper> to apply title-style (capitalize the first letter in each word).
• <UPPER> to apply uppercase to all letters.
• <lower case> to apply lowercase to all letters.

Map making
• Control how labels are wrapped along polyline with Label Splitting:
No splitting Word splitting Letter splitting
• When processing features (e.g. a road) comprising of multiple line or polylines with coincident
end/start points, you can Allow Duplicates for joined lines. Each line or polyline will have a
separate label. Disabling this option will label the first line or polyline (in any collection of identical
attributed objects, if they have coincident start/end points).
• Allow Overlapping Labels allows labels to over-print.
• Filter the size of Line and polygon Region objects that are to be labelled.
• To only label line objects over a certain length select the Process Lines option and specify a
length in metres.
• To only label polygons 'less than' or 'greater than' an area, select the Process Regions option
and specify an area in metres squared.
Formatting text
Related tools: Format Text
Use DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Format Text to set the text font size for a specified output
scale. You can also resize any selected text objects to prepare a map for printing at a new scale.
Often you want to change the font size of existing text to prepare it to be displayed at a different scale.
With the standard MapInfo Pro text tool, you must have the window at the correct scale in order to get
the text size correct. Using the text formatting tool in MapInfo Discover you can adjust the text size by
entering the font size that you want and the map scale that this size refers to. Additionally you can
change the angle at which the text is displayed.
You should have a map window open and active. If you have selected text, it is altered to the style that
you select. The Format Text dialog box is displayed.

Map making
Specifying text size, style and angles
Enter the Font Size and angle and the map scale at which this size is correct. The map scale defaults
to a rounded value of the current Map Window scale.
The Font Size defaults to 10 point at the current Map Window scale, but accepts any valid numeric
input. The Text angle defaults to 0º, i.e. left to right horizontal (normal text orientation).
Note: MapInfo Pro text angles increase anticlockwise from this direction so that 90º is vertically up and
270º is vertically down. Also, when you change the scale/zoom of the map window, you need to
reset your text size using this menu option.
Modifying label angles

Related tools: Label Angles
This feature alters the label angle for a specified map layer.
MapInfo Pro labels are drawn horizontally. There is no way to change the label angle for more
than one label at once. Use the DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Label Angle tool to set the label angle
to a value other than zero for all objects in the layer.
MapInfo Discover uses the current label settings (such as label column, zoom layering and font) for the
specified layer, but alters each label so that it displays at the required angle. If the labels for this layer
are not already displayed, then MapInfo Discover causes them to be displayed. If you wish to store the
labels for later use, you must save a workspace for the map.
Note: This feature is not available with query layers.
Updating labels stored in tables

MapInfo Discover provides two complementary tools for modifying text labels that are already on your
map:
• Updating text labels from a table
• Updating a table from text labels
Commonly, text labels are stored in a table used just for map annotation purposes, and it does not
contain data. Once the label has been created, the link between the data and the label is based on
location only.
You may wish to alter the text labels for a number of reasons, such as:
• Having adjusted the position of sample labels to avoid over posting, you want to change the label
text from the Pb assay value to the Zn assay, but keep the new label positions.

Map making
• Sample numbers have been provided as labels in a DXF file with a corresponding spreadsheet
with no coordinates. You need to be able to create a MapInfo Pro table with sample values joined
to the location of the samples.
• Colour code sample assay labels using the same colour patterns as in the drillhole display
module.
Updating text labels from a table

Related tools: Labels from Table
Use DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Labels from Table to update the text in text objects
according to the values in a nominated column. This column can be in the same table or a
different table.
When updating with values from a different table, MapInfo Discover joins the two tables simply by
record number in the two tables. If the record order in the two tables is not appropriate then you need
to join the two tables using SQL.
See also
Updating a table from text labels
Updating a table from text labels

Related tools: Table from Labels
Use DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Table from Labels to update the table from text labels. This
provides a simple method of adding the text label string into a column in the browser window.
This feature is especially useful when dealing with DXF files containing sample number labels.
See also
Updating text labels from a table
Colouring text labels with a legend

Related tools: Colour Labels
Use DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Colour Labels to recolour text labels with colour patterns
defined in the drillhole display module. MapInfo Discover allows you to use any colour pattern
that has been defined in the drillhole display module, and to colour the text objects based on the
text string or alternatively, based on the value in a column.
If you want to colour the text objects using the colour definitions stored in a MapInfo Discover colour
table, then use the MODIFY>Edit>RGB Colourizer tool (see Colouring map objects by RGB values).
See also

Map making
Adding line and point labels

Related tools: Line/Point labels
The DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Line/Point Labels tool enables a user to apply text labels to
point data that has been collected along lines such as soil geochemistry samples or ground
geophysical readings. This function can be very useful for annotating detailed survey data i.e. a
survey of ground magnetic readings collected at 1m intervals can be annotated at 10m intervals
(display every 10th reading).
Each line number and selected point locations can be annotated at the same time. Line labels can
automatically be placed at the start and end of each line and sample points can be labelled with a value
from a selected column at a user specified interval.
The Line and Point Labels dialog box is displayed:
Line and Point Annotation dialog
Select the table to use as the base for the line and point annotations from the pull-down list. The table
must contain a text column that stores the line number or line name for each sample point. Select this
column from the Select Line column pull-down list. Select the column to use that contains the sample
point number (must be a numeric field) from the Select Point column pull-down list.
The line and point labels may be added to the cosmetic layer, to another open table or into a new table.
By default, the start and end of every line is labelled with the line name or number. Uncheck the
relevant box to only display line labels at the start or end of a line, or to not display any line labels at
all. The Label points box is also checked by default. Enter the desired point annotation spacing (for
example, label every 10 points to annotate every 10th sample).

Map making
Use the Sort point column to make sure the point data column is sorted so the sample numbers are
listed in numerical order in the original data table. Select to either filter by Row Order or Point Column.
MapInfo Discover automatically determines the Line label size and Point label size based on the scale
displayed in the map window or you can enter your own label parameters.
Note: MapInfo Discover annotates the first and last sample in each line irrespective of the sample point
annotation spacing defined.
Example of annotated soil sample lines with selected points labelled
Apply transparent fill patterns

Related tools: Custom Patterns
Use the MODIFY>Edit>Custom Patterns tool to apply a standard shade pattern to selected
polygons. The shading is created as linework or points and (if the polygon has a transparent fill
pattern) does not obscure underlying map layers such as rasters. The shading is created in a
separate table.
The custom patterns are composed of lines, stripes or points that fill a polygon at a nominated spacing.
Once a custom shade has been defined, it can be saved as a named Pattern.
You can easily select an existing pattern from the list. You should specify a map scale to apply this
pattern. This allows you to use the same pattern at a variety of display scales.

Map making
Custom Pattern selection dialog
Pattern type
Choose between a Line, Point or Stripe Pattern Type. A line, brush or point style can be selected
from the normal MapInfo Pro range of line, brush and point types and colours.
You can select symbol styles from any of those available, including custom bitmaps. If you have used
a custom bitmap to fill a region, then note that the bitmaps are placed as the bottom layer in the map
and may be obscured by other non-transparent region fill styles.
Stripe patterns are made up of equal width stripes in alternating brush styles. Choose the stripe brush
styles from the full range of MapInfo Pro brush colours and fill patterns.
Pattern density and orientation
For line and stripe patterns, choose an orientation between 0 and 180 degrees for the line to be drawn
at (0º is vertical, 90º is horizontal). For point patterns, this option is unavailable.
You should then choose a Pattern Density or Width. The value suggested by MapInfo Discover
depends upon the current scale level of the map window, and is specified in the distance units of the
map window. The closer the spacing, the longer time the pattern takes to generate.
You should also note that the pattern is suitable only for the current scale of the map. If you zoom in
or out, the pattern spacing remains the same in map units, so that the pattern appearance changes (it
becomes more dense as you zoom out, and vice versa).
By default, MapInfo Discover places the shading in a new layer called SEETHRU, stored in the
Discover Temporary folder. When you run Custom Patterns, the existing SEETHRU table is
overwritten. If a table named SEETHRU is in the front map window, you may append the new shading
to it.
Use the Save As button to save the shading to a table that can be used later with a workspace.

Map making
Pattern library
You can easily store custom pattern definitions in the MapInfo Discover Pattern Library. Click on the
Add button from the main dialog to store a new pattern, or select an existing pattern to edit or delete.
For added flexibility, you can combine line and point patterns to provide a polygon fill of complex
appearance. Simply select a different pattern style and click the Add button.
Note: If you combine stripes with other pattern types, the appearance of the pattern is unpredictable as
MapInfo Discover cannot control the order in which MapInfo Pro draws the different elements in
the pattern. To display these patterns together, select 2 custom pattern layers, the lower one
containing stripes, and the upper containing the other pattern.
Apply geological line styles and line annotations

Related tools: Line Annotation
Line Annotation Select
The MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Line Annotation tool is specifically for adding geological annotation
to linework for map output. Annotation for a variety of styles is added at a user-specified spacing
and size, for a specific output scale. Similar to the MapInfo Discover text labelling function, the
annotation appears at a different size if output is at a different scale to that specified.
Line Annotation Dialog Box

Line annotations may be displayed at a specified interval by checking the Place Every control
and entering a distance. Alternatively, check the Place with Cursor control to use the
MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Line Annotation Select tool to position the line annotation along the line
selected by the cursor in the map window.
Select an Annotation Type. A Non-Text annotation may be selected from the line annotation pull-
down list and includes entries such as fault, folds and shear zones. Text Annotation refers to
placement of any defined text character selected from a list of all available characters (ASCII codes 32
to 255). Other attributes such as text size, colour, etc. can be selected using the Text button. The
Symbol Annotation Type enables any special symbol fonts, such as ET Structural, to be selected as
a line annotation. See Styles and symbol fonts for a list of structural and geological symbols.

Map making
For selected annotations such as Unconformities or Faults the placement of the annotation in relation
to the boundary lines is important as it may be used to denote age differences between the two
geological units. MapInfo Discover provides two methods to use when determining placement for these
types of annotations. If the Left/Facing Up box is checked, the annotation will be placed on the line
and facing out towards the side or top of the map window.
Alternatively, check the Use Line Direction box to place the annotations on the left or right according
to the direction in which the line has been digitized. To place the annotations on the left make sure the
Left/Facing Up box is checked as well.
A selection of line annotation types available

Map making
Structural line styles
MapInfo Discover appends a number of line styles to be used to represent structural or geological
linear features to the standard MapInfo Pro Line Styles list.
For example, linestyles which are used to display geological unconformities or thrust faults can be
selected for use prior to creating linear map objects or to modify the appearance of existing linestyles
in a table. The appended linestyles and their general use are as follows:
Geological and structural linestyles added to the MapInfo Pro Line Styles

Map making
If the younging direction for a selected linestyle is displaying incorrectly, select the line(s) in the
map window and use the MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Reverse Lines tool to reverse the current line
direction. The younging direction should now be displayed on the correct side of the line.
Note: If the structural or geological linestyle spacing is not appropriate for the map scale at which the
map is to be plotted, use the Line Annotation tool to create your own custom spaced line
annotations.

14 - Capturing maps as
images and movies
Additional tools for creating registered raster images are described in
Importing and exporting images. For information on editing, reprojecting,
registering and other image functions, see Working with images.
In this section
Saving a map window as a registered raster image 269

Making movies and animations from a map window 270
Capturing maps as images and movies

Related tools: Map to Image
The Map to Image tool will convert the select map window view into a raster image in a number
of compressed formats at the selected level of detail and resolution.
To convert any data into a registered raster, open a new map window in MapInfo Pro that contains the
required tables or make an existing map window the active window.
1. Set the window dimensions and scale so the map window contains the information to save.
Whatever is visible within the map window will be saved as the raster image.
2. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Map to Image to display the Map to Image dialog box:
3. Select the window you to wish to convert to a raster image from the Select Window to Save list.
4. Select the raster format from the Image Type drop down list. Available formats include .PNG,
.BMP, .JPEG, .TIF, .GEOTIFF (note though that Discover Mobile does not support .PNG). For
compatibility, GEOTIFFs are recommended as they contain an embedded EPSG code for the
projection system.
5. Use the Detail drop-down list to increase the level of detail in the image from the fixed screen
resolution (96 dpi). By default MapInfo Discover will save an image which is double (2x) the size
(width and height) of the map window on the screen.
Note: This tool will only work on a default normal text size (96 dpi).
6. Enter a value into the Transparency box to apply a transparency to the entire image (enter 0%
for an opaque image).
Note: Transparency is applied only in the MapInfo Pro TAB file.

7. Check the Set background transparent box to change the white background default.
Note: Background transparency only applies to PNG and TIFF format images and is embedded in the
image file.
8. Check the Create World File box to create an associated world file for the image which contains
the registration information – this is useful for opening in programs without using the TAB file.
9. Click OK for the conversion to raster image to proceed.
See also
Supported file formats
Making movies and animations from a map window

Related tools: Window Animator
The MapInfo Discover Window Animator tool is designed to capture a series of different map
window or data views which can be then be viewed as a continuous animation sequence within
MapInfo Pro. Alternatively, the animation sequence can be exported as a movie file which can
be replayed through software such as Microsoft Windows Media Player. The tool can be used to
enhance presentations by adding new data layers to a map window to show the exploration history of
a project area, to highlight temporal trends within an environmetal dataset, or to show the relationship
between local and regional exploration features.
Note: An animation file can only be created from a single mapper window.
1. Select DISCOVER>Output>Window Animator to display the Window Animator dialog box.
Note: Do not adjust the extents or size of the mapper window while creating the animation.
2. From the Window Animator, you can:
• Create an animation file
• Play an animation file
• Edit an animation file
• Create a movie file

Create an animation file
The Create/Edit tab is split into two sections:

• The Frames section displays the created frame records (captured window layers) along with
buttons to capture, update, delete and save an animation or movie file.
• The Preview section displays a preview of the captured mapper window. The Lock Window Size
box should be checked after creating the first frame so that the map window dimensions are the
same for all subsequent frames in the animation.
To view a frame in the Preview window:
• Select the frame in the Frames section, and click Preview Selected Frame.
To capture frames and create an animation:
1. Open a mapper window and adjust the window dimensions to the desired size. Arrange the data
layers in the map window to display the first capture view.
2. Click New to capture the current mapper window view. This view is added to the Frame
list and is assigned the default name of ‘Frame 1’ and a default timing of 2.0 seconds.
• To change the default frame name, click in the Name cell and overwrite with the new name.
• The Timing value entered is how long the captured mapper window view will be displayed in
the animation or movie playback. If the animation is to move rapidly through a series of views,
a short time frame should be selected. Alternatively, for an animation to change between
views more slowly, longer timing values should be selected. A different timing value can be
entered for each frame.
Note: Do not adjust the mapper window dimensions while creating the frame views as this will adversely
affect the animation or movie file generation.

3. In the map window set up the view for the next frame capture. You can zoom, pan, add new map
layer(s), turn on a thematic layer, and annotate map objects. Once the view is ready for capture,
click New again and modify the frame name and timing values. Continue to update the map
window view and create animation frames as required.
To change the order of the frames as they appear in the animation sequence use
the buttons to the right of the Frame list. These options include; Move to First, Move
to Last, Move Before and Move After.
4. Once the created animation is completed, select Save and navigate to a selected folder
to save the animation. The animation file is suffixed with an .ANI extension.
Note: The animation file created is similar to a traditional MapInfo Pro Workspace. The
animation file stores information such as the map window dimensions, full file paths for all layers
open in the map window, zoom parameters, amount of time each view is displayed along with
details relating to thematic map layers, labels, style overrides, etc. When the animation file is first
loaded MapInfo Discover opens each of the tables from the file path listed when the animation was
created. Therefore, if any of the tables referenced in the animation file are moved or delete, the
animation will not load correctly.
To iterate through multiple tables:
The Tables button allows the selection and ordering of multiple tables to be consecutively
displayed in your animation. Any tables not selected in this dialog, but present in the map
window, will be displayed statically as the 'base map' layer.
This is a quick and easy way of automatically configuring many tables for display, such as tens or
hundreds of gridded surfaces depicting salinity variation over time.
On clicking OK in the Table Series dialog, the tables are added as individual frames to the Window
Animator dialog.
To iterate through field values:
Instead of iterating through tables, the Fields button allows the user to specify a field
within one vector dataset to create a series of groups: the animator can then sequentially
display these groups. For instance, this may be a company or mesh size within a
geochemical dataset, a date or time field within environmental monitoring data, or a
lithology field in a geological map.

Field Value Series diallog box with numeric field
The Field Value Series dialog requires a Table, Field and grouping Method to be specified. This
functionality supports numeric, character, date, time and date/time field types; the available Methods
will depend on the selected field's format. For instance, numeric data (assay values, sample counts,
etc) will have a range of statistical methods listed, as well a custom option (see numeric example
above). Character fields will present a list of unique entries (see character example below). Date, time
and date/time fields will present a range of temporal options (see date example below) as found in
many other MapInfo Discover tools, such as grouping by year, month, day of the month, day of the
week, etc.
Field Value Series diallog box with character field

If a date or date/time field is present in the dataset, a date range of interest can additionally be set
(regardless of what field was set as the primary grouping field). In the example below, data grouped by
day of the week has been limited to a date range of interest, set as illustrated below. Note that all the
components of the Start and End range dates can be typed directly into the interface (for example,
select the month, and type '11' to set November).
Field Value Series diallog box with date field
Defining the date range
On clicking OK in the Field Value Series dialog, the groups are added as individual frames to the
Window Animator dialog.
See also
Play an animation file
Edit an animation file
Create a movie file


Animation files can be loaded and played in order to review the final animation sequence, perform
modifications to an existing animation e.g. adding new layers, adjusting timing or to save the animation
as a movie file.
To load an animation Browse the Play tab of the Windows Animator dialog, select the Browse
button and navigate to the folder where the animation file is stored. Once the animation file is
loaded, use the following Playback Controls to review the animation:
• Play – Play animation file from start to finish. Note that the animation file will play from whichever
frame is highlighted in the Create/Edit tab. If this is not the first frame then the animation may not
be played in full.
• Stop – Halt the animation playback.
• Pause – Suspend the animation playback. Click Play to resume.
Windows Animator Play tab

Note: If the Hide dialog during playback option is selected, the Stop and Pause buttons will not be
accessible.
See also
Create a movie file


Animation frames can be modified during creation or after the animation file has been saved and re-
loaded into the Windows Animator tool.
1. In the Create/Edit tab click on the frame to be modified in the Frames list.
2. With the frame selected, click Preview Selected Frame. The frame view is displayed in the
current map window.
3. Modify the data display to the desired map window view.
4. Click Update to update the selected frame with the current mapper window view.
Alternatively, click Delete to delete the selected frame.

5. Once the modified animation is satisfactory, click Save.
See also
Create a movie file

Create a movie file

The Window Animator tool can save an animation (.ANI) as a movie file (.AVI). Movie files can be
viewed in a number of different media software applications, e.g. Microsoft Media Player.
To generate a movie file click Create Movie and type a name for the movie file and
location. A video compression dialog is then displayed. It is recommended to
choose a compression option when saving a movie file, as even simple animations
can have an uncompressed size of ten to hundreds of megabytes.
AVI movie file format

One of the oldest and still most commonly found video file formats available today is the AVI format.
This was the early Microsoft file format that allowed content producers to combine audio and video into
a single file. The acronym AVI stands for Audio/Video Interleave-Microsoft video format. Microsoft has
since given up development of the AVI format, instead preferring to develop its own video compression
technology in the form of Windows Media Video (WMV).
The AVI format has a simple architecture which means it can be run on many different systems like
Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Unix. In fact many media players such as WMP, Real and QuickTime
can play AVI files. As the AVI format is not suited for Internet playback, AVI files are downloaded to a
PC and then played locally rather than trying to ‘stream’ the content.
Since the AVI format is so simple, many vendors and individuals have created a Codec that can work
with AVI files. Codec stands for COder/DECoder. It is a small piece of software that allows you to
create or play compressed movie/audio files. MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX ... are all examples of
a Codec. AVI, ASF, WMV are file formats that can be used with a Codec. AVI is also a container format,
meaning it can be made using many different codecs. MPEG-4 is a new international standard from
the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The MPEG-4 Video is closely related to ISO
H.263.
Note: After creating a movie file (*.avi) the playback may appear distorted or pixelated. This may be due
to incorrect Codec’s loaded on your computer. If you require a CODEC update, many resources
are available on the Internet.
See also

15 - Viewing data in
three dimensions
With MapInfo Discover 3D you can rapidly visualize, model and analyse
your drillhole and related datasets in 3D, and then dynamically plan follow-
up drilling to test your theories.
In this section
MapInfo Discover 3D 279

Viewing data in 3D 279
Viewing data in three dimensions
MapInfo Discover 3D
MapInfo Discover 3D is designed to work seamlessly with MapInfo Discover and requires an upgraded
license to activate its full functionality. Users without a MapInfo Discover 3D license can nevertheless
access the viewer mode of this application. The viewer mode allows you to drape map windows views
over gridded surfaces in 3D and existing 3D sessions from other users can be viewed.
MapInfo Discover 3D enables data to be viewed interactively with zooming, panning and fly-through
capability. View orientations can also be taken from MapInfo Discover 3D back into MapInfo Pro and
displayed in a layout for presentation purposes.
Discover Viewer
Sessions and models created with MapInfo Discover 3D can also be shared with non-Discover users
by installing the free Discover Viewer from http://www.pitneybowes.com/pbencom/products/location-
intelligence-and-gis/encom-discover-3d-viewer.html.
Viewing data in 3D
A full MapInfo Discover 3D license allows surfaces representing topography, geochemistry and
geophysics, drillhole sections containing assays or lithological data, or any other mapped data
combinations created using MapInfo Discover to be displayed in the MapInfo Discover 3D interactive
three-dimensional environment. Additional objects such as 3D DXF files, grid surfaces and raster
images, plus point and line data can be added to the 3D displays via MapInfo Pro or directly into
MapInfo Discover 3D. Drillhole projects can be viewed in 3D, with multiple downhole data displayed on
the drillhole trace.
MapInfo Discover map window

From any MapInfo Discover map window you can:
• Right-click in the map window and select View in 3D to drape the map over a topographic DEM in
MapInfo Discover 3D.
MapInfo Discover DISCOVER 3D tab

From the DISCOVER 3D tab in MapInfo Discover you can visualize your GIS data in 3D, via options
such as:
• Select Open 3D Window to open a new 3D session.
• Select 3D Points to show a point dataset (such as collar or soil sampling locations) as an
attributed point cloud in 3D.
• Select Drillhole Traces to visualize an open drillhole project in the 3D environment
• Select Surfaces to view terrain/DEM and geochemical grid surfaces/rasters in 3D.
Open PRO>Add Ins>MapInfo Discover>3D Help for information on using these and the many
other 3D display tools available on the DISCOVER 3D tab in MapInfo Discover.
See 3D Help for more information on preparing data for viewing and working within the MapInfo
Discover 3D environment.

Viewing data in three dimensions

16 - Graphs and
profiles
In this section
General purpose graphs 282

Stacked profiles 286
Graphs and profiles
General purpose graphs

The GrapMap tool provides interactive data display and analysis functionality using an
extensive range of 2D and 3D graphical visualization and analysis techniques. Data exploration
is a fundamental component in understanding complex patterns and relationships which may
exist in your datasets, whether the data is geochemical, demographic or sales-orientated. GraphMap
provides a powerful and intuitive way to identify these relationships and examine their interactions.
The GraphMap tool can provide solutions to a diverse range of industries and their datasets. Some
examples of use include:
• Structural geology (stereograms, rose diagrams)
• Exploration geochemistry (probability plots, scatter diagrams, ternary diagrams, box graphs)
• Sales, demographics and marketing (histograms, pie charts, line & bar graphs such as age vs.
income or expenditure)
• Hydrogeological and environmental monitoring (scatter, line, box and bar graphs)
• Crime analysis (histograms, line and pie graphs)
The GraphMap tool being used to examine a structural dataset

Graphs and profiles
The GraphMap tool incorporates the following key functionality:

• Extensive graph display modes, including Scatter, 3D Scatter, Bar, Histogram, Bubble, Lines, Box
& Whisker, Pie, Scatter Matrix, Probability, Ternary, Stereogram and Rose.
• Linked selections between multiple graph windows
• Ability to link selections between GraphMap graphs and MapInfo Pro mappers and browsers.
• Add background reference images to graphs to help identify relationships amongst datasets.
• Add a graph to an existing map window.
• Extensive symbology management including the ability to modify the colour, size and symbol
properties using a discrete grouping variable, a continuous variable or a selection and apply
these across multiple graphs.
• Create and examine relationships between multiple tables, such as collar and assay files, or
stream sampling sites and temporal water quality data.
• View summary Statistics such as Median, Variance, Standard Deviation, Kurtosis, etc for an entire
dataset or selection.
• Create complex derived fields using an extensive range of mathematical functions and operators.
• Save selections to either a Boolean field (i.e. attributed True or False) and apply these as a filter
to subset your data. Alternatively save selections to a Group field.
• Create and import reusable selection regions for identifying groups of data.
• Export graphs as MapInfo Pro tables.
• Export graphs as raster images.
• Export dataset, including derived fields and selection filters to a MapInfo Pro table or a comma
separated value (.CSV) file.
• Save and reload GraphMap workspaces.
Getting started with GraphMap

GraphMap can be started with or without a dataset open in MapInfo Pro. If an appropriate
dataset is already loaded in MapInfo Pro when GraphMap is started, a selection dialog will be
displayed for you to choose a dataset to load into the tool. Alternatively, if no dataset is open in
MapInfo Pro, then you can load a data file directly using the ANALYSIS>Display>Graphing>Graph
Overlay tool.

Graphs and profiles
Quick Access toolbar Graph tabs

File menu Menu tabs Ribbon bar
Data window Table window Graph window
Legend window
Various components of the GraphMap user interface
The GraphMap user interface consists of several key components. These are summarized below and
described in detail later in this chapter.
• File Menu - provides facilities to load and export data
• Quick Access Toolbar – customisable toolbar of commonly used tools
• Menu Tabs – a range of menu specific ribbon bars containing the main graphing utilities
• Sidebar Windows – a number of dockable sidebar windows are available to display selected
dataset fields, legends for graph selections, dataset statistics and graph data in tabular format
• Graph Windows and Tabs – main graph area to display graph windows. Graph Tabs across the
top enable the individual graph windows to be brought to the front
GraphMap has been designed to work with either spatial or a spatial datasets of a univariate or multi-
variate nature. Spatial datasets are represented internally in GraphMap as point locations, however
these can be linked back to more complex objects (such as lines and polygons) that are open in
MapInfo Pro through the use of selections.

Graphs and profiles
The following exercise explains the basics of using GraphMap. The GraphMap module contains
significantly more functionality, which is described in Using the GraphMap tool.
To create a graph with the GraphMap tool:
1. Select ANALYSIS>Display>Graphing.
2. Select a file or query to load into GraphMap from those open in MapInfo Pro. Alternatively,
choose None and open datasets from directly within GraphMap from the File Menu. This menu
contains options for opening, saving and exporting graph data along with a list of recently used
graph files.
3. On the Create tab, click the Builder button to open the Graph Builder dialog.
4. The bottom portion of the dialog will change to display the required axis assignments (X, Y
and/or Z) appropriate to the graph type. Use the pull-down menus to assign the required
data fields (e.g. X and Y fields for Scatter and Stereogram graphs, Y field for Probability graphs, X
or Y fields for Bar, Histogram and Rose graphs, etc).
5. Additionally, a Group field can be assigned for any graph type, allowing the data displayed to be
separated based on each unique attribute in this designated field. If required, set this using the
Group pull down list on the right of the dialog. Within the following Select Groups dialog, the user
can choose to display either:
• Single graph window for all the data with each group coloured separately
• Multiple graph windows, each representing a unique attribute or
• A Layout window of a matrix of graphs, each relating to a unique attribute.
• A Geo Located window in which all the graphs are arranged geographically next to the
corresponding sample site.

Graphs and profiles
The user must also select which groups to display from the list provided, allowing only those
groups of interest to be plotted. Examples of the use of groups include separating geochemical
data by geology, sampling or assay method or date; analysing sales data by suburb or product; or
assessing demographic data by age group, occupation or salary levels. It is not generally
recommended to use a numeric field as a Group field.
6. Press OK to generate the graph: a new graph window (or windows) will be displayed. Experiment
with the graph types to create a number of graph windows.
7. To pan around a graph window, hold down the right mouse button whilst moving the
mouse (or activate the Pan button on the Quick Access toolbar at the top of the
GraphMap window). Use the Zoom buttons to control the view level, or the mouse wheel.
8. To make a selection from the graph window, use one of the three selection tools on
the Quick Access toolbar at the top left of the GraphMap window.
9. Once a selection is made, change to the View Menu tab, and press the Statistics button.
This will open a new window displaying the statistics for the current selection, which will
update with each new selection.
10. If multiple graphs based on the same dataset are open, a selection made in one will be
highlighted simultaneously in all graph windows. This is an excellent way to visualize different
aspects of the same selection easily.
11. To change the symbology of the current selection, change to the Modify Menu tab and select
new display options from one of the Colour, Size or Symbol pull-down menus. The selection will
adopt this new style in all open graphs. Multiple selections in multiple graphs can thus be
identified with user-defined symbology.
Set colour
Set size
Set symbol
Stacked profiles
Related tools: Stacked Profiles
The Stacked Profiles tool creates a linegraph of a nominated field displayed along a traverse
base line. Stacked profile presentations of line oriented data are frequently used in geophysical
and geochemistry data analysis. Advantages offered by stacked profiles over imagery or point
displays include:
• Trends and anomaly correlation between lines can be subtle and easier to identify or display in
profile data compared with contouring or imagery
• Multiple data channels can be displayed at the same time with identical or varying scaling

Graphs and profiles
• Various filter operators can be applied to line data and the results optimally displayed in stacked
profile form
• Stacked profiles created within MapInfo Discover offer the following features:
• Control over clipping (high and low) thresholds
• Filling of a profile above or below a definable baseline (a variable area presentation)
• Linear or logarithmic scaling
In order to generate a stacked profile the data table must contain a column with a unique line identifier
attribute (e.g. line number) and at least one numeric data column on which to create the profile. Open
the data table to use in the stacked profile generation in a map window.
To create a stacked profile:
1. Select ANALYSIS>Display>Stacked Profile and select the data table from the list displayed in
the opening dialog. Click OK to display the Stacked Profile dialog box:
2. Select the table to use for the stacked profile from the Dataset pull-down list. Select the data
column to display in the profile from the Field pull-down list. Select the column containing the
unique line identifying information from the Line pull-down list.
Note: Stacked Profiles assumes that the data points grouped by Line field are sorted linearly along the
line (e.g. by northing and easting).

Graphs and profiles
3. Check the Draw Across Nulls box to enable MapInfo Discover to continue to draw a profile when
a blank data field is encountered. In the event of larger gaps in the sampling interval within the
one sample line, check the Distance Threshold box and enter a distance. When the distance
between two sample points is greater than the value entered as the distance threshold, MapInfo
Discover starts a new profile on the same sampling line. If a distance threshold is not entered, a
continuous profile for the line is displayed.
4. Select formatting options:
• Scaling of the field data can be linear or logarithmic and comply with the Scale Factor of the
map in which the stacked profiles are displayed or in units per centimetre.
• The baseline or x-axis may be displayed with the profile. Use the Baseline pull-down list to
select from the range of baseline options. A baseline may be created according to the
minimum, maximum, average or median value of the data column. A user-specified baseline
value can also be entered.
• In the Line Style control check the Show Base Lines box to display the base line or x-axis of
the profile. Check the Show Field Lines to display the profile for the selected data column.
Use the line style buttons next to each option to select the desired line style and colour.
• A profile may be filled with a solid colour to denote samples with values above or below the
baseline or a user specified value. Click on the colour buttons to change the fill colour. The
minimum and maximum values in the data column are automatically inserted into the Clip
control. Check the Above or Below box to enter another value in order to clip the data range
used to the specified data range.
The stacked profiles are output to a single table and added as a new layer to the mapper containing
the source data. If you have elected to fill above or below the baseline, the fill is written to a separate
layer as a series of polygon objects.

17 - Using the
GraphMap tool
See Graphs and profiles for an overview of the GraphMap tool and other
graphing tools.
In this section
Starting GraphMap 290

GraphMap menus and toolbars 290
Creating graphs 298
Preconditioning data 306
Creating derived columns 307
Viewing data values 310
Arranging and modifying graph displays 311
Selecting data in graphs 316
Multi-table relationships 320
GeoLocated graphs 321
Displaying statistics 327
Changing the style of graph objects 328
GraphMap settings 335
Using the GraphMap tool
Starting GraphMap
• On the ANALASYS tab, under Display, click Graphing.
If a suitable dataset is already loaded in MapInfo Pro when GraphMap is started, a selection
dialog is displayed, from which you can select a dataset. If no dataset is open, then you can load
a data file directly using the GraphMap File menu.
GraphMap menus and toolbars

• File tab
• Quick Access toolbar
• Menu tabs
• Sidebar windows
File tab
• Open From MapInfo – allows datasets already open in MapInfo Pro to be loaded into GraphMap.
• Open from File – opens a MapInfo Pro .TAB, Comma Separated Value .CSV, SQL Express
.MDF, or MS Access database file directly from the file system.
• Open Workspace – open an existing GraphMap Workspace .GMW file.
• Save Workspace – the current GraphMap session (graphs, symbology, legends, etc) can be
saved as a GraphMap workspace (.GMW). Alternatively, all datasets open in the session can also
be saved into the .GMW file using the Save Workspace and Data option.
• Print – print one or more graph windows to a Printer or installed PDF Printer.
• Export Graph As - outputs one or more graph windows as MapInfo Pro TAB files (and opens
them within MapInfo Pro) or the current graph window as a raster image in .PNG or .XAML
formats.
• Save Data As - outputs the current dataset to a new MapInfo Pro TAB file or a comma-delimited
text file (.CSV), including user defined filter fields and derived-columns
• Save Legend to MapInfo – outputs the Legend window (see Load and save styles from legend)
to a MapInfo Pro TAB file, and opens it into MapInfo Pro.
• Close - closes selected datasets and all associated graphs.
• Options – displays the GraphMap Global Options dialog.
• Exit – exits the GraphMap tool.
• Recent Documents – For convenience GraphMap maintains a list of recent files in a panel to the
right of the main File menu. Selecting a file from this list will load it automatically.
Quick Access toolbar

The Quick Access toolbar is automatically docked at the top of the GraphMap dialog. The toolbar
contains a number of icons relating to the selection of sample points in a graph window and general
graph navigation functions as follows:
Selection
Select by Rectangle allows a selection rectangle to be created by pressing and holding the left-
mouse button and dragging the mouse. All graph point samples within the rectangle are
highlighted in the graph window.
Select by Region allows a freehand selection region to be drawn around a number of graph point
samples by pressing and holding the left-mouse button. Releasing the mouse button will close
the region.
Select Live Rectangle - as the selection rectangle is drawn, all graph sample points within the
selection region are highlighted within all graph windows automatically.
Create overlay selection region creates a permanent selection region which can be saved and
reused with other datasets.
Navigation
Zoom In and Zoom Out by either left-mouse clicking within a graph window or draw a
rectangle to zoom to the contents.
Pan enables the graph view to be moved by clicking and dragging with the left-mouse button
3D Navigation enables rotation in graphs such as 3D Scatter and Bubble plots. Hold the left
mouse button down whilst moving the mouse to rotate the view.
Customize Toolbar
The Quick Access Toolbar can be customized by selecting the pull-down menu at its right end,
and selecting Customize Quick Access Toolbar from the drop-down menu.
The Customize Quick Access Toolbar dialog contains four customization options:
• Select the User Customize option, and populate/reorder the right hand window with the desired
tools from the left-hand pull-down list of categories. Note that some tools are mouse-button
specific. Press OK to apply.
• Select either the Wheel Mouse, Laptop Pad or All Tools (default) Preset options and press OK
to apply

The Quick Access Toolbar can also be placed below the Menu Tab ribbon bar by selecting the
appropriate option either from this dialog, or from the Quick Access Toolbar drop-down menu.
The Menu Tab ribbon bar can be minimized so that it only appears when a menu tab is selected (e.g.
Create, Modify, etc). Select the pull-down menu at the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar, and
select the Minimize the Ribbon option.
Menu tabs
The menu tabs provide access to the main toolbars:
Create tab
The Create tab ribbon bar contains buttons for all the different available graph types, a simple graph
builder wizard and the ability to assign fields in the source data table as graph axes, group or filter
fields. For more information, see User Guide: Creating graphs.
Modify tab

The Modify tab ribbon bar contains buttons for enhancing the appearance of graph selections with a
range of colour, size and symbol options. For more information, see Changing the style of graph
objects.
Data tab
The Data tab ribbon bar contains buttons for making and saving graph selections. Selections can be
made and viewed in both the graph window and in the source data table in MapInfo Pro. Buttons for
creating derived columns to graph from existing columns, data preconditioning to remove nulls or
negative numbers and set up table relationships to link data in one table with another are also
available. For more information, see Selecting data in graphs.
Settings tab
The GraphMap settings ribbon bar contains options to enable the programming of mouse buttons for
various graph functions and modification of global settings for general and selected graphs and axes.
View tab
The View menu tab ribbon bar contains buttons to control how individual graph windows are displayed
and also the ability to view graph windows outside of the GraphMap module. Visibility of the side bar
Data, Legend, Statistics, Relations and Properties windows can also be toggled on and off.
Current Graph tab

The Current Graph menu tab contains buttons for customizing the graph display and modifying axis
lines and labels,
Sidebar windows
Data window
The Selecting and tranforming data columns displays the properties of the current dataset including
field names and current field assignments. It allows switching between multiple datasets.
Preconditioning data to remove nulls or replace below detection level samples will result in the creation
of new transformed columns. Mathematical calculations can also be performed on existing data fields
to created new derived columns (see Creating derived columns). The visibility of this window is toggled
on/off via the View Menu tab.

Legend window
The Legend Window displays the currently assigned symbol, colour and size for graph selections (see
Load and save styles from legend). The visibility of this window is toggled on/off via the View Menu tab.
Table window
The Table Window displays the attribute data of the current dataset in a tabular format (see Selecting
data in graphs). The visibility of this window is toggled on/off via the Data Menu or Create Menu tabs.

Statistics window
The Selection Statistics Window displays various standard statistics for the current graph selection
(see GraphMap settings). The visibility of this window is toggled on/off via the View Menu tab.
Relations window
The Table Relations Window displays the relationships between linked tables which enable graph data
to be selected from one table and the associated records in a linked table will automatically be
highlighted in another graph (see View menu tab). The visibility of this window is toggled on/off via the
View Menu tab.

Properties window
The Graph Properties Window contains options to set the font, colour, scale, offset and styling options
applicable to each parameter of the graph (i.e. each axis as well as the graph background area). For
more information, see Selecting data in graphs. This visibility of this window is toggled on/off via the
View Menu tab or the Current Graph tab.

Creating graphs
The Create Menu tab provides the tools for creating an extensive range of Graph Types. Most graph
types have a number of compulsory Axis/Field Assignments (e.g. a Y field for a Probability plot): if
these fields are not assigned, the user will be prompted to assign them before the graph can be
created. Graphs are created by setting the required Axis/field assignments and then pressing the
desired Graph types button. Alternatively, the Graph Builder presents an intuitive wizard-style dialog
to guide the new user through graph creation
Graph Builder
The Builder button on the Create tab opens the Graph Builder dialog, which provides an
intuitive wizard-style interface to guide the user through graph creation.
1. Graph buttons are presented on the side of the dialog. Select a Graph Type.
2. The main area of the dialog will display the compulsory (dark blue) and optional (light blue) Axis/
Field Assignments (X, Y and/ Z) for the selected graph type as pull down lists. Use these pull-
down lists to assign the required fields, and a preview of the graph will be displayed.
3. If satisfied with the graph type and field assignments, set a Group field if required. See the end of
the Axis/Field Assignments section for information on the options available within the Select
Groups dialog. Selecting either a Multi- or Layout Window display type will update the preview
screen accordingly.
4. Press OK to generate the output graph/s.
Axis/field assignments
Each Graph types button has a tooltip (hover the cursor over the relevant graph button) to detail the
axis/field assignments required for that graph type. If unnecessary fields are assigned (e.g. Z field for
a Histogram graph), then they will be ignored during graph creation.
To assign a field either:
• Select the desired assignment button from the Axis Assignment control on the Create tab and
from the pop-up list, choose the required field or
The Axis/Field Assignment controls on the Display tab.
• Select/highlight the field in the Data window and then press the appropriate keyboard shortcut:
e.g. the X key for the X axis, the G key for the Group assignment or the O key for the data
Ordering field.
• Select/highlight the field in the Data window and then press the right mouse button within the Data
window to display the data pop-up menu; select the Axis Assignment option and choose the
appropriate assignment

The Axis/Field Assignment controls on the Data window pop-up menu.
• The Order field can additionally be specified by dragging the target field in the Data window onto
the Order area at the Data window’s base. This area will then indicate the Order field assignment
until it is cleared/reset.
Order field indicator area
Note: It is possible to select multiple fields (by holding down the left mouse button and dragging over
multiple items) or by using the normal SHIFT/CTRL key combinations, and assign them the same
Axis/Field Assignment (e.g. to assign multiple Y fields, or to clear existing assignments)
The following axis/field assignments are available:

Axis/Field Keyboard Description

Assignment shortcut
X Axis X Sets the selected field as an X axis parameter. Multiple X field

assignments are possible.
Y Axis Y Sets the field as a Y axis parameter. Multiple Y field assignments are
possible.
Z Axis Z Sets the field as the Z axis parameter. Only one field at a time can be
assigned as a Z field.
Group G Sets the selected field as a Group field. Data will be grouped based on
each unique attribute. This is most appropriate for string fields such as
company name, sample type, mesh size, lithology, etc (not for numeric
data such as assays). Only one field can be assigned as the Group field
at a time.
Filter F Sets the selected field as a Filter. The field must be a Boolean field
(True or False) in order for it to be assigned. Filter fields can be created
using the Save Selection as Filter Column icon (at the top of the Data
window) or from the Data tab. Assigning a Filter field will enable you to
create graph displays for only those entries marked as true in the filter.
Only one field at a time can be assigned as a Filter.
Order by O Set the selected field as the Ordering field – a field can be set as both an
[only axis assignment and an ordering field.
applicable to By default a Line graph is drawn in the row order of the table (the _key
Line Graphs] field). If an Ordering field is set, points will be drawn and connected in
the increasing order of this field. An example of use would be plotting a
Line plot of Cu vs. Pb- set the Cu field as both the X Axis and the Order
field.
Clear Space bar Clears the selected field’s current assignment.
Note: For many graphs requiring for example a single Y field assignment, assigning multiple Y fields will
result in the creation of multiple separate graphs, one for each Y field assignment.
If a Group field is assigned (whether manually or via the Graph Builder), a Select Groups dialog will
be presented when a graph is created. This dialog allows the user to select one or more group items
and display the graphs using one of three display options:
• Multiple Windows - a separate graph window is created for each selected/highlighted group
• Single Window - a single graph window incorporating all selected groups is created for the
selected/highlighted groups. This display mode includes an option to colour each group uniquely
to assist in identification.
• Layout Window - multiple plots are created in a single graph window, with plot representing one
of the selected groups.
• A Geo Located window in which all the graphs are arranged geographically next to the
corresponding sample site.

The Groups to be displayed must be highlighted in the list before pressing OK. The graph(s) will then
be created for only those items which are selected.
The Select Groups dialog displayed when a non-compulsory Group field is assigned.
Graph types
The following table lists the available graph types and their compulsory field assignments:
Normal Graphs
• Map – opens the dataset as a map using the existing mapped fields (either the fields
assigned using the MapInfo Pro Table>Create Points menu option, or the Obj_X and
Obj_Y fields if the data has spatial objects but no spatial columns). Alternatively, different X
and Y fields can be assigned (e.g. for an Access table or for unmapped data) using one of
the X & Y field assignment methods.
• Scatter – scatter plots produce an XY point plot and require an X and Y field to be
assigned. If only one field is assigned, the opposing unassigned axis will default to the
‘Key’ or record index field (row ID of each data entry) of the dataset. This graph type allows
a Regression line to be plotted, and therefore a Residuals graph to be created; see
Selecting and tranforming data columns.

• Line – line plots produces a continuous line profile using either an X and/or Y field
assignment. If the opposing axis is unassigned it will default to the ‘Key’ or record index
field (row ID of each data entry).
• Bar – this utilizes only an X or Y field assignment, setting the unassigned axis as the Key
field. It produces a series of individual vertical bars representing the X or Y field value of
each data entry. Its output is comparable to setting only the same field in either the Scatter
or Line graphs.
• 3D Scatter – produces a 3D scatter plot, requiring X, Y and Z axis assignments. Once the
3D scatter plot is created, hold down the middle mouse button and move the mouse to
rotate the 3D view. If either the X or Y axes are unassigned, they will be set to the ‘Key’ or
record index field.
• Bubble – produces bubble plot requiring X and Y assignments, with an optional Z
assignment. Similar to output to a Scatter plot.
• Table – opens a browser view of the current dataset. See Viewing data values for further
information.
Grouped graphs
• Lines – allows multiple line plots to be displayed on a single graph, using multiple Y field
assignments. The following prompt will be displayed allowing each line to coloured
separately. A simple legend indicating the field/colour association will be displayed at the
top left of the graph to assist in identification.
Individual line colour and legend for a Lines graph.
• Histogram – displays a graph of the count of records that fall within a predefined bin.
The unique attributes are displayed as bins along either the X or Y axis, and the count
is displayed on the unassigned axis. The bin size can be modified through the Graph
Properties dialog (see Selecting data in graphs).

• Box – produces a Box plot of the assigned Y field. If an optional X field is assigned, the
dataset will be separated along the X axis based on each unique attribute within this field
(e.g. sample type or lithology). Box plots display a summary of the important aspects of a
distribution. The central box extends from the lower hinge (25th percentile) to the upper
hinge (75th percentile) and therefore represents the middle half of the data spread. The line
across the middle of the box represents the median. If the median is not positioned in the middle
of the box it indicates that the data distribution is skewed. The vertical bars or whiskers which
extend from the box represent the spread of the data (the minimum & maximum data points)
unless outliers are present, in which case they extend to the nearest data point within a maximum
of 1.5 times the inter-quartile range. Points outside the fence (or whiskers) are outliers or
suspected outliers in the distribution. Points outside 3.0 times the inter-quartile range are drawn
with smaller points to delineate the extreme outliers.
• Pie – creates a multi-segment pie chart, where each segment represents a unique
attribute within the assigned X or Y field. The arc of each segment represents the
proportion (count) of that attribute in the total population. For numerical data, the bin size
of each pie slice can be modified through the Graph Properties dialog
Statistics graphs
• Scatter Matrix – uses multiple X and/or Y fields to create multiple scatter plots in a
matrix pattern, allowing multi-element analysis/comparison. This graph type allows
Regression lines to be plotted, and therefore Residuals graphs to be created; see
Graph window tools (see Selecting data in graphs).
• Probability - produces a normal probability plot of the assigned Y field(s). A normal
probability plot (also known as a Q-Q plot) is a graphical technique for assessing
whether a data set is approximately normally distributed. The normal probability plot is
constructed by plotting the ordered normal response values for the assigned field
against the normal ordered statistic medians if a theoretical normal distribution. If the data set is
normally distributed the resulting plot should represent a straight line. Deviations from a straight
line represent deviations from normality. This is labeled as N Scores, which is the same as
"Standard Scores" or "Normal Theoretical Quantiles". This can easily be converted to a log-
normal probability graph by converting the Y axis to log under the Current Graph menu.
Other graphs
• Ternary - creates a normalized scatter plot of three fields on a triangular diagram. The
assignment of X, Y & Z fields is required in order to produce a Ternary plot. In order to plot
a point on the triangular axes the X,Y,Z data for each row is normalized such that X+Y+Z =
1. If your data is not normalized then GraphMap will do this for you automatically.
• Stereogram - displays structural measurements using dip direction (X) and dip (Y)
fields. This graph type has options to display either Equal Area or Equal Angle
projections, as well as plotting the data as either Lineations or Poles to Planes. These
options can be accessed via the Graph Properties dialog (see Selecting data in graphs),
and changing the Data Display or Projection options at the bottom of the list.
• Rose – uses an azimuth/bearing field assigned as either an X or Y field to create a Rose
diagram. The radius of each petal or bin indicates the number of data values that fall within
that range. The bin size (default of 30 degrees) can be modified through the Graph
Properties dialog (see Selecting data in graphs). Examples of use include evaluating
regional structural trends, wind direction, fluid migration patterns (e.g. water or hydrocarbon), etc.

Bin data ranges are set as greater than or equal to the lower bin value and less than the bin upper
value. For instance, the 330° to 360° bin would have the following data range:
330° ≤ Azimuth < 360°
This means that azimuth/bearing measurements of 360° will not be plotted: these need to be
converted to a value of 0°.
• Clock - uses a two-axis display within a circle, with the X field bins incremented on the
outside segments of the circle, and the Y field bins incremented within the circle as
concentric rings. Sections within the circle are coloured accoridng to their frequency.
• Rectangular Clock - uses X and Y fields to display time-series data in a matrix. Use
this graph type to show frequency as day-of-the-week vs hour-of-the-day or month-of-
the-year vs year and such. Grid cells are coloured according to their frequency.
Selecting and tranforming data columns

The Data window on the left off the GraphMap window lists all fields in the current dataset. Its primary
function is to display the variables from the current dataset and to set Axis/field assignments for the
various graph types. The pull-down list at the top of the Data Window allows the user to switch between
open datasets.
The Data window is subdivided into sections depending on the field type:
• Numeric – lists all numeric fields (e.g. float, integer, decimal). It is not recommended to numeric
fields as a Group assignment.
• String – lists all character fields
• Date – lists all date, time or date-time fields
• Derived Columns – lists any Derived Columns
• Transformed Columns – lists any Preconditioned Data
• Selection Columns – lists any fields created from a saved selection, whether they are a filter or
group.
• Ranged Columns – lists any ranged columns derived from other fields.
It also contains the following options:
• The Show Table button opens a browser or table view of the dataset. See Selecting data in
graphs for further information on this view type.
• Add Derived Column allows the creation of a new field based on calculations performed on
existing fields; e.g. the addition of the values of two fields to produce a new field. See
Creating derived columns for further information.
• Save Selection as Filter Column this will save the current selection to a new Boolean field
with a user-specified name. The Boolean field records the selection with a True flag, whilst
the unselected data is flagged as False. The selection fields can be assigned as a Filter field,
allowing graphs to be created for only the filtered portion of the data set. For more information,
see Axis/field assignments.
• Setup Multi-Table Relationships allows the creation of relationships/joins between multiple
parent and daughter tables. See Multi-table relationships for further information.

• The Views button provides a number of options for visualizing the data fields. Options
include Tiles, Icons, List and Details. The Details view display a full range of summary
Statistics for each field in the dataset.
• The Data window can be moved by clicking and dragging its title bar, or by double-clicking
on the title bar to undock it. To return the Data window to its default location, select the
Reset Layout option on the Settings tab. The AutoHide icon at the top-right of the
window allows the Data window to be toggled between a window view and tab in the left
margin.
The Data window pop-up menu
Right mouse clicking in the Data window will open up the data pop-up menu. This contains the
following functionality:
• The Axis Assignment option discussed in Axis/field assignments.
• If an existing derived column (see Creating derived columns) is selected, the Edit Derived
column option enables the column’s expression to be edited.
• Create Ranged Column requires two existing columns of the same type to be selected. It then
creates a new Ranged column based on setting the first selected coulmn as the minnimum
bounds of the range, and the second selected column as the maximum bound for each row. This
is useful for a start and end time or date, or the minimum and maximum value measured over a
time or sample range. This Ranged column can then be used in graphs or exported back to
MapInfo Pro.
• The Preconditioning data option allows null and negative data in the selected field to be handled
correctly
• Break Date/Time into parts allows a selected Date and/or Time column to create a new column
base don chronological groupings, such as Month of Year, Day of Week and time of Day. A user
can select to construct the new column on a combination - for example grouped by both the
Month of year, then the Day of Week, as well as any user entered text.
• Update Column Statistics forces the statistics for all columns to be updated (viewable via either
hovering the mouse over the column in the Data Window, or via the Details option of the Views
button).
• To remove an existing column, use the Delete Column option. Note this does not alter the
underlying MapInfo Pro table, but simply removes it from view within GraphMap.
• Duplicate Column will create an identical copy of the selected column.

The Data window at the left of the GraphMap tool will display all fields present within the current
dataset. Use the pull-down menu at the top of the Data window to change between open datasets.
Preconditioning data
The Precondition Data option allows the effective handling of negative, non-numeric and zero values.
It can be accessed either:
• by right-clicking on the target fields in the Data Window and selecting from the pop-up menu or
• via the Precondition Data button in the Data tab. This opens a list of the current datasets fields -
select the target fields from this.
The Data Handling Options dialog, accessed via the Precondition Data option
Either option will open the Data Handling Options dialog. The default new output fields will utilize the
source field name and apply a ‘_PC’ suffix; this can be altered in the top text window. The following
options are provided:

• Negative Values - To ignore negative assay values in a data table check the Set negative
values to box and leave the default “Null” entry. Alternatively, set all negative values to a single
user-specified value.
• Check the Multiply negative values box by -0.5 to convert each negative value to a new positive
assay value which is half the detection limit. Alternatively, multiply all negative values by a single
user-specified value.
• Non-Numeric Values – To ignore non-numeric values in a data table check the Set non-numeric
values to box and leave the default “Null” entry. Alternatively, set all non-numeric values to a
single user-specified value.
• Zero Values - To ignore zero values in a data table check the Set all zero values to box and
leave the default “Null” entry. Alternatively, set all zero values to a single user-specified value.
• Custom Template – To apply different replacement values for element data in a table or for
multiple replacements within the same element field a custom template can be created. The
template must contain three fields which contain the element name, the original assay value and
the new replacement assay value. The template must be open in MapInfo Pro in order to select it
for use in the Data Handling Options dialog.
• Data Type Conversion - To convert the data type of the columns, tick the box and select the
target data type from the list. For example, converting dates in a string column into a date column
will improve their display in graphs.
Once the required preconditioning is applied, the new fields will appear in the Data Window under the
Transformed Columns section. Set this as the required field assignment rather than the original
source field for graph creation to utilize the applied preconditioning. To save the new column, use the
To save this table, use the File>Save Data As>MapInfo table menu option
Creating derived columns

The Add Derived Column tool in either the Data Window or the Data Menu tab enables a new
column to be created and populated based on mathematical and/or logical operation on existing
columns. It opens the following dialog:

The Add Derived Column dialog
Formulae for a derived column are entered in the Expression pane. A name for the new derived
column can be entered in the Column Name control above (if no column name is assigned, it will
default to the expression syntax).
To enter an expression, place the cursor at the required insertion point within the Expression pane, and
type the formula. To assist in the construction of a formula, items can be chosen from the Function,
Operator, Value or Column assignment lists in the bottom half of the dialog. The expression pane also
provides colour syntax highlighting and ‘intellisense’ to assist with the construction of valid formulas,
enabled with the Auto Complete option.
Each field in the dataset can be inserted into a formula as either a Value or Column parameter by
selecting them from the appropriate pull-down lists:
• A Value parameter references an individual cell value in the data set and must be surrounded in
the Expression pane by square brackets (e.g. [Value]). A value parameter is used in functions
that operate on individual values e.g. [Cu]+[Zn] or Log10([Pb]).

• A Column parameter references an entire column of cell values, and must be surrounded the
Expression pane with curly brackets (e.g. {Column}). Column parameters are generally required
in the statistical functions e.g. Mean({Cu}).
Both Values and Columns can be referenced in a formula in the expression pane. For example to
compute the Z score for a given field you would enter the following expression, where ‘theValue’ is the
field you are interested in.
([theValue]–Mean({theValue}))/StDev({theValue})
A range of mathematical and statistical functions are also available in the Functions list. Some of
these functions accept Value parameters (such as the Log([value]), Sqrt([value]) and Tan([value]))
whilst others require Column parameter assignments (i.e. statistical functions such as
HarmonicMean({value}), Kurtosis({value}) and Count({value})). A brief summary of each Function and
its required parameters is displayed at the base of the derived column dialog when each function is
highlighted. Some functions may also require the insertion of another function inside them (e.g.
ZScore([value], Mean({value}, StDev({value})). Assignment of the wrong parameter type for a function
will result in an invalid expression error (e.g. Log10({Cu}) will return an error message, whereas
Log10([Cu]) would be valid).
The ZScore function description, including required parameters and other functions
A range of Operators are available, both mathematical and logical. Logical operators (e.g. <, >=) are
only applicable when the Expression type is changed to Conditional using the pull-down option to the
right of the Expression window.
Creating a derived column using a Conditional Expression
Some examples of valid expressions:

[Cu]/Mean{Cu}
[Pb]+[Zn]
ZScore([Zn],Mean({Zn}),StDev({Zn}))
Once a new derived column is created, it will be listed within the Data Window. An existing derived field
can be edited by right-clicking on the icon, and selecting the Edit Derived Field option form the pop-
up menu. This will reopen the Add Derived Column dialog and the expression for the column will be
displayed.
To save derived fields permanently, use the GraphMap File>Save Data As>MapInfo table menu
option

Viewing data values

The Table Window is similar to a MapInfo Pro browser; it displays each record as a row of
attributes in a browser format. The Table window can be displayed using either:
• the Table button on the Create Menu tab
• the Show Table button within the Data window or
• the Table button on the Data tab
The Table window also incorporates any derived columns or Saved Selection columns that have been
created, as well as a “Selected” column. The Selected column indicates any currently selected
records with a tick mark. Pressing the Show Selected Only option at the top of the Table window, will
show only the selected entries in the list. This is an excellent way of viewing the browser records for a
graphical selection.
Individual records can be selected within the Table window by ticking the appropriate row within the
Selected column. To select multiple records, highlight the records of interest (using SHIFT or CTRL
key combinations) right-click in the window and choose the Assign Selection option from the pop-up
menu. Deselect multiple records by highlighting them and use the Clear Selection option (right-click
menu in the Table view).
The Table window Assign Selection menu
The Show Background Colour option will shade rows in the Table view using the current colour
scheme (as applied using the Colour controls and displayed in the Legend window ).
A column can be sorted in ascending or descending order by clicking on the column title. The displayed
field list can be customized (similar to the MapInfo Pro Pick Fields option) by right clicking in the
column title area: this will open a field selection list, with displayed fields highlighted. Select and
deselect fields as required.
Field customization within the Table window

Multiple columns can be filtered using the Filter button. This adds a row of filter controls above the
table. Multiple fields can be filtered simultaneously.
• Numeric fields will have an operator and value control. Select an operator and enter a value: the
table window will update to display only data matching the specified criteria. The asterix *
functions as an exact match operator; it will convert the data and search values into strings and
try to find an exact match.
String fields will have a single string control; type a search string in this to filter the table view. This is
a dynamic operation: the view will be refiltered with each successive character entered. The asterix *
functions as a wildcard e.g. *zoic will find entries of Cainozoic and Mesozoic.
Arranging and modifying graph displays

• Closing graphs
• Hide and show windows
• Arranging graphs
• Adding a graph to a map window
• Zoom, pan and rotation
• Axis, scale, background, and other display options
• Displaying legends
The View tab provides options for the display and positioning of graph and other windows. By default
individual graphs are created as floating windows which can be identified by name in the graph titlebar
or via tabs along the top of the main graph display area. These tabs can be hidden using the Show
Tabs toggle (below). Individual graphs can be selected using these tabs or via the Window List. The
arrangement of graph windows can be controlled using the Tile, Cascade or AutoTile menu options.
Closing graphs
Graphs can be closed in a number of ways:
• Using the Close All option will close all graph displays,
• Using the Windows option under the Windows List button will present a dialog listing all the open
graphs. Multiple graphs can be selected in the list and closed at once.
• The Close option under the File menu allows selected datasets to be closed. All graphs
associated with a selected dataset will be closed.
• Using the individual close button at the top right of each graph
The following controls are available on the View Menu tab:

Hide and show windows

Graph windows
• Tile all open graph windows in the GraphMap window.
• Cascade all open graph windows
• Automatically retile all graph windows after each new graph created. This is a toggle
button.
• Toggle the display of the current graph window inside or outside the GraphMap
application. Graph windows can also be toggled in and out by pressing “I” on the keyboard
when the mouse is placed over a graph window.
Sidebar wIndows
• Toggle the Data Window On or Off
• Toggle the Legend Window On or Off
• Toggle the Selection Statistics Window On or Off.
• Toggle the Table Relations Window On or Off
• Toggle the Graph Properties Window On or Off

Graph windows
• Toggle whether the Graph tabs are displayed or not. If not select from the available
open graphs using the Window List option (below). This option helps increase the
available space for graph window display.
• Close all open graph windows
• Open a list of all open graph (and table) windows. Selecting a list item will bring that
graph window to the front.
MapInfo Pro
• Toggle the GraphMap application between displaying inside the MapInfo Pro window
and displaying outside of it. The latter option is useful when running dual monitor
screens.

Arranging graphs
Multiple graphs can be opened into the graph window display area. Each graph has a tab which, when
selected, enables the corresponding graph to be displayed at the front of the other graphs. Graph
windows can be dragged to new locations by clicking on the titlebar of the graph window and dragging
the window to a new location.
Use the icons on each graph window to Minimize, Restore or Close respectively.
The View Menu Tab contains additional window arrangement options as follows:
• Tiles all open graph windows in the GraphMap window.
• Cascades all open graph windows
• Automatically retiles all graph windows after each new graph created. This is a toggle
button.
• Toggles the display of the current graph window inside or outside the GraphMap
application. Graph windows can also be toggled in and out by pressing “I” on the keyboard
when the mouse is placed over a graph window.
• Toggles whether the Graph tabs are displayed or not. If not select from the available
open graphs using the Window List option (below). This option helps increase the
available space for graph window display.
• Closes all open graph windows
• Opens a list of all open graph (and table) windows. Selecting a list item will bring
that graph window to the front.

The GraphMap settings also contains two Multi-Window Creation options:

• In Separate Windows – this option will display multiple graphs in a separate window for each
• In Tabbed Window – this option will display all graphs in a single window with tabs to switch
between the individual graphs
Adding a graph to a map window

Right-click inside a graph window to display the graph shortcut menu.
View in MapInfo – Add a graph to an existing map window. In the Show in MapInfo dialog select
the map window to add the graph. Enter in an X and Y origin for the graph in map window
coordinates or click on the Select on Map button and click the desired location in the map window.
Alter the Scaling for the graph as required and select a base output file name.
This process may add a number of layers to the map window.
Zoom, pan and rotation

Panning
• Hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse to reposition the graph content
• Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to pan the view in the direction of the arrow.

• Select the Pan button from the top customisable Quick Access Toolbar. Depress the left
mouse button in the graph window whilst moving the mouse to pan the view.
Zooming
Two methods are available:
• Use the middle mouse wheel to increase or decrease the zoom level. Rolling the mouse wheel in
a forward direction will increase the zoom and rotating the wheel in a backwards direction will
decrease the zoom level.
• Alternatively, select the appropriate button Zoom from the top customisable Quick
Access toolbar, and either left click within the graph window, or draw a rectangle to
zoom to its extents.
3D graph rotation
(e.g. 3D Scatter graphs)
• Depress and hold the middle mouse wheel and move the mouse to rotate the view.
• Hold down the SHIFT button and use the keyboard arrows to rotate the view around each of the
axes.
• Select the 3D Navigation button on the top customisable Quick Access Toolbar. Click and
hold the left mouse button whilst moving the mouse to rotate.
To continuously spin the graph around a fixed axis hold down the CTRL key while using the
keyboard keys. Pressing the “T” key on the keyboard whilst part of the dataset is selected will re-
center the rotation point on the center of the selection, rather than the center of the dataset.
Axis, scale, background, and other display options

The following options are provided for changing individual graph windows:
Click in a graph window and use the arrows on the X and Y axes to increase, decrease and
restore the axis extents.
Right-click inside a graph window to display the graph shortcut menu.
• Reset Graph – resets the graph view to the full data extents
• Set Background Image – a MapInfo Pro map window can be added as a background
reference image for the current graph. Note: it is important that the spatial coordinates (data
range) of the MapInfo Pro window is the same as coordinates of the graph in which the
background is being added.
• Set Selection Overlay – previously defined selection overlay regions can be added to the current
graph. These regions need to be created using the Create overlay selection region tool on the
main toolbar. The selection overlay regions are stored on a per user basis in the “My
Documents\Encom GraphMap” directory.
• Show Regression Line :– adds a Regression line to Scatter and Scatter Matrix graphs.
This option is not available for any other graph types.

• Create Residuals Graph :– if the graph has a Regression Line plotted, this option creates a new
Residual graph.
Current graph controls

The Current Graph tab contains the following controls for customizing the current graph:
• Grid Lines – toggles the display of grid lines for either the X or Y axes
• Log Axis – applies a logarithmic scale to either axis
• Axis Label – toggles labels on the axes
• Graph Titles – inserts the graph tile into the graph window (useful when exporting the graph as
an image or MapInfo Pro table)
• Colouring – Numerous controls for the colour of axes, grid lines, labels, tick marks and
backgrounds
The Properties window of the current graph is displayed on the right side of the GraphMap
display, and can be accessed via two options:
1. Right-clicking in the graph window and selecting Properties from the pop-up menu.
2. Selecting the Properties option from the Current Graph Menu ribbon bar
This window contains a multitude of font, colour, scale, offset and styling options applicable to each
layer of the graph (i.e. each axis as well as the graph background area). The last layer listed (named
after the source dataset) also contains controls specific to the graph type: for instance Stereograms
have options for dataset plotting (PoleToPlanes or Lineations), whilst Rose & Histograms graphs allow
control of the Bin size.
Selecting data in graphs

GraphMap provides real time selection and visualization functionality; data selected in a graph window
is immediately highlighted in all graph windows relating to the same dataset (links between different
datasets can also be setup using Multi-table relationships). This is an excellent way of examining
different aspects of a subset of data, for example the various geochemical ratios (scatter plots, ternary
diagrams) and statistical analyses (box and probability plots) of soil samples sourced from a basalt
terrain vs. those from doleritic terrain.
To make a graph selection use one of the selection tools on the top customisable Quick Access toolbar:
• Select by Rectangle allows a selection rectangle to be created by pressing and holding the
left-mouse button and dragging the mouse.
• Select by Region allows a freehand selection region to be drawn by pressing and holding
the left-mouse button. Releasing the mouse button will close the region.
• Select Live Rectangle - as the selection rectangle is drawn, all data within the selection
region is highlighted within all graph windows automatically.
• Create overlay selection region creates a permanent selection region. See Permanent
selection regions below
Additional selection tools are available in the Data Menu tab menu ribbon:

Selection tools
• Selects all records in the entire dataset
• Deselects all records in the entire dataset
• Selects all data points not currently selected (i.e. inverts the selection)
Saving selections
The current GraphMap selection is selected in MapInfo Pro (providing the same dataset is open
and a primary Key has been assigned).
Whenever a selection is made in GraphMap, it can be saved to a new field in the dataset and
assigned as either a Filter or Group field. To save a selection, select either the Save Selection as
Filter Column button in the Data tab or in the Data Window after making a selection (these buttons
will be inaccessible if there is no current selection).
• When a selection is saved as a Filter, each record is assigned a Boolean field to record a true or
false value: thus every record selected will be marked as True, whilst those not selected will be
marked as False. In the Save Selection dialog set the Type as Filter, and either choose an
existing column from the Selection pull-down list or type in the name for a new column. Press
OK; the field will now appear within the Data Window under the Selection Columns section. This
field can now be used to Filter the dataset (by assigning it as a Filter), thereby enabling graphs to
be created using only the specified subset.
• Saving a selection as a Group allows it to be attributed. In the Save Selection dialog set the
Type as Group, and in the adjacent GroupName window enter an attribute (e.g. ‘Anomaly 1’).
Either choose an existing field from the Selection pull-down list or type in the name for a new
field. Press OK; the field will now appear within the Data Window under the Selection Columns
section. Repeat this process for additional selections, giving each a unique attribute (e.g.
‘Anomaly 2’, ‘Anomaly 3’, etc) and utilizing the same Selection field. This field can now be used
to Group the dataset (by assigning it as a Group), allowing graph output to be separated by each
unique attribute.
You can reuse these Filter and Group columns in a future session by saving them to a new dataset.
Use the GraphMap File>Save Data As>MapInfo table to save the dataset, including Filter fields and
any derived columns permanently.
Viewing selections in MapInfo Pro and GraphMap

The currently assigned selection in MapInfo Pro (e.g. a spatial or SQL selection) is
selected in GraphMap (providing the same dataset is open in GraphMap and a primary
Key has been assigned).
The current GraphMap selection is selected in MapInfo Pro (providing the same dataset
is open and a primary Key has been assigned).

Displaying object information

The attributes for an individual graph object can be viewed by right-clicking in the graph window
and enable the Object Info option. Place the cursor over the target object: a pop-up dialog will
appear displaying the object’s attributes. An Object Info toggle is also in the Current Graph tab.
Clearing selections
The current selection can be removed from Map, Scatter and 3D Scatter graphs using the Remove
Selection option under the Current Graph tab. This will not affect the records in the dataset.
Creating permanent selection regions

Using the Create overlay selection region button (on the top customisable Quick Access
toolbar or the Current Graph tab), multiple selection polygons can be created and saved for a
particular graph. This tool functions in a similar manner to the Select Region tool; once activated, each
vertex of the selection region can be added by left-mouse clicking at the desired coordinate. A double
mouse-click will complete the region (or press the keyboard ESC key to cancel the region)
The New Overlay dialog displayed when a polygon selection region is created
Upon completion of the polygon, the New Overlay dialog will be displayed. The graph name is
assigned as the default Overlay Name; this is the file into which the polygon will be saved. It is not
recommended to use the same overlay between different graphs, unless the axes values (and the type
of graph) are the same, as it will result in the incorrect display of data and selection polygons. Individual
polygons can be assigned a unique name using the Polygon Name field (e.g. ZoneA, ZoneB, etc). A
boundary line Colour for the region can also be set.
The X and Y coordinates for each vertex can be viewed and modified in the dialog before saving the
polygon. Extra vertices can be added by entering their coordinates in the last blank row. Unwanted
vertices can be deleted by highlighting the required rows (by selecting their marker cell - grey cell to
the left) and pressing the keyboard DEL key.

Pressing OK will complete the selection polygon definition and display it in the graph window.
If an Overlay region file already exists with the same name, a dialog will be presented to either
Overwrite or Append to the existing overlay file. Overlays are stored as .xml files on a per user basis
in the C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\Encom GraphMap folder.
To select all data points that fall within a selection overlay region, enable the Select Rectangle
tool on the main toolbar, and click once within the polygon. Clicking within the overlap of two or
more overlapping regions will select the contents of all those regions. Holding down the SHIFT button
allows the selection of multiple regions.
Pre-existing overlays can be added to a graph via the graph pop-up menu Set Selection Overlay
option. Choose an appropriate overlay for the current graph and press OK.
Note: It is recommended that you do not mix overlays created in different graphs due to possible
differences in axes range and scales and the potential for it to distort the graph. To remove an
overlay from a graph, choose the None option from the Set Selection Overlay pop-up menu.
Importing selection regions
MapInfo Pro polygons can be imported into GraphMap as Selection regions, provided they are in the
same projection as the destination graph. A geological example would be importing half a dozen
polygons representing prospective host rock as selection regions, in order to alter the symbology of
any point samples within these units, examine the statistics of these samples, and graph these
samples as a scatter matrix separately to the entire dataset (Saving selections as a Filter Column, and
then setting this new field as a Filter field when creating the Scatter Matrix).
With the polygon map open in MapInfo Pro (it can also be a selection, but cannot be polygons in
the cosmetic layer), select the Graph Overlay option from the GraphMap dropdown on the
Analysis tab.
The GraphMap Overlay dialog will open. Ensure the source table is selected in the Input MapInfo
Table pull-down list (or *Selection* if appropriate). If required, assign a field to name individual
selection regions using the Polygon Details pull-down list (e.g. lithology). Ensure the GraphMap XML
Output Option is enabled, rename the output if required, and press OK.

Switch to the destination graph in GraphMap, and use the Set Selection Overlay option (pop-up menu
or Current Graph tab) to choose the newly created selection overlay. If it doesn’t appear, check that
the projection of the polygon table matches the dataset and that the output region colour set is visible
(i.e. not a white region on a white graph background).
Multi-table relationships
GraphMap allows relationships to be created between multiple tables. This allows graph data to be
selected, and the associated records in a linked table will automatically be highlighted in another graph.
Examples of use:
• An environmental monitoring program may have a table of 35 sample sites, and an associated
table of temporal data comprising water quality measurements taken at each sample site at
weekly intervals over 3 years. Plotting of all the measurements of total suspended solids (TSS)
vs. flow rate as a scatter plot may indicate an anomalous grouping (e.g. high TSS and flow rates).
With a Multi-Table Relationship created for these two tables, selecting the anomalous samples in
the Scatter plot will automatically highlight the relevant sample sites in a Map graph of the sample
site data.
• Similarly, by creating a Multi-Table Relationship between a drillhole collar and downhole data
tables, various anomalous groupings of assay ratios (e.g. Cu vs. Zn) can be selected and the
associated collar locations will be highlighted in a Map graph of the collar locations. Alternatively,
selecting a number of collars in the Map graph will highlight all related downhole samples in any
open graphs.
Multi-Table Relationships setup between drillhole data tables and a parent collar table.
To create relationships between a number of datasets:

1. Ensure that all required datasets are already open within GraphMap.
2. Select the Setup Multi-Table Relationships button either from the Data Window or the
Data tab. The Table Relationships dialog will open.
3. Assign the Parent Table from the pull-down list (e.g. the drillhole collar or sample site
table). Then set the Parent Key, the identifier allowing a single record to be linked to multiple
records in the Child Table. This might be a Hole_ID or Sample_Site field.
Note: The Parent-Child relationship must be one-to-many (not many-to-many, or many-to-one). Also,
multiple relationships can be created with the same Parent table by adding each in a new row; e.g.
Collar-Assays, Collar-Lithology and Collar-Geophysics.

4. Assign the Child Table from the pull-down list (e.g. downhole_assays or water_quality), and the
associated Child Key field.
5. The Description field will be automatically populated based on the field assignments; this can be
overwritten if required.
6. Ensure the Active tick box is enabled. This turns the selected relationship on; a GraphMap
session can contain a number of Multi-Table Relationships, but these do not have to be all active
at any point. Activating table relationships after they have been created is possible, either by re-
entering the Table Relationships dialog, or via using the Table Relations window (accessed via
the Relations button on the View tab).
7. The Must Match tick box is an optional data validation routine; enabling it will check that every
Child record has an associated Parent record, and return a warning if this is not valid.
8. Press OK to close and apply the created table relationships.
GeoLocated graphs
The GeoLocated graph functionality in GraphMap enables graphs to be created and displayed next to
the geographic location of their data source. For example, downhole data can be displayed adjacent
to a drillhole collar location or water monitoring data next to a sample site.
To create GeoLocated graphs the following steps are performed:

• Define graph type
• Create GeoLocated Graphs Wizard
• View GeoLocated graphs
• Global options

Define graph type

As there are likely to be many analytical values per location the data is generally stored in two separate
tables. The point or sample site locations are stored in one table while the associated analytical data
values are stored in another table.
You will firstly have to select the table and fields and graph type for each geolocated graph by the
following steps -
1. Open both the point location and analytical data tables into the GraphMap module using the File
menu.
2. Choose the table which contains the analytical data from the Data window pull-down list.
3. Select the Graph Builder from the Create menu. In the Graph Builder, choose the type of graph
from the sidebar to use for each geolocated graph. GeoLocated graphs can be created for the
following graph types:
• Scatter Plots
• Line Graphs
• Bar Charts
• Histogram
• Pie Charts
• Probability Plots
4. Select the columns to be used for X and/or Y axes for the desired graph type.
5. In order to create a Geo Located graph a Group field must first be assigned. The Group field
should be assigned to primary key column in the analytical table that was used to join it to the
point locations, e.g. Hole_ID, Site_ID or similar. See Axis/field assignmentsfor more information
on setting axis and group assignments.
6. The Select Groups dialog is displayed. This dialog will list each individual entry in the selected
Group column and the number of analytical records associated with each location. Geo Located
graphs can be created for a selection or all of the groups in the list.

Select Geo Located as the Display Type and click OK to create the graphs. A
message dialog will appear prompting you to setup geolocated graphs. Click Yes.
Create GeoLocated Graphs Wizard

The Geolocated Setup dialog will open. This will setup the necessary relationships between the
Parent or Map Location table, and the Child or Attribute data tables.

The Map location is the table which contains the geographic point location information for each
sample. This table must be a mappable table and have a primary key column such as Sample_ID,
Site_ID or similar which directly matches an identical column in the Attribute table.
Select the location table from the Map Table pull-down list and choose the X and Y location column
from the Map X and Map Y Location pull-down list.
The analytical data table is referred to as the Attribute Table. Select this table from the Attribute
Table pull-down list.
The primary key columns in both the Map Location and Attribute tables must match exactly for the
geolocated graphs to display correctly. Select the primary key from the Map Key pull-down list, and
choose the matching primary key column from the Attribute Key pull-down list. See Multi-table
relationships for more information.
Click OK to close the Geolocated Setup dialog.
Note: To view the current table relationships select Relations from the View tab of the ribbon. A separate
Table Relations window will be added to the GraphMap interface.
Click OK to close the Group selection dialog. A message dialog may appear with an option to colour
each individual Geolocated graph using a different colour. Select Yes or No on this dialog as desired.

View GeoLocated graphs

The individual graphs are displayed on a larger graph which is based on the X and Y coordinates of
the point location table. The Axis names reflect the analytical fields chosen for display at the Obj_X
and Obj_Y location of the points.
Use the Zoom and Pan tools on the Quick Access Toolbar to zoom in on a particular graph for viewing
or to move about the window. Alternatively use the middle mouse wheel to zoom in or out. When the
zoom level becomes high relative to the individual Geo Located graphs, a set of axis labels will
automatically become visible. These axes are displayed for reference only and cannot be disabled.

To view individual graphs in more detail, place the cursor over a graph so that it is highlighted and then
right-mouse click and select Zoom from the menu to zoom to the extents of the selected graph. To
view the selected graph in a separate graph window, select the Show in Separate Display menu
option.
To view the GeoLocated graphs with additional information it is possible to use either of the Set
Background Image or View in MapInfo Pro options from the right-mouse-click pop-up menu in the
graph window (see Axis, scale, background, and other display options). These options enable a map
window to be added to the graph window as a background image or the graphs to be added to a map
window in MapInfo Pro respectively.

Global options
When working with GeoLocated graphs a number of options can be set in the GraphMap
Global Options dialog. This dialog is accessed via the Global button on the Settings tab of
the ribbon bar. Alternatively the Global Options can be accessed via the File>Options button.
The default Size of the GeoLocated graphs (in Pixels), the relative Graph Positioning and the
Offset in map units can all be set from this dialog.
Displaying statistics
The Selection Statistics window automatically generates and displays a range of data
statistics (e.g. Min, Max, Mean, Standard Deviation, Kurtosis, Variance, etc) for each field in the
current selection. It is displayed via the Statistics button on the View tab.
The Selection Statistics window can be undocked from its default position on the main window so
that it floats above the main GraphMap window by clicking on and dragging its title bar. The window
can be resized in the normal way or docked to any sides of the main application using the onscreen
docking control. The AutoHide icon at the top-right of the Selection Statistics window allows it to be
toggled between an always open window and an auto hiding window which is accessible via the
Selection Stats tab in the margin of the application.
A field can be sorted in ascending or descending order by clicking on the column name. A customized
field display is available by right clicking in the column name area (similar to the MapInfo Pro Pick
Fields option): this will open a field selection list, with displayed fields highlighted. Select and deselect
fields as required.

Field display customization within the Selection Statistics window
Changing the style of graph objects

The Modify tab contains controls for modifying the Colour, Size and/or Symbol type of graph points/
objects. Modifications can either be homogenous (e.g. a uniform symbol for the entire dataset) or
heterogeneous (e.g. a colour scheme applied to a assay field using user-defined data ranges). To
change the display symbology, the target data must be selected (use either the selection tools on the
top customisable Quick Access toolbar or on the Data ribbon bar). The display options will only be
applied to the selection. To select the entire dataset, use the Select All button on the Data tab ribbon
bar.
Note: The Modify tab will only affect raw data objects, such as scatter and line graphs. It will not affect
graphs of grouped data, or statistical bins.
• Colour
• Size
• Symbol
• Visibility
• Load and save styles from legend
• Displaying legends
• Apply RGB colours from table
Colour
• To apply a single colour to a selection, click on the Set Colour palette and select the
required colour. Custom colours can be created via the More Colours option at the base
of the Colour palette dialog.

• To colour a selection using unique attributes within a field (e.g. Company or sample type),
press the Group button and choose the appropriate field from the pop-up list to apply
colour by.
The Colour tab of the Displaying legends (bottom left of GraphMap dialog) will be populated with
each group’s description and its corresponding colour. These colours can be changed by double-
clicking in the appropriate colour box and selecting a new colour from the colour palette.
• To create a continuous linear colour range based on a numeric field (e.g. a numeric assay
field), press the Linear button and choose the appropriate field from the pop-up list. The
data will be divided into 10 continuous ranges using a linear scale and coloured
individually.
• The Advanced button allows colour to be applied using a variety of custom or statistically-
determined data mapping techniques (e.g. standard deviation, log, and percentile etc) or
creation of a user designed scheme. This option is detailed further under Advanced colour
options.
Advanced colour options

Both the Colour and Size control panels on the Modify ribbon bar contain Advanced buttons which
open an Advanced Display Options dialog. These options provide a means to apply a number of
custom or statistically-determined symbology schemes (e.g. standard deviation, log, and percentile
etc) or creation of a user designed scheme. The Size and Colour dialogs have only minor differences
so only the Colour option will be used as the example in this section.

The Advanced Colouring Options dialog, displaying a Log-derived data range
The Colour Column pull-down list allows selection of the field on which to base the Colour range. The
Colour Method pull-down list contains an extensive number of colour mapping methods (and a
custom option) to apply to the chosen data field:
• Custom – allows the creation of a custom series of data ranges. Using the Add
controls at the base of the dialog, new rows can be added by clicking the Add
button, or deleted by selecting the row(s) and clicking the Remove button. All Remove
rows can be removed in one pass by clicking the Remove All button. The
description, data range and colour can be edited directly in each rows grid Remove All
cells by double clicking in the appropriate cells. The Count and % columns are
computed automatically from the range values in the >= and < cells.
Note: Entering a ranges >= and < values prior to using the Add button ensures that the new row
automatically populates it’s >= value from the previous row’s < value.
• Linear - creates colour using a linear colour scheme, with each colour encompassing a data
range of approximately equal magnitude i.e. the difference between the lower and upper values in
each range is similar. By default this creates 10 data ranges.
• Rank - creates a colour scheme based on the Rank (relative position) of each data value with the
dataset. By default the Rank method creates 32 colour ranges.

• Group – assigns a unique colour to each unique group within the selected field. This replicates
the functionality of the Group button in the Colour panel. It is not recommended for continuous
numeric fields (e.g. assay fields) unless a unique colour is required for each numeric value.
• Log – applies colour using a logarithmic scale, where each colour encompasses a data range of
approximately equal magnitude i.e. the difference between the lower and upper values in each
range is the same. By default this creates 10 data ranges.
• Exponential - applies colour using an exponential scale, where each colour encompasses a data
range of approximately equal magnitude i.e. the difference between the lower and upper values in
each range is the same. By default this creates 10 data ranges.
• Mean – creates two data ranges, separated by the mean data value (the second data range is >=
the mean value).
• Standard Deviation (3 steps) – creates 3 data ranges distributed about the mean:
Minimum -> (Mean – 1 Standard Deviation)
(Mean – 1 Standard Deviation) -> (Mean + 1 Standard Deviation)
(Mean + 1 Standard Deviation) -> Maximum
• Percentile 4, 5 or 10 Ranges - creates a colour scheme based on the specified number of
percentile breaks i.e. Percentile 5 Ranges will result in five 20% steps.
• Percentile Adjustable Ranges – allows modification of the number of
Add Row
percentile ranges by using the Add or Remove Row buttons at the base of
the dialog. The lower and upper values of each range will be automatically Remove
recalculated after each change. It is not recommended to manually alter
these values.
• Upper Tail (6 steps) - creates six percentile ranges designed to emphasize data in the upper
portion of a distribution. The ranges are set at 0->60%, 60->80%, 80->90%, 90->95%, 95->98%,
98->100%. This method can be especially useful for geochemical data.
• Upper Tail (8 steps) - creates eight percentile ranges designed to emphasize data in the upper
portion of a distribution. The ranges are set at 0->30%, 30-60%, 60->80%, 80->90%, 90->95%,
95->98%, 98-99%, 99->100%
The colour scheme displayed by each method can be modified by selecting a Look-Up Table (LUT)
from the list at the bottom right of the dialog. Individual data range colours can also be modified by
double-clicking on the colour cell for that range, and choosing a new colour from the displayed colour
palette.
Size
• To apply a single symbol size to an entire selection, select the required size from the Set
Size pull-down list.
• To apply a different size for each unique attribute within a field (e.g. Company or sample
type), press the Group button and select the field from the pop-up list.

• The Size tab of the Displaying legends (bottom left of GraphMap dialog) will be populated
with each group’s description and its corresponding size. These sizes can be changed by
double-clicking in the appropriate size column and selecting a new size from the list
displayed.
To create a continuous size range based on a linear scale (e.g. assay field), press the Linear
button and select an appropriate numeric field from the pop-up list.
• The Advanced button allows symbol size to be applied using a variety of custom or
statistically-determined data mapping techniques (e.g. standard deviation, log, and
percentile etc) or creation of a user designed scheme. This option is detailed further under
Advanced sizing options.
Advanced sizing options

The Advanced Sizing Options dialog replaces the Colour LUT list with Size Minimum, Maximum
and Step controls. These can be used to control the symbol Size scheme across a series of data
ranges. Alternatively, the symbol size for an individual data range can be altered by editing the
corresponding size cell.
The Advanced Sizing Options dialog, displaying a 5 Range Percentile-derived data spread
Symbol
• To apply a unique symbol type to an entire selection, select the required symbol from the
pull-down Set Symbol list. Note: in order to view the newly assigned symbol in the graph it
may also be necessary to increase the symbol size.
• To apply a different symbol for each unique attribute within a field (e.g. Company or
sample type), press the Group button and select the appropriate field from the pop-up list.

The Symbol tab of the Displaying legends (bottom left of GraphMap dialog) will be populated
with each group’s description and its corresponding symbol. These symbols can be changed by
double-clicking in the appropriate symbol box and selecting a new symbol from the list displayed.
• The current display settings can be removed using the Clear button within the Modify tab.
This allows removal of either individual display attributes or all attributes. The Clear button
can also be accessed in the Displaying legends.
Visibility
To apply visibility filtering based on a field, firstly select a field from the
Field drop-down list. This will automatically sort the unique values in the
selected field.
Then use the + and - buttons control to scroll through various groups in
the field. The current visibility group value will be displayed below the slider bar.
By default, only the values that match the current value set on the scroll bar will be displayed.
Alternatively, all values below or above the current value can be displayed by selecting the
left or right arrows.
Advanced visibility options

The Advanced Visibility Options dialog replaces the raw field values displayed on the Visibility slider
bar, with processed values depending on the Group Method selected. For example, selecting a
numerical Column to Group on will provide the option to use Percentile method grouping. These
percentile groups will then be displayed on the Visibility slider bar.

Load and save styles from legend

• The Load Legend option allows you to browse for and load a previously saved GraphMap
legend file (.gml). Loading and applying a legend file will override any existing styling that is
applied to the current graphs.
• The Save Legend menu saves the current legend scheme to a file so that it can be
subsequently reused. The legend files are saved in a .gml format.
These options are duplicated within the Advanced colour options and Advanced sizing options
dialogs.
Displaying legends
The Legend window displays the current point symbol, size and colour options. Individual style
attributes can be edited by opening the appropriate tab, selecting the appropriate cell and choosing
from pull-down palettes/lists for the colour and symbol fields, or using the sizing arrows.
If editing within the Custom tab of the Legend Window and the required attribute
field is not displayed, use the Display Description, Colour, Size or Symbol
buttons.

To assign a random colour to legend items click on the Random Colour Generator button.
To remove a style option from all data points, press the Remove Styling button and choose from
the available options:
The Remove Styling options within the Legend window
The Legend window can be moved by dragging its title bar, or by double-clicking on the titlebar. To
return the Legend window to its default location, select the Reset Layout button under the Settings
tab. The AutoHide icon at the top-right of the window allows the data view to be toggled between a
window view and tab in the left margin.
Apply RGB colours from table

The Load Colour from Column option provides a means to colour data points using an RGB colour
value. An RGB colour value is an integer value which represents a specific combination of Red, Green
and Blue colours. RGB colour values can be extracted from existing MapInfo Pro data (see Colouring
map objects by RGB values) or computed manually from individual RGB colours values using the
following formula:
RGB = ( R x 65536 ) + ( G x 256 ) + B
To apply colour by column, open the Modify tab; choose Load Colour from Column from
the Column Operations menu and select the field containing the colour values you wish to
colour by.
GraphMap settings
• Mouse buttons settings
• Global settings
• Reset layout
• Graph window settings
Mouse buttons settings

The functionality of the various mouse buttons (Left, Middle and Right) can be customized using the
appropriate buttons under the Settings menu.
Global settings
The Global button on the Settings tab opens the GraphMap Global Settings dialog. This has
both General and Axis-specific controls, as well as controls applicable to All Graphs and
specific graph types. Making changes within this dialog will affect all open and new graphs.

The Global Options dialog
General options
Under General options a number of settings are available:
• Use Hardware Acceleration will enable utilitization of a graphics card (GPU) which supports
DirectX 9.0c hardware accleration.
• Use Pure Device is only applicable if hardware acceleration is enabled. This will force only GPU
hardware accelerated to be used. Tick this for maximum performance with a suitable graphics
card.
• Directories defines the location for general Selection Overlays to be stored.
• Interface Theme will change the GraphMap window colour

• Automatically create cache file will enable faster performance in graphmap, but slower initial
loading.
• Incremental Updates of Graphs will enable redrawing of sub-segments of large datasets.
Reset layout
The Reset Layout button on the Setting tab resets all windows (Data, Legend, etc) and the
Quick Access Toolbar to their default layout configurations.
Graph window settings

The following options are available from the Settings menu:
• In Separate Windows – this option will display multiple graphs in a separate windows.
• In Tabbed Window – this option will display all graphs in a single window with tabs to switch
between the individual graphs

18 - Working with
images
In this section
Processing images 339

Using the Image Tool 340
Registering and rectifying raster images 341
Reprojecting an image 348
Clipping an image 350
Displaying image properties 351
Enhancing an image 352
Applying image filters 354
Rotating an image 356
Converting an image to another format 357
Setting image transparency 359
Working with images
Processing images
• Supported image formats
• Memory size
• Multi-image processing
Supported image formats

Tool PNG BMP GIF TIF TIFF JPEG JP2 ECW
Rectify Image     
Reproject Image        
Clip Image        
Properties Image     
Enhance Image     
Filter Image     
Rotate Image     
Convert Image     
Modify Image     
Memory size
The Reproject Image and Clip Image tools can process unlimited size images. They also support
processing of ECW files.
The Rectify Image and Image Tool tools (see Using the Image Tool) require at least four times the
uncompressed (i.e. bitmap) image file size in free memory in order to process an image. For example
if an image is 200 MB in size (uncompressed), at least 800 MB of free memory is required to process
the image.
Memory is consumed by both running applications and Windows operating systems. As a rough guide,
Windows 7 utilizes about 1 GB. Therefore the Images module should be able to process a 250 MB
(uncompressed .bmp) image on a 2 GB Windows 7 machine (assuming no other applications are
running).

Working with images
Recommended workarounds for images with borderline file sizes:

1. Close all other running applications (including MapInfo Discover 3D).
2. Ensure that no other large files are open in MapInfo Pro (including images, grids and tabular
data). Try closing MapInfo Pro down, reopening and then opening just the image to be processed.
Note: The Rectify Image and Image Tools decompresses all images prior to processing. Many file
types such as PNG, TIFF and JPG utilize extensive compression algorithms; their
uncompressed file size is likely to be significantly larger than the compressed size. You can
check the uncompressed size of an image with IMAGES>Image Tools>Properties Image.
Multi-image processing
All image tools except Rectify Image can process multiple images. Use the Select option at the top of
the various dialogs to highlight the target raster images.
Using the Image Tool

Whereas the Rectify, Reproject and Clip tools are independent and have separate dialog boxes, the
Properties, Enhance, Filter, Rotate, Convert, Modify tools are provided as tabs on the Image Tools
dialog box with a common set of options and controls:
• Raster images must have an associated TAB file and be open in MapInfo Pro to be available for
selection.
• All open raster images are listed in the Select Image pull-down list. The selected image is
displayed in the preview window on the right of the dialog. The image is displayed by default in
the preview window using the image height/width aspect ratio. To fill the entire preview window
with the image, clear the Match Aspect check box.
• As changes are made the preview window image is automatically updated. To turn off the
automatic update, clear the Auto Update check box. If any changes are made in manual mode,
click the Update Preview button to update the changes to the preview window image
• Changes can be made in one or more tabs and then saved. Prompts to enter a saved image
name and location are displayed when the OK button is clicked.
For information about the function of each tab on the Image Tool, see:
• Properties – Displaying image properties
• Enhance – Enhancing an image
• Filter – Applying image filters
• Rotate – Rotating an image
• Convert – Converting an image to another format
• Modify – Setting image transparency

Working with images
Registering and rectifying raster images

Related tools: Rectify Image
The Rectify Image tool is a powerful tool that enables the registration of raster images in
geographic real-world coordinates. Unlike image registration using MapInfo Pro, the MapInfo
Discover Rectify Image tool can register and modify images that have been stretched, skewed
or rotated. This process, known as “warping”, enables portions of an image to stretched or warped to
fit the entered control points. The tool determines an averaged best-fit transformation (projection) to
match image pixel X-Y coordinates to the target Map X-Y coordinates.
Note: See Processing images for the processing capabilities and restrictions of this tool.
To register and rectify a new image:
1. Select an image.
2. Select the Image projection.
3. Enter image and map Control points.
4. Select the Interpolation method method.
5. Synchronize and note the residual errors.
6. Rectify the image.
7. Review Accuracy and, if necessary, modify the Transformation method.
8. Repeat until satisfied with the transformation.
To rectify an existing image with a TAB file that has been registered by MapInfo Pro:
1. Open the TAB image in MapInfo Pro.
2. Select an image.
3. Check the control points in the map window and note the residual errors.
4. Rectify the image.

Working with images
Select an image
1. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Rectify Image. The Rectify Image dialog box is displayed.
2. To select an image:
• Either select an image from the Current Image list of open raster images. For an image to be
in this list it must already have an associated TAB file.
• Or click the Load an Image File button within the dialog to browse for the raster image
to be rectified.
Note: See Supported image formats for the file types supported by this tool.
When an image is selected using the Load an Image File button, MapInfo Discover will search for
an existing TAB file related to the selected image. If a TAB file is found (i.e. the image has been
opened and/or registered using MapInfo Pro), the Rectify Image dialog will be automatically
populated with this registration information. Similarly, if an open image file is selected, MapInfo
Discover will automatically populate the Rectify Image dialog with the existing registration
information.
If the Load an Image File button is used to open an image without an existing TAB file, the
Loading Control Points dialog is displayed.

Working with images
Click Yes to automatically create a control point at each corner of the image. This option is only
useful if the real earth coordinates of these corner positions are known. To create custom control
points, click No. The Rectify Image dialog is updated with either no control points listed or control
points listed in non-earth coordinates.
Image projection
Use the Projection button to specify the rectified image projection. The projection is displayed
at the top of the Ground Control Points list. The image projection can also be specified when
using the Map button to capture Map X and Y values using an existing data table in an open
map window.
Note: Ground control points can be captured in either geographical (lat-long), projected (e.g. UTM) or
non-earth coordinates. If a lat-long projection is selected, the default lat-long format expected is
decimal degrees.
To enter lat-long ground control points in DMS (degrees-minutes-seconds), select a lat-long projection
and then check the DMS box which is displayed next to the Projection button.
Control points
The Ground Control Point list details the Image XY coordinates and Map XY coordinates for each
control point along with the resulting RMS and Residual values. Additional Control Point tools are
included such as control point creation and deletion buttons, positioning options and control point file
tools.
Rectify Image dialog showing entered control points
At least three control points with both image and map coordinates are required to rectify the image.
The more control points specified, the more accurate the rectification process will be.

Working with images
Add or edit image control points

To add a new blank row to the control point list, click New Point. Image X and Y coordinates can be
either typed or selected from the image.
To manually enter image coordinate values
• Click in the Image_X or Image_Y cell and enter the image pixel coordinate. Note that the image
pixel X coordinates increase to the right, whilst the Y coordinates increase downwards from the
origin (0, 0) in the top left of the image.
To select control point from image
• Click on the control point row to be edited. An arrow is displayed to the left of the row to
indicate the selected row.
Click the Image button and move the cursor to the map window containing the image to
rectify. The cursor is now displayed as a cross-hair (+). Click on the control point location
in the image map window. The location of the X and Y pixel coordinates in the image are
automatically updated in the control point Image_X and Image_Y cells.
To automatically move to the next control point when interactively selecting points
• Click Options and select the Automatically move to next record box.
Add or edit map control points

To specify the Map (real-world) X and Y coordinates for a control point two options are available:
To manually enter map coordinate values
• Click in the Map_X or Map_Y cell and enter the map coordinate. The map coordinate is the real-
world projection coordinates for the corresponding image pixel XY location.
To select control point from map
• Use an existing table in an open map window to locate control points. This map table may be a
TAB file containing a simple polygon whose vertices correlate to the corners of the image or other
vector data such as roads or features which can be used to locate the image control points.
Click on the control point row to be edited. An arrow is displayed to the left of the row
to indicate the selected row.Click on the Map button and move the cursor to the map
window containing the image to rectify. The cursor is now displayed as a cross-hair (+).
Click on the control point location in the map window. The location of the X and Y
coordinates in the map window are automatically updated in the control point Map_X and
Map_Y cells.
If this is the first coordinate information to be captured from the map window for an unregistered
image and no projection has been specified in the Rectify Image dialog box, the following
message is displayed with a request to use the current window projection. Select Yes to use the
current map window projection for the rectified image.

Working with images
If the image is already registered, and the current map window is in a different projection to the
image registration, the following warning message will be displayed.
To automatically move to the next control point when interactively selecting points
• Click Options and select the Automatically move to next record box.
Delete or undo changes to control points

To delete a control point
• Select the row and click Delete Point.
To undo the last change applied to a control point row
• Click the Undo Change button.
Save and load control points

To save image and map control points to a separate TAB file
• Click the Save Control Points button. By default, the output file name is the image name with
a “_gcp suffix”. Saving control points is recommended especially when a large number of
control points are used to rectify an image.
To load a saved control point table
• Click the Load Control Points button.
View ground control points in the image or map

• To view the location of either loaded or newly created ground control points in the Image or Map
windows, select the ground control points you want to view, and click View GCP.

Working with images
Synchronize control points

To synchronize modified ground control points
• If you have performed any modifications on the existing ground control points such as updating
Image or Map X and Y coordinates, click Sync GCP->Map to update the modifications on either
the unregistered Image or existing Map layer.
To synchronize modified map/image control point locations
• If you have moved any of the control point locations in either the unregistered Image or existing
Map layer, click Sync Map->GCP to update the ground control point coordinates.
Interpolation method
To change the interpolation method, click Options and select from the available Interpolation
methods:
• Bilinear – the value of a grid cell in the new image is assigned the weighted value of the four
surrounding image cells in the original image.
• Bicubic (recommended) – uses the weighted value of 16 surrounding image cell values in the
original image to interpolate the value a grid cell in the new image. This method requires more
processing but is more accurate than bilinear interpolation. Bicubic interpolation also produces a
smoother image.
• Nearest Neighbour – simple interpolation whereby the new image cell value is taken from the
closest image cell in the original image.
Rectify the image

When the projection and (at least three) control points have been specified,
1. Click Rectify to start the rectification process.
2. The Save As dialog is displayed. Select the output file name and location. By default, the output
rectified table will contain the original image file name with a “_rectified” suffix and is saved to the
same folder as the original image. Click Save.
3. A status bar is displayed at the bottom of the Rectify Image dialog box showing the rectification
progress status. When the rectified processing is completed, the rectified image is displayed in a
new map window.
Accuracy
The RMS, residuals and standard deviations are dynamically calculated based on the best-fit
transformed set of Map XY compared to the target MapXY at each pixel (Image XY) location. However,
you cannot see the transformed Map XY used for these residuals.
The standard deviation for X and Y, indicate the dispersion between the set of transformed Map X/Y
coordinates.
Note: You cannot actually see the transformed Map XY coordinates in the dialog. These change
depending on the transformations method and Image XY control points used.

Working with images
Transformation method
Rectify Image Transformation methods
By default MapInfo Discover has an internal <Auto select best method> when determining the optimum
projection transformation method during image rectification. Use the Transformation pull-down list to
select a specific transformation from the following options:
• Conformal
Conformal transformation is a special case of Affine projections. Conformal transformations
preserve shapes and angles and may include a rotation, a scaling and a translation. Straight lines
and parallel lines remain straight and parallel in the transformed image. A minimum of three
control points are required for a conformal transformation.
• Affine
Affine transformations enable the x and y dimensions to be scaled or sheared independently and
may also include a translation. Straight lines and parallel lines remain straight and parallel in the
transformed image but rectangles become parallelograms. A minimum of three control points are
required for an affine transformation.
• Projective
Projective transformations map lines to lines. Straight lines remain straight but parallelism may
not be preserved. A minimum of four control points are required for a projective transformation.
• Polynomial Transformations
Polynomial transformations are higher-order non-linear transformations which can handle more
complex local distortions. Polynomial transformations are smooth and are also known as ‘rubber-
sheet’ transformations as they enable parts of an image to be stretched or warped to fit the
control points. A minimum of six control points for 2nd order polynomial and ten control points for
3rd order polynomial transformations is required.
In all cases the transform is attempting to map the location of the source control points to their
equivalent position in the chosen target projection.
A Ground Control Point table provides the source control points in both the non-earth (Image Pixel X/
Y) and a known projection space (Map X/Y). The method will use these to determine a set of
transformation parameters which are the best fit for the given control points, using a Least Squares
method to minimize the misfit for these control point locations.
Note that the <Auto select best method> option will choose the best transformation method based on
the number of control points provided. The current auto-selected transformation is displayed at the
bottom of the Rectify Image dialog.

Working with images
When the Rectify button is pressed, the image is reprojected based on the custom best-fit
transformation method currently selected/displayed. Any residual/misfit errors are removed from the
output image file registration.
Reprojecting an image
Related tools: Reproject Image
The Reproject Image tool reprojects one or more images registered in one coordinate system
into a new coordinate system. For example, images registered in Australian AGD84 coordinates
can be reprojected into GDA94 coordinates. Images can be reprojected between projected (e.g.
UTM), geographic (e.g. lat-long) and custom coordinate systems. A range of interpolation methods are
provided to adjust the pixel locations in the image between the two coordinate systems.
Reproject Image tool
In the .TAB file associated with a registered image, the coordinates for the image extents are stored
as both real-world coordinates and image pixel coordinates, along with the coordinate system details.
When an image is reprojected to another coordinate system, a new image and .TAB file is created
containing the real-world coordinates in the new projection and the new coordinate system details.

Working with images
The following example demonstrates how to reproject a scanned geological image from UTM
projection AMG Zone 54 (AGD84) into MGA Zone 54 (GDA94) projection.
1. Open the images to be reprojected in a map window.
2. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Reproject Image to open the Reproject Image dialog box.
3. In the Image Tables box, select the images to be reprojected. The projection of the
selected image is displayed in the Current Projection box (under Reprojection Options).
4. The pixel dimensions of the selected image is shown in the Size box. If the input image is very
large, e.g. hundreds of gigabytes, the input can be resampled. The Resample Input value
(default 100%) will automatically adjust on large images to speed up processing.
5. Under Reprojection Options, click the Projection button to display the Choose Projection
dialog box. Select the new projection from the Category and Category Members options.
The selected projection is displayed in the New Projection box.
6. The Projection Method toggles between the default and NTv2 Grid Shift methods of
reprojection. If the MapInfo default method is selected, the reprojection will be either a three- or
seven-parameter translation. If the NTv2 Grid Shift method is selected, the NTv2 grid shift method
is used.44
Note: The MapInfo Discover projection list is stored in a separate file to the MapInfow.prj file. To
reproject images into a custom coordinate system in the MapInfow.prj file, copy the custom
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Common\Projections folder. For more
7. Select an Interpolation Method:
• Nearest Neighbour – simple interpolation whereby the new image cell value is taken from
the closest image cell in the original image.
• Bilinear – the value of a grid cell in the new image is assigned the weighted value of the four
surrounding image cells in the original image.
• Bicubic (recommended) – uses the weighted value of 16 surrounding image cell values in
the original image to interpolate the value a grid cell in the new image. This method requires
more processing but is more accurate than bilinear interpolation. Bicubic interpolation also
produces a smoother image.
8. Select a Background colour from the palette. This colour is used for all null image cells around
the reprojected image.
9. Under Output Options, select Source Folder to save the reprojected images into the same
folder as the input tables. Or select Custom Folder and type the new location in the Folder box.
By default, a reprojected image file and .TAB file are created using the original image name and a
"_reproject" suffix. To change the suffix modify the File Suffix option.
The image file type will default to PNG. To change the output image type, select from the
extension drop-down box.

Working with images
10. Click OK to create the reprojected image files.

Note: Image Reprojection requires control points to be located at the image corners, as occurs with the
Rectify Image tool. Images registered with the MapInfo Pro Image Registration tool will not
necessarily result in corner control points and may be blocked (with an appropriate error message)
from image reprojection. Resolve by rectifying the image first.
Clipping an image
Related tools: Clip Image
The Clip Image tool clips one or more raster images to a region, such as a project area or
tenement boundary. The clipping boundary is defined by a polygonal map object, such as one
or more polygon or rectangles in an existing table or in the cosmetic layer. The clipping map
object can also be a multi-polygon—one polygon comprised of two or more non-contiguous polygons.
The image can be clipped either inside or outside the polygonal map object.
Clip Image tool

Working with images
To clip an image to a selected polygon map object:

1. Open the images to be clipped in a map window.
2. Open or create the polygonal clipping object in the map window and select the object.
3. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Clip Image to open the Clip Image dialog box.
4. In the Image Tables box, select the images to be clipped.
5. The pixel dimensions of the selected image is shown in the Size box. If the input image is very
large, e.g. hundreds of gigabytes, the input can be resampled. The Resample Input value
(default 100%) will automatically adjust on large images to speed up processing.
6. Under Clip Options, in the Polygon Table box, select *Selection* to use the selected clipping
object.
7. Select to Clip outside polygon or Clip Inside Polygon. The image contained inside or outside
the selected polygon will be displayed in the clipped output image.
If an irregular shaped polygon is used as the clipping object, the image is clipped to the minimum
bounding rectangle of this polygon. This will result in a rectangular clipped grid with portions of the
image masked along the polygon boundary. The colour of the mask can be selected from the
Background Colour palette.
8. Under Output Options, select Source Folder to save the clipped images into the same folder as
the input tables. Or select Custom Folder and type the new location in the Folder box.
By default, a clipped image file and .TAB file are created using the original image name and a
"_clipped" suffix. To change the suffix modify the File Suffix option.
The image file type will default to PNG. To change the output image type, select from the
extension drop-down box.
9. Click OK to create the clipped image files.
Note: Clip Image requires control points to be located at the image corners, as occurs with the Rectify
Image tool. Images registered with the MapInfo Pro Image Registration tool will not necessarily
result in corner control points and may be blocked (with an appropriate error message) from image
reprojection. Resolve by rectifying the image first.
Displaying image properties

Related tools: Properties Image
The Properties Image tool displays the properties of a raster image. To use this tool, the image
must have an associated TAB file and be open in MapInfo Pro.
To display the properties of an image:
1. Open the image in MapInfo Pro.
2. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Properties Image.
3. Choose the image from the Select Image pull-down list if it is not already displayed.

Working with images
4. The properties of the selected image are displayed on the Properties tab, including:
• Size
The number of rows (X) and columns (Y) in the image are recorded along with the Total
number of pixels in the image. The Compressed Size of the image on disk and the approximate
Uncompressed Size of the image in memory. The image Type (PNG, JPG, etc) is also
displayed.
• Registration
The name of the raster image coordinate system and the parameters as listed in the MapInfo
Pro projection file are displayed along with the minimum and maximum image X and Y
coordinate extents.
• Metadata
Some images may contain metadata or information about the image which is hardcoded into
the image file. If a raster image contains this type of metadata it will be displayed in the
Metadata in Image window. Note that this feature does not read metadata which has been
entered into the .TAB file of the image.
5. Click OK to save the image.
For information about the other controls available on the Image Tool, see Using the Image Tool.
Enhancing an image
Related tools: Enhance Image
Use the Enhance Image tool to enhance the appearance of a raster image. To use this tool, the
image must have an associated TAB file and be open in MapInfo Pro.

Working with images
Enhance Image tab
To enhance an image:
2. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Enhance Image.
4. Use the controls on the Enhance tab, to enhance the appearance of the selected image:
• Contrast/Brightness
Adjust the lightness of an image by changing the Contrast and Brightness levels. The original
image contrast and brightness level is set to 0. Positive values will lighten and increase the
contrast whereas negative values will darken an image and decrease the contrast.
• Grey Scale
Convert a coloured image to black, white and 254 shades of grey.
• Invert Colours
Each RGB pixel value is subtracted from 255 and replaced with the corresponding colour to
create a negative image.
• Colour
Add or subtract a value to each RGB colour.
• Gamma

Working with images
Adjust the overall brightness of an image using the individual red, green and blue channels.
Positive gamma values will lighten each channel of the image and negative gamma values will
darken each channel of the image.
For information about the other controls available on the Image Tool, see Using the Image Tool.
Applying image filters

Related tools: Filter Image
Use the Filter Image tool to remove extreme values or enhance linear features by applying one
or more filters. To use this tool, the image must have an associated TAB file and be open in
MapInfo Pro.
Filter Image tab
To apply image filters:

2. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Filter Image.
4. Use the controls on the Filter tab to select and apply filters:

Working with images
• Select from the available Sharpness filters, Edge detect filters or Other filters. When a filter is
selected, it is added to the Apply Order window.
• To change the order in which a filter is applied, select the filter in the Apply Order box
and use the Up and Down arrow buttons. To remove a filter from the list, click the
Remove button.
• For selected filters, a weighting or threshold value can be applied.
For information about the controls available on the Image Tool, see Using the Image Tool.
Sharpness filters
• Smooth
Apply a mean smoothing filter over an image to reduce noise or high pixel values. Each pixel is
replaced by the RGB mean values of the central and surrounding pixels using a 3x3 kernel. To
increase smoothing, add a selected Smooth Weight value to the central pixel value.
• Sharpen
Enhance the difference between pixel colours by applying a 3x3 kernel with a high central value
and zero and negative surrounding values. The degree of sharpening can be increased by adding
a Sharpen Weight to the central kernel pixel.
• Gaussian Blur
Remove significant changes in colour in an image by graduating the colours of the intermediate
pixels. A higher weighting is applied to the central pixel with less weighting given to surrounding
pixels in the 3x3 kernel the further they are from the edge. To increase smoothing, add a selected
Smooth Weight value to the central pixel value.
Edge detect filters

Enhance contrast in an image by applying one of the following edge detection filters:
• Quick
This applies a vertical and horizontal edge detection over an image and then merges the two
resulting images together to create the final filtered image.
• Vertical and Horizontal
These filters have 3x7 and 7x3 kernels designed to enhance vertical and horizontally trending
edges.
• Sobel, Prewitt and Kirsh
These are all horizontal filters which apply a negative weight along one edge of the 3x3 kernel and
a positive weight on the other edge with the middle pixels with no or negative weighting (Kirsh).
Using the difference between the central pixel value and its surrounding pixels in the kernel a
Threshold Value can be applied whereby a pixel with a value less than the threshold will be
assigned the threshold value. This enables greater contrast between edges by displaying below
threshold pixels in the same colour.

Working with images
Other filters
• Mean Removal
This is another sharpen filter with a 3x3 kernel which filters in a diagonal direction as well as the
horizontal and vertical direction. The degree of sharpening can be increased by adding a Mean
Removal Weight to the central kernel pixel.
Rotating an image
Related tools: Rotate Image
Use the Rotate Image tool to rotate a raster image. To use this tool, the image must have an
associated TAB file and be open in MapInfo Pro.
Rotate Image tab
To rotate an image:
2. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Rotate Image.
4. Use the controls on the Rotate tab to rotate the selected image:
• Select a preset rotation angle: 0, 90, 180 or 270 degrees.

Working with images
• Alternatively, select Custom Rotation and select the desired rotation angle using the
Rotation slider bar or type a rotation angle between 0 and 360 degrees.
5. Click Background Colour to change the colour of the null space around the image. Click More
Colours to enter specific RGB or HSL values.

For more information about the controls available on the Image Tool, see Using the Image Tool.
Converting an image to another format

Related tools: Convert Image
Use the Convert Image tool to convert an existing raster image to another raster image format.
To use this tool, the image must have an associated TAB file and be open in MapInfo Pro.

Working with images
Convert Image tab
Note: By default, an image that has been modified by the other image tools is saved in the same format
as the original image.
To convert an image to another format:
2. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Convert Image.
4. Use the controls on the Convert tab to convert the selected (modified or unmodified) image to a
PNG, JPG, JPEG, BMP, or TIF format:
• Choose the desired raster format from the Convert image to pull-down list.
• If a JPEG format is selected use the Quality slider to determine the degree of compression in
the output image. The lower the quality the more compressed the output image will be
resulting in a loss of image detail.
• To create a World File for the converted image, select the Create World File When Saving
check box.
• To create a World File for the selected (unconverted) image, click Create World File For
Current Image. The world file is saved to the same directory as the current image.

Working with images
World File
A world file is a six-line text header file that contains information relating to the image pixel size in X
and Y direction, rotation of row or columns and the X and Y coordinates of the centre of the image top
left pixel. Depending on the raster type selected for the registered raster image, a world file may have
one of the following file extensions: .PGW, .JGW, .BPW or .TFW. Third party software programs can
read and use this information along with an entered projection to view the raster image in the correct
geographical location.
Setting image transparency

Related tools: Modify Image
The Modify Image tab enables a transparency level to be set for an entire image or the selection
of a single colour in the image to be set to transparent. To use this tool, the image must have an
associated TAB file and be open in MapInfo Pro.
Single colour transparency is generally used for images that are surrounded with coloured null areas
that obscure underlying data layers when the image is added to a map window. This tool does not alter
the original image file. Transparency is only applied when displayed in MapInfo Pro via its TAB file.
Modify Image tab
To set image transparency:

Working with images
2. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Modify Image.

4. Drag the slider to the desired transparency level between 0% (no transparency or opaque) to
100% (transparent or invisible).
To set a transparent colour:
1. Open the image into MapInfo Pro.
2. Select IMAGES>Image Tools>Modify Image.
4. Click on the arrow next to Transparent Colour and select from the colour palette. Click More
Colours to enter specific RGB or HSL values to create a custom colour to make transparent.

Note: Image transparency can also be modified with the TABLE>Maintenance>Raster>Adjust Image
Styles tool. It can also be adjusted by the Layer control.

19 - Working with
drillholes
MapInfo Discover provides a comprehensive environment for processing and
visualizing drillhole data.
In this section
Drillhole data workflow 362

Project Database 362
Drillhole source data formats 363
Trench Source table formats 370
Importing drillhole data from other drillhole applications 376
Creating and managing drillhole projects 377
Desurveying method 401
Creating sections and plans 401
Managing and analysing sections and plans 410
Displaying downhole data 424
Displaying downhole logs 441
Creating and editing legends 446
Creating section legends 452
Adding sections to a layout 453
Adding a map grid to sections 456
Creating a section collar plan 457
Interrogating drillholes 457
Downhole compositing 458
Merging downhole tables 468
Clipping drillholes by 3D solids or surfaces 470
Generating 3D coordinates 474
Calculating maximum and EOH values 475
Converting alpha-beta core angles 479
Calculating sectional resources 482
Working with drillholes
Drillhole data workflow

A drillhole database is typically constructed from a series of tables containing information such as
drillhole collar location and geometry, downhole survey measurements, downhole geochemical,
geological or geophysical data and/or other related information.
To create drillhole sections and plans, use the following steps as a guide:
1. Format all drillhole data and import into MapInfo Pro. File formats such as Access, Excel, and
CSV should be first imported into MapInfo Pro to create .TAB files (see Importing and exporting
and Drillhole source data formats and Trench Source table formats).
2. Ensure the collar table is mappable using SPATIAL>Create>Create Points (or right click on the
collar table in the Explorer>Tables list, and choose Create Points).
3. Create a new drillhole project and assign the correct table and columns as required (see Creating
a new drillhole project).
4. Perform data validation to check for drillhole name mismatches, missing data, sample overlaps
and end of hole depth discrepancies (Validating a drillhole database). A project geopackage
database will then be created.
5. Create a collar plan (see Creating a section collar plan).
6. Create cross-sections using selected section lines or drillhole selections (see Creating sections
and plans).
7. Format and display downhole data on sections (see Displaying downhole data and Displaying
downhole logs).
8. Add sections and plans to a layout window at the correct scale with section grids and title block
ready for printing (see Adding a map grid to sections and Adding sections to a layout).
9. Save project for future use with the Session Manager.
Note: It is recommended to disable MapInfo Pro's Ribbon Tab Switching (default option is
<Automatic>) when using the Drillholes module. Select PRO>Options>System>Application, and
set Ribbon Tab Switching to <None>.
Project Database
Upon creating and validating a drillhole project, MapInfo Discover will import your Source tables into a
new 3D Project Database, in the form of a permanent Geopackage Database (.GPKG). This is the
process you may notice occurring at the bottom right of the screen on bigger projects. This project
database allows efficient data access, manipulation and handling; calculates and stores the 3D
coordinates for all of the input data, and optimizes section generation and downhole data display
functionality.
This permanent Project Database will be located at
..\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Discover\projectname and will be directly read each
time the project is opened (via DRILLHOLES>Manage>Open Project).
GeoPackages (.GPKG) are an open, standards-based, platform-independent, portable, self-
describing, compact format for transferring geospatial information, and provide many benefits,
including:

• Larger dataset support: SQL Server CE (MapInfo Discover 2015.2) has a 2GB limit, whereas
GeoPackage can be as large as 100TB.
• NativeX Tab file support: data in a NativeX TAB file can be saved into GeoPackage.
• For certain datasets (e.g. those lots of empty field values), significant space saving and faster
processing.
Note: Once a project geopackage database is opened, the source tables will automatically close (and
vice versa). The source tables cannot be open at the same time as the project database.
This project database will be Refreshed (i.e. updated from the source tables) at the following times:
1. By enabling the Refresh Project Data option at the bottom of the Open Project dialog (set 'On' by
default).
This is recommended if your Source data tables are updated regularly (e.g. automated acQuire
database replication to MapInfo tables overnight), and for small source tables. However, if your
source data tables are only updated infrequently/on-demand, and/or for very large source
datasets, only enabling this option when required is recommended: the Refresh process can take
some time with large datasets.
2. User-instigated by selecting DRILLHOLES>Manage>Manage Project>Refresh. This is very
useful when the source tables have been updated mid-way through a MapInfo Discover drillhole
session. [Drillholes_Refresh_button.png]
3. After the Validation tool has been run (DRILLHOLES>Manage>Manage Project>Validate).
[Drillholes_Validate_button.png]
4. After using the Modify button in Manage Project (which will also trigger automatic compulsory re-
validation of data): for instance when adding new downhole data tables to the project.
[Drillholes_Modify_button.png]
5. After the Edit Data tool has been run to make changes to the MapInfo source tables (e.g. fixing/
resolving validation errors) (DRILLHOLES>Manage>Edit Data). [D_ProjectEdit_32x32.png]
6. When the 'Add output to current project' option is enabled in certain analytical tools, such as
Composite, Downhole Clip & Downhole Merge.
Note: Being a 3D database, the project geopackage is read-only and cannot be edited by the user within
MapInfo Discover. If the source tables are MapInfo Pro tables, use the Edit Data function to make
changes to the project and refresh the project database.
Drillhole source data formats

The Drillholes module in MapInfo Discover can use source data captured in a number of different
formats including Access and other ODBC linked databases. MapInfo Discover does not need to make
any alterations or additions to the source data.
When a Mapinfo Discover drillhole project is created, the 3D coordinates are automatically
computed,and stored in the project database; the source tables do not need to contain these
coordinates, and if present, they will not be used.This improves ease of use with Microsoft Access
database tables and read-only tables (such as Excel spreadsheets).
The project collar, survey, and downhole tables must contain a Hole ID field, which is the primary key
between these tables. The following data tables can be used to define a drillhole project:

• Collar table (mandatory)

• Downhole survey table (optional)
• Downhole interval and point data tables (optional)
• Downhole structural data tables (optional)
• Grid and contour surfaces (optional)
• Surface geology (optional)
• Section lines (blank table is created automatically)
Collar table
The collar location table must be a mappable table (use SPATIAL>Create>Create Points) containing
point objects for each drillhole collar. The collar table must include the following columns:
Note: The field name and order of the mandatory columns is not important. These columns are specified
during project setup.
Field Field Type

HoleID Character
Easting Float
Northing Float
Elevation Float
Total Depth Float
Azimuth (Optional) Float
Dip (Optional) Float
If a separate downhole survey table is not present, the collar table must contain two additional numeric
columns for the drillhole collar; Azimuth and Dip. Dips can be expressed as positive or negative values,
e.g. –90° or 90°, and are measured from the horizontal: a 0 degree dip represents a horizontal hole,
and 90 or –90 will result in a vertical drillhole.
All mandatory columns must be numeric, aside from the HoleID must be a character field. For native
MapInfo Pro tables it is recommended that coordinates are stored in columns with a Float (Floating
Decimal) data type to preserve the precision of the coordinate values.
Downhole survey table

The downhole survey table is an optional, non-mappable table that contains a list of downhole depth,
dip and azimuth inflections for each drillhole; for example, as measured with a downhole survey
camera. The table must contain the following columns:
Note: The field name and order of the mandatory columns is not important; the columns are specified
during project setup.

Field Field Type

HoleID Character
Depth Float
Azimuth Float
Dip Float
All mandatory columns must be numeric, aside from the HoleID, which must be a character field.
Depth, Azimuth and Dip columns must be numeric; dip values can be positive or negative.
Note: Drillholes with no downhole survey table are displayed as straight lines using the Dip, Azimuth and
Total Depth values from the Collar table.
Downhole interval and point data tables

Downhole data tables are optional, non-mappable tables that can contain sampled and logged interval
information such as geochemical, geological, regolith, alteration or geophysical data values. A drillhole
project can contain multiple downhole data tables. Downhole data tables must contain the following
columns:
Field Field Type

HoleID Character
Depth From Float
Depth To Float
All mandatory columns must be numeric except the HoleID, which must be a text field. Depth From and
Depth To columns must be numeric. For point (non-interval) data, such as structural measurements,
the Depth From and Depth To values for a measurement should be equal.
Note: The position and name of the mandatory HoleID, From, and To columns must be identical in each
downhole data table, because this is how data from separate tables are indexed. If the field names
are not identical in all downhole data tables, it will try and match the column position. If it can’t do
this, the drillhole module will produce an error. Most importantly, the data type of the mandatory
fields must match. Use the Structure Manager (see Multi-table, multi-field editing) to compare and
modify the structures of multiple downhole data tables.
Other data columns such as sample number, rock type, grades etc. can be present, if required.
Sample intervals must not overlap within a downhole data table: see Validating a drillhole database.
Thus, if lithology and assays have been logged with differing intervals (e.g. regular 1m intervals for
assays, versus only rock-type changes for lithology), these should be provided as separate downhole
data tables.
Geophysical point measurements (e.g. magnetic susceptibility) must have the same From and To
values to plot correctly. For example magnetic susceptibility readings taken at 38 m, 39 m and 40 m
will have the following format:

An example of a geophysical (point sample) downhole data table: the From and To fields must be identical for each
measurement to allow handling of the data as point measurements.
Note: The Collars, Surveys, Assays, Samples and Lithology tables in the \ProgramData\Encom\Discover\Discover
Tutorial\Drillholes folder can be used as a template to create tables for use in a drillhole project.
Downhole structural data tables

Structural data tables are a special type of downhole data that define the intersection of structure
planes, such as bedding, faults, shears, and joints. Structural data can be displayed on drillhole
sections using the Structure display option.
To display structure ticks, downhole structural data tables must contain the following columns:
Field Field Type

HoleID Character
Depth From Float
Depth To Float
Dip Float
Dip Direction Float
Like a geophysical point measurement, the Depth To and Depth From values can be equal, defining
the point (depth down the hole) at which the structure intersects the drillhole trace. This defines
structures of zero thickness, such as joints and bedding. If the Depth To value is greater than the Depth
From value, the structure is located at the midpoint. This defines infilled zones, such as shears and
faults.
The Dip values must be between 0° and 90°. If not recorded, the Dip field must be null—a zero value
is read as horizontal.
Dip Direction values must be between 0° and 360°. For non-oriented (dip only) core, the Dip Direction
is left null—a zero value is read as 0° north.
If the structural data file contains alpha-beta core angles, they must be converted to dip and dip
direction before plotting as structure ticks (see Converting alpha-beta core angles), before the table is
added to the drillhole project.

The requirements for structural downhole data tables are otherwise the same as Downhole interval and
point data tables.
Grid and contour surfaces
MapInfo Discover can extract sectional profile information from raster and contoured surfaces (such as
surface topography, soil geochemistry or pit profiles) to display in the drillhole section.
The topographic surface (created with MapInfo Pro Raster, third-party products, or the Surfaces
module in older versions of MapInfo Discover) can also be used to extract elevation values for trench
collar and survey tables.
A surface grid can be in any raster grid format supported by MapInfo Discover such as ER Mapper,
Surfer or MRR (multi-resolution raster) format. Contour maps must have polylines, lines, polygons, or
points with the appropriate numerical attribute. See Supported file formats for more information.

Surface geology
Mappable table containing attributed polygons such as surface geology or regotlith. The polygons are
draped over the topographic profile (if displayed) in cross-section displays. The polygon surface table
is optional.
Section lines
When creating a drillhole project, MapInfo Discover automatically creates a mappable table (in the
collar table projection) as a permanent repository for section lines, from which cross-sections can be
easily created and regenerated. This table is named SectionLines_Projectname and contains the
following attributable fields:
Field Field Type

Section Name Character
Envelope Width Float
Reverse View Float
Direction
Description Character
This table can be populated in a number of ways, and provides significant time savings for multiple
section generation and automatic naming in the Generate Sections tool, as well as minimizing section
duplication and regeneration issues:
• For new projects, it is strongly recommended to pre-create and attribute the section lines in this
table, before generating any sections. The following tools may be helpful:
• Use Traverse Lines tool (see Generating traverse lines and peg coordinates) to generate
systematically spaced section lines.
• Name the sections incrementally with Unique Identifier tool (see Adding unique identifiers to
table records) if not manually.

• Attribute the sections with the required envelope widths (e.g. the TABLE>Edit>Update
Column tool).
• Any sections defined manually with the Generate Sections tool are automatically added to the
SectionLines_ProjectName table during section generation, including all specified names and
envelopes.
• The user can import an existing attributed table of lines into this SectionLines_ProjectName
table. This is performed via the SectionLine (last) tab of the Project Manager New or Modify
sequence (with name and envelope field matching options).
• For existing or imported legacy (pre-2012) drillhole projects for which you have no section lines,
go to Section Manager>Administrative Tools>Synchronise Section Lines. This will
automatically populate the SectionLines_ProjectName table with lines/polylines (and
associated attributes) for all existing sections within that project (i.e. whatever is listed in the
Section Manager).
Legacy project with empty SectionLines_projectname table
Legacy project after running the Sync Section lines option

The biggest benefit of the SectionLines_ProjectName table is in the Define tab of the Generate
Sections tool. Two options are provided on this tab:
• Manual presents the traditional interface, including the Populate from Selected Lines button.
• Table mode directly references the SectionLines_projectname table, allowing section
generation only from the contents of this table, but automatically using all contained attributes.
Section selection can either be from the presented list (for smaller projects) or via graphical
selection. This greatly simplifies the section creation process, removing section naming issues
and incorrect parameters, as well as facilitating easy section re-creation.
Creating sections automatically from the SectionLines_ProjectName using the Table option of the Generate sections dialog
Trench Source table formats

The source tables required to create trench/costean views are very similar to those required for
drillholes:
• Trench collar tables (compulsory)
• Trench survey tables (compulsory)
• Trench downhole data tables (optional—same as drillholes)
• Trench grid and contour surfaces (optional—same as drillholes)
Typically Trench data is received in a surveyor’s spreadsheet file and needs to be adjusted to fit the
conventions used in MapInfo Discover's Drillhole Project:
1. Collar position
The start point must be stored in a separate “collar” file. This can be done by opening the map
survey file and copying the first row of each trench into a new file (see Trench collar tables).
2. Bearing and inclination

The “distance” field is not the interval length. It is the distance along the trench from its “collar”.
This defines the position at which bearing and inclination is measured along the trench. This can
be done by massaging the bearing/distance vector data in the map survey and shifting the
distance values down one row (see Trench survey tables).
Pre–2012 version Discover drillhole projects containing a costean/trench dataset required a Drillhole
collar table present. Costean/trench dataset can now be used independently or within a drillhole
project. When both drillhole and costean/trench datasets are used in the same project they must be
spatially mapped to the same projection system.
Trench collar tables

The trench collar file must be mappable (as with drillhole collar files) using the MapInfo Pro
SPATIAL>Create>Create Points tool, and requires the following fields:
Field Field Type Notes

Trench ID Character
Easting Float
Northing Float
Elevation Float Optional.
Bearing Float Not required if a survey table is present.
Total Length Float Not required if survey table is used.
The Elevation field can be populated from an RL field in the trench collar table, or alternatively
elevation data can be captured from a topographic grid associated with the drillhole project. If no
topographic grid is present and no Z field has been selected, the Z value will default to zero for all
survey points.
The Bearing field is compulsory if no survey table is present (i.e. for a straight trench). It is not required
for XYZ or Bearing and Distance Segment survey tables. If a Bearing and Distance Cumulative
survey table is used, the bearing field is optional (the collar bearing can be incorporated into either the
collar file or the survey file).
The Total Length field is optional if a survey table is provided. For a Distance and Bearing derived
trench, if the total length specified in the collar is greater than the survey length another survey
segment with the same bearing as the last survey segment will be created to the total length specified.
If no Total length field is specified the last survey segment will complete the Trench trace.
Trench survey tables

If the trench is not linear i.e. it has a number of azimuth changes/inflexions along its length, a survey
table is required. This requires a Trench ID field matching that in the Trench Collar Table.
The Trench survey table can be constructed in the following three formats:
• XYZ survey
• Bearing and distance cumulative survey
• Bearing and distance segments survey

XYZ survey
The table for an XYZ survey contains the following additional compulsory fields that define the
locations of inflexion points along the trench. This table must include the trench endpoint X/Y
coordinates.

Trench ID Character
Order Float
X Float Easting
Y Float Northing
Z Float Elevation(optional)
The Order field requires numeric values that list/control the order of the survey points: for example, 1,
2, 3, 4… An excellent alternative is to use a cumulative trench length field (equivalent to a drillhole
survey depth field): for example with values of 0, 22.5, 65, 89.1, etc.
Elevation data can either be supplied in a Z field, or z values can be captured from a topographic grid
associated with the drillhole project at each defined survey point (by setting the Elevation pull-down
to None: (Zero/Topo grid)). If no topographic grid is present and no Z field has been selected the Z
value will default to zero for all survey points.
Note: When using an XYZ survey table the Total Length and Bearing fields in the Trench Collar table are
not used to define the Trench trace, and should be set to 'None'.
Note: The Z specification can be different to that in the collar file; it is possible to assign a Z field in the
collar file, whilst Z values in the survey table setup are captured from a DEM grid file (or vice versa).
If XYZ information for the collar itself is specified in both the collar and survey files, the survey file
information will be utilized preferentially.

An example of XYZ trench collar and survey tables. These include elevation data (but if this information is not present, a DEM
grid could be utilized). RP0132 has one inflexion point, whilst RP0133 is a straight trench. Note the Order field in the survey
file stipulating the order in which the inflexion points are handled: a cumulative trench length field could just as easily be used.
Bearing and distance cumulative survey
The table for a Cumulative Survey contains the following additional compulsory fields that define the
locations of inflexion points along the trench.

Trench ID Character
Bearing Float Orientation of segment
Distance Float Length of segment
Inclination Float Dip of segment
It is optional to have the cumulative trench survey contain a zero distance or survey origin.
If no zero survey is contained in the survey table the trench collar Bearing will be used as the first
survey segment and the Distance from the first survey table segment.
A dip of zero will be used for the first survey segment when no zero survey is contained in the survey
table.
If a zero distance is contained in the survey table the Distance from the second survey table segment
will be used, along with the Bearing and Dip from the first survey segment.
If the Total Length in the Trench collar exceeds the cumulative length specified in the Trench survey
table a trench segment with the same bearing and inclination as the previous segment will be created.

Bearing and distance segments survey
The table for a Segment Survey contains the following additional compulsory fields that define the
locations of inflexion points along the trench.

Trench ID Character
Order Float
Bearing Float Orientation of segment
Distance Float Length of segment
Inclination Float Dip of segment
The Order field requires numeric values that list/control the order of the survey points: for example, 1,
2, 3, 4….
The segment trench survey doesn't need to contain a zero distance or survey origin, the origin is
extracted from the Trench collar.
The Trench Bearing, Distance and Inclination are sequentially extracted from the Trench Survey table.
If the Total Length in the Trench collar exceeds the segmentlength specified in the Trench survey table
a trench segment with the same bearing as the previous segment will be created with an inclination of
zero.
The Inclination field allows a inclination (slope or dip) of the distance measurement to be specified—
for example, the slope of section of the trench bottom which the distance was measured on, or
alternatively if the distance was measured on the topographic surface then the slope of the ground
surface. If no inclination field is available, set this to None (Horizontal Distance). The trenches will
assumed to have a distance measured on a horizontal plane. Negative values are downwards slope
(declining), positive values are upwards dip (inclining).
The Inclination value is only used to define the elevation of the inflexion when no topographic grid is
available. If a topographic grid is present the Z value will be obtained from this, at the XY location
defined by the the combination of Distance, Inclination of Distance measurement, and the Bearing of
the Distance measurement.
Note: Elevation data will only be captured for each measurement point in a Trench Survey table, as well
as the Trench collar location. This may be insufficient for regions of undulating topography;
trenches composed of solely a start and end point will not follow the topographic profile. To rectify
this, assign extra survey points to increase the frequency of elevation measurements.

An example of Bearing and Distance trench collar and survey files. Note that trench MCS0025 will plot as a linear horizontal
trench as it has no survey information. Also, there is no elevation information in the collar file, thus collar elevation data will
need to be automatically captured from a DEM grid associated with the drillhole project. The Distance field in the Survey file
will need to be set as a Cumulative distance.
Trench downhole data tables

Trench data such as assay, magnetic susceptibility and lithological data need to be in the same table
format as required for drillholes. They are also shared between both Drillholes and Trenches, such that
a Downhole table can contain data for both Drillholes and Trenches. They require the following fields:

Trench ID Character Matching collar and suvey tables
From Float
To Float
Fields Character or Float e.g. Cu, RQD, Lithology
Note: The position and name of the mandatory HoleID, From, and To columns must be identical in each
downhole data table. If this isn't the case, in each downhole table, an error message is displayed.
To continue, adjust the table structure using the Multi Table Structure Manager.
An example of a trench assay table.
Interval data (e.g. composite chip samples, lithological units) must have a To value greater than or
equal to the From value. The trenching tool (as with the drillhole module) cannot handle overlapping
downhole data intervals within the same field (e.g. zinc chip samples over the intervals of 121–125 m
and 124–130 m in the same trench will cause display errors). Geophysical point measurements (e.g.
magnetic susceptibility) must have the same From and To values to plot correctly. For example
magnetic susceptibility readings taken at 38 m, 39 m and 40 m will have the following format:

An example of a geophysical (point sample) downhole data table: the From and To fields must be identical for each
measurement
Trench grid and contour surfaces

As indicated previously in the collar and survey sections, elevation data for trench “collar” points as well
as any inflexion points can be captured from a topographic grid (created with MapInfo Pro Raster or
with the Surfaces module in older versions of MapInfo Discover) associated with the drillhole project
(as opposed to having elevation data supplied in RL/Z fields in the collar and/or survey files).
Importing drillhole data from other drillhole applications

MapInfo Discover provides specialized tools for importing data from the gINT and WinLoG borehole
logging applications, which automatically build a MapInfo Discover drillhole project during the import
process.
Additionally, you can import drillhole datasets from other databases or formats using the extensive
array of import tools available, and manually build the drillhole project as required. You can also import
a wide variety of surface grids, raster images, and other spatial data.
For information on importing and exporting data for drillhole projects, see Importing and exporting.
You can also import a complete MapInfo Discover Drillhole Project from another location. For more
information, see Sharing MapInfo Discover drillhole projects.

Creating and managing drillhole projects

Drillhole projects are created and managed with the Project Manager and other tools in the Manage
group on the DRILLHOLES tab:
• Creating a new drillhole project
• Validating a drillhole database
• Sharing MapInfo Discover drillhole projects
• Modifying and deleting drillhole projects
• Associating costean/trench tables with the project
• Opening drillhole projects
• Creating a subset of a project
• Packaging drillhole projects
Creating a new drillhole project

The New Project wizard steps you through defining a new project's parameters and selecting,
importing and validating it's source data tables.
To create a drillhole project:
1. Select DRILLHOLES>Manage>New Project. The Drillhole Project Setup – General dialog is
displayed.

2. Under Project Definition, type the Project Name and Description.

Note: The project name and folder name must not contain any special characters, such as *, %, $, #, @
', “, or ?.
Note: The user must have write permission to the drillhole project folder. Set the necessary permissions
in Windows before proceeding.
3. Next to the Path box, click the Browse button and navigate to the folder containing the
source tables. Click OK to save the project path. All drill sections, plans and log displays will
be saved to this folder.
4. Select the Project Units for the elevation and downhole units. The Depth/Length Units are the
units of measurement for all downhole depth and from-to fields, collar elevations, and surface
topograhic DEM.
5. Project Validation by default displays warning messages when validation issues are detected.
The user can decide if these warning messages are to be displayed or not by toggling the option.
6. Select the Project Type:
• Project only contains drillholes will display a wizard for drillhole data only.
• Project only contains trenches will display a wizard for costean/trench data only.
• Project contains drillholes and costeans/trenches will display a wizard for drillhole data
and costeans/trenches.

Trenches can be added and removed from any existing Drillhole project by modifying the
project. Trenches or costeans can be added at any time to an existing "drillholes only" project.
A warning is displayed next to any undefined, mandatory settings. These must be
defined before proceeding to the next dialog.
must be
7. Click Next. The Drillhole Project Setup – Drillhole Location dialog is displayed.
8. Select collar and (optionally) survey tables to include in the project:

• Click the Open Tables button and select the collar table and/or survey
tables.
• Select the required field mappings for the collar table and/or survey table.
Note: The collar table must be mappable with points already created for the easting/northing fields in the
correct projection. To do this, use SPATIAL>Create>Create Points.
Note: The HoleID field for both Collar and Survey tables must be of type Character.
Note: The collar table must be packed. If an unpacked row is found in the collar table, an error message
is displayed. Click Yes to pack the table, or Cancel to abort opening the project.

• Select the Check dip fields orientation button to automatically assign the down dip
to the appropriate convention.
Note: If both negative (down holes) and positive (up holes) dips are used in the project, select the Down
dip is negative option and ensure that dip values are correctly signed in the data tables.
9. Click Next. The Drillhole Project Setup – Downhole dialog is displayed.
10. Specify downhole tables to include in project:

• Click the Open Tables button and select the downhole data tables.
• Select the required field mappings.
Note: During the drillhole project setup, the mandatory columns are assigned from the first downhole
table selected. The position or name of the mandatory HoleID, From, and To columns must be
identical in each downhole data table to create correct sectional displays. If not, an error message
is displayed. To continue, adjust the table structure with the Structure Manager or remove the table
from the project.

11. Click Next. The Drillhole Project Setup – Surfaces dialog is displayed.
12. Specify surface and polygon tables to include in project:

• If required, click the Open Tables button and select the surface and
polygon tables and field mappings:
Topographic Surface – Topographic raster grids or contour table used to construct the
sectional profile surface. Contours must have a numeric column containing the Z-value
attribute. If a topography surface table is not specified, a surface profile can be auto-
generated by joining the drill collars together.
Polygon Drape – Display surface or outcrop mapped geology in section profile. Upon vertical
section creation the surface line will display a segmented line by geological unit colours. The
Polygon Code field mapping will attribute each line segment from the polygon table.
Other grid surfaces or contours – Display subsurface grid or contour files.

Note: The multi-resolution raster format (.MRR) is supported by both the Topographic and Other grid
surfaces options. If a multi-banded MRR is selected, a Raster Band Selector will be presented,
allowing selection of the requisite Field and Band.
13. Click Next. The Drillhole Project Setup – Section Line dialog is displayed.
14. Choose to create an empty section line table or import an existing section line table:
• Create New Section Line Table – Creates empty SectionLines_Projectname table with
the column structure shown below. When sections are created using the Generate Sections
tool (see Creating sections and plans), the section defintions are stored in this table.
• Import Section Line Data from Existing Table – Imports an existing table with section line
data (created with, for example, Traverse Lines) into the SectionLines_Projectname
table. This import process can be run either during project creation or later when modifying a
project. The imported table can only contain attributed lines or polylines.
The following field mapping options are provided for custom attribute fields in the imported
section line table (if they are exist):

Section Name
Envelope Width
Description
Note: The column format of the section line table to be imported must be:
Section Name – Character
Envelope Width – Float/Integer
Description – Character
Note: The section line table has no mandatory fields; however it is strongly recommended that all section
lines are labelled with a section name to help with organizing data.
15. Click OK to complete the configuration of the drillhole project files.
Validating a drillhole database

Once the source tables have been selected and imported into the project they are automatically
validated. Data validation options can highlight data that can cause problems later, when creating
drillhole sections and plans. Some of the main sources of the failure to plot all downhole data
successfully on a section can be attributed to drillhole name or total depth mismatches and overlapping
sample intervals within the collar and downhole data tables.
The following validation options are provided.
• Automatic validation
• Validate collars
• Validate surveys
• Validate downhole samples
Note: During the validation process, all available options must be defined before the validation can
proceed.
Use the Filter button to restrict the validation to a subset of drillholes in the project. The validation
will otherwise be performed on the entire project. This is particularly useful for large already
validated projects when additional drillholes or drillhole extensions are added, allowing the validation
to be targeted on only the new data.

Automatic validation
Your drillhole source tables, will be automatically validated, and the project database refreshed, upon
the following actions:
• Upon New Project creation
• After project Modification (for example: adding a new table or changing a field assignment)
• When an existing project is Refreshed from its source tables.
• When a legacy project is Imported (.XML)
• When a existing project is Opened, it will by default be refreshed (and therefore validated). This
automatic refresh can be disabled via the 'Refresh Project Data' checkbox at the bottom of the
Open Drilhole Project dialog (it is recommended to disable this for larger projects and/or when the
source tables are only updated irregularly).,
The following compulsory checks will be run (see following sections for more details):
• Table structure – all set fields are presents and appropriate datatypes etc
• Collars – Duplicate collar IDs
• Collars – Missing, misplaced or non-point objects
• Survey – Duplicate depth values
• Survey – Survey EOH depth greater than Collar EOH
• Downhole data – Overlapping sample
• Downhole data – Samples beyond EOH depth

Validate collars
The Validate Collars dialog provides the following validation options:

• Duplicate collar IDs – Checks for duplicate hole IDs in the collar table (compulsory).
• Missing, misplaced or non-point objects – Compares coordinates of mapped items in the
collar table with where the collar is mapped to in the map window. It can also create a mapped
point of non-mappable points in the collar table (compulsory).
• Special characters in Hole ID column – Looks for apostrophes (') in the Hole ID column
(compulsory).
• East, north, elevation, length (EOH) attributes are zero – Checks coordinate fields for zero
values.(optional).
• Rows with duplicate locations – Checks that no two collars have the same location (optional).
On clicking Next, the collar validation is run. If any errors are detected, a Validation report is displayed.
If there are no errors, the Validate surveys dialog is displayed.

Validate surveys
Validate drillhole surveys dialog
The Validate Surveys dialog has the following validation rules:

• Duplicate depth values – Checks that no two survey entries for the same drillhole/trench have
the same depth value (compulsory).
• Survey EOH depth greater than Collar EOH – Matches the survey file EOH and the collar file
EOH, and makes sure that the survey file isn’t longer. If downhole data exists below the total
depth specified in the collar table, it will not be displayed in section. This can occur due to data
entry errors or if the collar data was entered before the drilling was complete (compulsory).
• Collar name mismatch – Checks the survey file collar names match the names in the collar file.
Common problems occur where the drillhole name is specified differently in the collar table and
the downhole tables (e.g. DDH007 and DDH7 are considered by MapInfo Discover to be different
drillholes). Drillhole project files linked to Excel spreadsheets might contain spaces before or after
entries, which causes drillhole name mismatches (optional).
• Dip sign discrepancy – Checks if dip values differ from the dip value positive/negative selected
in the drillhole project setup (see Creating and managing drillhole projects) (optional).
Note: Dip sign discrepancy assumes that all holes have been drilled downwards. If the project contains
up-holes (as in an underground array), the dip sign discrepancy check will assume that these holes
are erroneous.

• Dip out of range – Checks that dips are in the range -90 to +90 degrees (optional).
• Azimuth out of range – Checks that azimuths are in the range 0 to 360 degrees. (optional)
• Large dip curvature changes – Data entry errors in survey readings can cause significant
problems that are difficult to pick up. This validation test will detect abrupt changes of dip between
consecutive survey readings. The default degree change tolerance is 5 degrees (optional).
• Large azimuth curvature changes – This validation test will detect abrupt changes of azimuth
between consecutive survey readings. The default degree change tolerance is 5 degrees
(optional).
Note: Validation is stricter than in pre-2013 versions. This might cause drillhole projects produced in
previous versions that had passed validation to fail in MapInfo Discover 2013 or later.
On clicking Next, the survey validation is run. If any errors are detected, a Validation report is
displayed. If there are no errors, the Validate downhole samples dialog is displayed.
Validate downhole samples
Validate drillhole downhole tables dialog
• Overlapping sample – Sample intervals should not overlap in the same downhole data table and
any such intervals must be identified and resolved. (Compulsory)

• Samples beyond EOH depth – Checks sample depth of downhole tables to the EOH value in
the collar table. If the sample depths are deeper than the EOH in the collar table an error will be
reported. (Compulsory)
• Collar name mismatch – If collar names in the downhole table don’t match collar names in the
collar table an error will be reported. Common problems occur where the drillhole name is
specified differently in the collar table and the downhole tables (e.g. DDH007 and DDH7 are
considered by MapInfo Discover to be different drillholes). Drillhole project files linked to Excel
spreadsheets may contain spaces before or after entries causing drillhole name mismatches.
(optional)
• Sample interval gaps – Although many drillholes do not have contiguous sample intervals from
top to bottom, it is often very useful to list out where the gaps are located to ensure these are not
attributed to data entry errors. The size of the sample interval gap that is deemed acceptable can
be set by the user. The default value is > 0 (optional)
• Duplicate sample numbers – In some instances duplicate sample numbers are an indication of
data entry errors and need to be identified. The sample ID field that the user wants to check is to
be manually selected from the table in this dialog. Duplicates are only searched for in the column
that has been selected.
On clicking Next, the downhole validation is run. If any errors are detected, a Validation report is
displayed. If there are no errors, the message “Project Validation is Complete” is displayed.
Pressing OK will now create the Drillhole Database, and open the drillhole project. The project is now
ready for sectional creation and analysis.
Validation report
The status of the validation, including the number of errors detected, is displayed at the top of the
Project Validation dialog. If errors are detected at any and each of the three stages, a validation report
is produced:
• Collar validation report
• Survey validation report
• Downhole validation report
A status of “Pending” indicates that the validation report is being generated.
All three validation report types have the same table structure:
• Error – Reports the error type produced by a validation rule being broken.
• Table – Reports which table the error has been found in (collar, survey or a downhole table).
• Collar – Reports which drillhole collar the error is associated with.
• From – For collar and downhole file errors, refers to the downhole distance the error occurred at.
For survey table azimuth and dip change errors, refers to the initial azimuth and dip before the
change is made.
• Amount – The value (distance, azimuth, dip) the error occurred at—e.g. sample interval amount
is the distance of the sample interval.
Note: All compulsory validation errors are shown in red.

To view and correct an error, click the Show button. The corresponding table is opened and
the rows that contains the error are selected. Edit the table values as required and save using
HOME>File>Save Table. You can also auto-fix errors.
After corrections have been made and saved, click the Refresh button to rerun the validation and
regenerate the report. If the error has been fixed, it will be removed from the new report.
All three validation report types can be filtered by Error or Table type by using the pulldown menus at
the top of the table.
To export a report (to show to a database administrator or external party, for example), click the
Report button. The report is saved as a CSV file into the project folder. The report has the
following columns.
• Type
• Table
• Collar
• Rows
• Date Time
• Automatic Fix Action
All three validation reports (collar, survey and downhole) are appended to the one file.
Note: If the report CSV file is open and another validation report is run, an error will be reported and you
will be asked to close the file.
Click the Auto Fix button to display errors that can be automatically fixed by MapInfo
Discover:

The error types and table they occur in can be filtered with the pulldown menus at the top of the dialog.
Select the errors that you want to autofix, or click Select All to fix all errors. On the Auto Fix dialog,
click Auto Fix to fix the selected errors.
Collar validation report
The collar file validation can produce the following error types (see Validate collars).
• Mismatched collar object
• Duplicate collar location
• Duplicate collar
• Field null
• Special characters in Hole ID field
Click Autofix to fix following errors:
• Mismatched Collar Object – Moves a mapped point to match the coordinates in the
Browser table data. If a table entry has no associated mapped point a point will be created.
Survey validation report

The survey file validation can produce the following error types (see Validate surveys):

• Dip sign mismatch

• Large dip change
• Large azimuth change
• EOH longer than collar
• Field outside range
• No collar file/record entry
• Duplicate depth value
• No survey records
• Dip sign mismatch – This will check that the dip sign selected in the project setup +/- (see Check
dip fields orientation button) will match what is in the survey file. If the user has indicated that the
downhole dip is assigned (-) negative. The autofix will look for any (+) positive dip values and
change them to negative.
• EOH longer than collar – This checks if depth values in the survey file are longer than the total
depth in the collar file. Autofix is available if the error is less than a meter. What will be fixed can
be set with the Gap Check precision. If Gap precision is set at one any error smaller than one will
be fixed. If Gap precision is set as .1 any error less than .1 will be fixed..ect. When autofix is
clicked the values is the survey table will be adjusted to the EOH value in the collar table of the
associated drillhole.
Note: Dip sign discrepancy assumes that all holes have been drilled downwards. If you project has holes
drilled upwards (as in an underground array) the dip sign discrepancy check will assume that these
holes are erroneous.

Downhole validation report

The downhole file validation can produce the following error types (see Validate downhole samples):
• Sample gap
• EOH longer than collar
• No downhole records
• No collar file/record entry
• Overlapping sample
• Duplicate sample number


• EOH Longer than Collar -- This checks if depth values in the survey file are longer
than the total depth in the collar file. Autofix is available if the error is less than a meter. What will
be fixed can be set with the Gap Check precision. If Gap precision is set at one any error smaller
than one will be fixed. If Gap precision is set as 0.1 any error less than 0.1 will be fixed..ect. When
autofix is clicked the values is the downhole table will be adjusted to the EOH value in the collar
table of the associated drillhole.
When the validation process is complete, you are now ready to use your new drillhole project.
Sharing MapInfo Discover drillhole projects

MapInfo Discover Drillhole Projects can be shared with other users using these functions in the
Manage group:
• The Import Project option (under the Open Project dropdown) &
• The Export option on the Manage Project dialog

These options incorporate all the metadata generated during project setup. as well as any legends
utilized, allowing project to be shared either by:
• Importing or Exporting a Drillhole Export (.DHPROJECT) file for sharing between MapInfo
Discover 2016 users
• Importing a legacy (v2015.2 and older) drillhole project (.XML)
Import drillhole project

DRILLHOLES>Manage>Open Project>Import Project
This will import either an existing (unexported) project, or an exported project: importing an exported
project will give the user a choice of legends to import. Two import options are available; select the
appropriate format from the bottom right of the selection dialog:
• Select the Drillhole Project (.dhexport) option for current version projects (MapInfo Discover
2016).
• Select the Drillhole Project Legacy (*.setup.xml) option for older version projects (version
2015.2 and older).
Importing projects from an earlier version of MapInfo Discover might produce validation errors because
of changes to validation rules between versions. If a validation error occurs, correct the error in the
corresponding data table.
Export drillhole project

DRILLHOLES>Manage Project>Export

Export a drillhole project, including selected legends, to a selected folder for sharing with users. This
will create a .DHEXPORT format export, for sharing/consumption by other MapInfo Discover 2016
users.
1. Select the Zip exported project folder option to compress the exported project folder.
Note: To create an older legacy export format (.XML) for sharing with other users running older versions
of MapInfo Discover (e.g. 2015.2, 2015 or older), you will need to:
2. If sharing with a 32-bit version (e.g. MapInfo Discover 2015), ensure that there are no multi-
resolution (.MRR) topographic or other surface rasters associated with the project. MRR format is
not supported by 32-bit versions.
3. Open the project with a copy of MapInfo Discover 2015 on the same machine
4. Use Manage Project>Export to export the project in the .XML format.
For information about importing and exporting drillhole (and other types of data) in other formats, see
Importing and exporting.

Use the Manage Project to modify and delete existing drillhole projects.
1. Select DRILLHOLES>Manage>Manage Project.
2. Click the Drillhole Project box and select the project, and then:
• To open the project, click Open, and then use the Section Manager (see Managing and
analysing sections and plans) to view sections and plans defined in the project.
• To add or remove tables, modify field assignments or modify the project settings, click
Modify.
• To delete the project, click Delete. The project tables and sections are preserved–only the
project references are removed.

Alternatively, you can restore a saved drillhole session with DRILLHOLES>Manage>Manage

Project>Session Manager. This will load the drillhole project and any ancillary components such as
layouts, legends, title blocks, open section and plan windows. This is a recommended way of
preserving sessions incoporating layout windows.
Note: Because of the metadata links created in drillhole projects, you cannot reopen a drillhole project
using a MapInfo Pro workspace.
Associating costean/trench tables with the project

To generate a trench/costean section or plan, the relevant trench tables need to be associated with a
drillhole project. A drillhole project requires at least a Drillhole collar table, in addition to the Trench
Collar table. This will generally be an existing Drillhole Collar file; however, a copy of the Trench Collar
file can be created and used as the Drillhole collars if there are no drillholes associated with the project.
Trench collar and survey tables are assigned to any existing drillhole project from the Project Setup
menu.
1. Open the Manage Project dialog and select the Modify button.
2. Open the collar and/or survey table by using the Open Tables button on the
bottom of the Drillhole Project Setup dialog.
The Trenching Setup dialog configured for a XYZ survey table.
3. Select the collar table from pull-down list. Set the various required and optional fields in the Field
Mappings, as detailed in the Apply Downhole Trench Data section.

4. Select the survey table from pull-down list. Tick either the XYZ or Bearing & Distance format
option as detailed in the Trench survey tables section, and set the required Field Mappings.
5. For both the collar and survey tables, if elevation data is to be captured from a DEM/DTM, set the
appropriate fields to “None: (Zero/Topo grid)” rather than the collar Elevation field.
6. An offset z value can be specified as a (negative) value below the surface at which the trench
trace will be plotted in section views. This is appropriate when assay samples have been
collected a constant depth below surface e.g. 1.5m. The units used will be those specified in the
Project Setup dialog on the Drillhole Location tab.
The Z offset will only apply to the Z/RL value sourced from the topographic surface grid. If the
values are set to table fields, they will not be offset.
If downhole trench data tables and/or a topography grid needs to be added to the project continue
with the next section, otherwise press OK to complete the trench setup.
7. To add downhole trench data navigate to the Downhole tab on the Drillhole Project Setup dialog
and open the respective assay, lithology etc tables using the Open Tables button. Populate the
Selected window pane with these tables by highlighting them and using the Right arrow button.
Assigning the trench downhole data tables (in this case assay and lithology tables
8. To add a topographic gridded surface, navigate to the Surfaces tab on the Drillhole Project
Setup dialog and open the grid using the Open Tables button. Select the grid under the
Topographic Surface option.
9. Press OK to complete the setup of trench data.

Opening drillhole projects

Related tools: Session Manager
The recommended method of opening drillhole projects is to restore a saved drillhole session
with the Session Manager. This will load the drillhole project and all layouts, legends, title
blocks, sections and plan windows saved with the session.
MapInfo Discover drillhole projects cannot be saved and reopened as MapInfo Pro workspaces, due
to the various complex metadata links handled by the Drillhole module between the project datasets
(such as the field assignments in the survey, collar and downhole data tables).
To save a drillhole session:
• Select DRILLHOLES>Manage>Manage Project>Session Manager, and then click New to
create a new session. This will create a .DWOR file with the specified Name in a new Sessions
subdirectory under the current drillhole project data folder, along with a standard MapInfo Pro
workspace. Descriptive and comment fields can also be saved in this session file.
To restore a saved drillhole session:
• Select the DRILLHOLES>Manage>Open Project>Open Session, select the saved session file,
and then click Open. This will load the drillhole project and all layouts, legends, title blocks,
sections and plan windows saved with the session.
To update an existing session with the current workspace in MapInfo Pro:
• Select the session from the list in DRILLHOLES>Manage>Manage Project>Session Manager,
and then click Save. Existing sessions Description and Comments can also be edited by
selecting the Modify button. A session can be removed from the project, using Delete.
Drillholes sessions are the only way to preserve and reopen the following customisations:
• Specific section layer ordering (in the Layer Control), for instance when multiple Custom Layers
involved, such as lithology, alteration and faults.
• Custom section labels and symbols, for instance derived from the Section Point or Pierce Point
layers.
• Thematic layers created in sections, for example derived from the Section Point or Pierce Point
layers.
Note: All existing open tables within MapInfo Pro must be closed before you can open an existing
session. Make sure to save any cosmetic layer objects etc before using the tool.
Note: Project sessions are not currently supported by the Import/Export function on the Project
Manager dialog.
Alternatively, to open a drillhole project from the Project Manager:
1. Select DRILLHOLES>Manage>Open Project.
2. Select the project, and then click Open.
Note: By default, Open Project will Refresh the Project Data each time it is opened. For larger datasets,
or if you source tables are not updated regularly, you may wish to disable this option (bottom left
of the dialog) for faster opening, and only refresh the project on-demand via Manage
Project>Refresh.

3. Use the Section Manager to view sections and plans defined in the project.
Creating a subset of a project

Related tools: Subset Project
Use the DRILLHOLES>Manage>Manage Project>Subset Project tool to create a subset of
an existing open drillhole project based on a selection of drillholes. This will create copies of all
the relevant drillhole tables (collar, survey, downhole data, topography, etc) subsetted to the
drillhole selection, automatically adding a new drillhole project using these new tables to the Open
Project list.
The Subset Drillhole Project dialog.
The Subset Drillhole Project dialog displays a list of the open project’s drillholes, with the current
selection highlighted. Holes can be selected manually from this list (use the CTRL keyboard button in
combination with the left mouse button to select non-adjacent holes). Alternatively a selection can be
made in MapInfo Pro prior to opening this dialog, using tools such as graphical selection, an SQL query
or the QUERY>Text>Select by Attribute tool (see Selecting records by attribute). This selection will
then be automatically highlighted when the Subset Drillhole Project dialog is opened.
A new Drillhole Project will be automatically created by adding a “_Subset” suffix to the current project’s
name; this name will be also be used to create a new subdirectory under the current Project directory,
into which the subsetted tables will be placed. This New Project Name can be changed in the
appropriate window; the tool will automatically alter the output directory name, which can also be
manually specified using the browse button. A “_subset” suffix is also attached by default to the
subsetted output tables; this can also be altered in the Suffix to append to tables window.

The Optional Files list allows selection of project files to incorporate into the new project (by default
all tables are selected). For example, if the current project included 10 downhole data tables, this option
could be used to select only three tables of interest. If a survey table is associated with the current
project, it is recommended to ensure that this is selected.
Note: Grid and Image files associated with the current project will not be subsetted, but simply copied in
their entirety to the output directory with the “_subset” (or other user-defined) suffix attached.
Once this dialog has been configured, press the Subset button. When completed, a text report will be
displayed detailing each table created and any issues that may have arisen.
The Subset Project Report indicating the success of each table subset.
Note: After creating a subsetted project, ensure you run Open Project on it before using any further tools
(such as Export).
Packaging drillhole projects

Drillhole projects can be imported and exported to allow transfer of projects to other computers or for
archiving of projects. This process supports not only the project source data, sections and plans, but
also the all metadata required to automatically reopen the project on the destination computer. For
more information, see Sharing MapInfo Discover drillhole projects.

Desurveying method
MapInfo Discover does not plot the raw survey data. Instead an interpolation method known as “mid-
point tangential averaging”or “back calculation” is used. This is the only method offered in MapInfo
Discover and is the default method in MapInfo Discover 3D. Although it is a simple method, it does
produce reasonable results.
Each survey point is considered to lie in the middle of a drillhole segment which has the dip and
azimuth of the survey location. The dip and azimuth of the hole changes automatically halfway
between each survey point. This has the affect of intersecting a midpoint in between the actual survey
points, and may not actually intersect a survey point. It also means that the first and last interval of the
trace will be half their expected length.
Note: If there is no survey measurement at the start (0 m depth), the first record's Azimuth and Dip values
are used for the initial segment. Similarly, at the end of hole, the last measured azimuth/dip is
continued for the final segments.
Put simply, if your collar is at 0 m and finishes at 40 m and you have down hole surveys at depth
intervals of 10 m, 20 m and 30 m, then MapInfo Discover will compute the the end X,Y,Z coordinate of
the first line segment using the midpoint distance between each depth interval (e.g. 0 m to 5 m). It then
uses corresponding dip and azimuth values from the surveys (10 m measurement), to project the
second line segment (5 m to 15 m). At this point it then uses the next Survey dip and azimuth record
(20 m) to generate the next segment.
Note: If a record exist is in both the Collar and Survey tables for 0m, the Survey table data is used
preferentially.
This has the effect of making “curved” holes more curved and a hole will diverge further from the
“straight line” (called segments in MapInfo Discover 3D) location at increasing depth. If you have a high
frequency of survey data (1 m intervals or less), then the effect of the interpolation will be negligible.
Creating sections and plans

Related tools: Generate Sections

The DRILLHOLES>Create>Generate Sections tool can create a cross-section for a vertical

plane at any location and in any orientation. A plan can be generated for a horizontal plane at
any elevation.
A vertical section or plan is defined on the Generate Sections dialog. All the parameters for selecting
the drillholes to plot, the downhole data tables to use, displaying other grid surfaces, annotating with
collar name and depth ticks, drawing topographic profiles, creating multiple sections and applying
downhole display settings are available in this dialog.
• Horizontal plan
• Vertical section
Horizontal plan
It is advisable to firstly create a horizontal plan of all collars you wish to display in vertical section to
assist in defining appropriate parameters for vertical section production. The entire length of each
selected collar will be displayed on the horizontal plan.
To create a horizontal plan:
1. Select DRILLHOLES>Create>Generate Sections. The Generate Sections dialog is displayed.
2. Select Plan from the Display Type on the Define tab. Type in an appropriate name for the plan
section under the Plan name text box.

3. Select the collars in the collar map window to include in the horizontal section and click the Load
MapInfo Selection button to load selected collars. Otherwise leave the default option to display
all collars in the drillhole project.
Note: Collars can be selected either graphically from the map window or using a textural attribute query.
For example an SQL query of all RC drillholes, or using QUERY>Text>Select by Group tool.
Alternatively, collars can be manually selected from the Holes to Show in Plan control.
4. Navigate to the Annotate tab and select the appropriate options for displaying text labels and
depth ticks.
5. Click the Generate button to create the horizontal section.
6. If any immediate changes are required to the section such as text label size etc. simply modify
and click the Generate button.
To create a flitch plan:
1. Select DRILLHOLES>Create>Generate Sections. The Section and Plan Creator dialog is
displayed.
2. Select Plan from the Display Type on the Define tab.
3. Select the collars in the collar map window to include in the flitch section and click the Load
MapInfo Selection button to load selected collars. Otherwise leave the default option to display
all collars in the drillhole project.
Note: Collars can be selected either graphically from the map window or using a textural attribute query.
For example an SQL query of all RC drillholes, or using QUERY>Text>Select by Group tool.
Alternatively, collars can be manually selected from the Holes to Show in Plan control.
4. To activate the flitch plans check the Elevation height option and specify a central elevation and
envelope height. The elevation plan will display only the portion of any drillholes that are
intersected by the horizontal section envelope.

5. If multiple section levels are required, navigate to the Offset Multiple tab. Options for controlling
the number of plans, offset distance and direction along with plan naming conventions are located
on this tab.
Creating multiple flitch plans.
depth ticks.
7. Click the Generate button to create the horizontal section.

Vertical section
Vertical sections are categorized into two main types; envelope and long. Envelope sections are
defined by specifying a width from a section plane and display all downhole traces contained within the
envelope. Long sections display the entire drillhole project from a defined section plane (i.e. they have
an infinite width).
To create a vertical envelope section:
displayed.
2. Select Section from the Display Type on the Define tab.
3. Select Envelope section from the Define Section options.
4. Type in an appropriate name for the vertical section under the Section name text box.
Creating a vertical section
5. Select a method for defining the sections to be produced:

• Manual – Produces sections by selecting lines drawn in the collar map window, such as the
cosmetic layer or other table external to the drillhole project. After selecting the lines, and
click the Populate from Selected Line(s) button. Section envelope parameters will be
automatically populated from the line including start E and N, orientation length and view
direction. Specify an Envelope Width as well as a Section name.
Note: The Section name and/or Envelope width can be specified from a field within a MapInfo Pro table.
The Section name column in the table must be of field type character. This is useful when selecting
multiple section lines and/or wishing to display variable envelope widths.
• Table – Create sections directly from the SectionLines_Projectname table (see Section
lines), automatically using its contained section spatial information, attributed names and
envelope widths. Sections in the SectionLines_Projectname table can be selected (a)
manually by name from the displayed list, or (b) graphically in the collar map window and then
pressing the Populate from Selected ... button.
Creating multiple sections automatically from SectionLines_Projectname table.
6. Under the Select Collars to Display option on the Define tab, observe the collars which will
participate in the section production. To refine this selection you may need to adjust the Envelope
width to encompass more collars, or filter collars in the envelope you wish not to display.
Note: When defining a section envelope a temporary MapInfo Pro layer is presented on the collar map
window called _envelopePreviewOverlay. This layer will assist creating a section to encompass
the desired collars.

Defining a vertical section envelope.
7. If you wish to display drillholes intersecting at depth to the envelope check the Show holes
intersections at depth option. If you wish to display the drillhole traces which extend beyond the
envelope check the Display complete hole traces option.
depth ticks. A particularly useful option Show distance infront/behind of section plane, defines
the distance a depth interval is infront or behind the section plane. Enable this option to give the
drillhole trace a depth perspective.
9. Navigate to the Downhole Data tab, if a downhole data setting has been previously saved from
the DRILLHOLES>Create>Downhole Data tool, select the appropriate setting to apply during
the section creating.
10. To configure any surface or sub-surface grids or contours, navigate to the Surfaces tab. If any
additional surfaces such as water table height, geochemical, geophysical etc have been included
in the drillhole project, select and specify an absolute or relative position. Use the Absolute
Position for height based surfaces and Relative Position for surfaces such as geochemical or
geophysical.
11. Click the Generate button to create the vertical envelope section.
12. If any immediate changes are required to the section, such as text label size, adjust the required
parameters in the dialog and click the Generate button.
To create polyline envelope sections:
• As well as creating sections produced from single segment lines, polyline sections can be
produced from lines with multiple nodes. This functionality is ideal for the hydrological, geological
and environmental engineering industries, who often need to analyse data along non-linear
sections such as pipe lines, roads, tunnels and subsurface palaeochannels or aquifers. The multi-
node polyline section can be created with the same procedures as creating an envelope section.

This functionality is designed primarily for vertical drillholes such as water bores and engineering
drilling.
To create multiple vertical envelope sections:
displayed.
3. Select Envelope section from the Define Section options. Envelope sections can be define by
three methods:
• By selecting a line and propagating numerous sections from this line (the method discussed
in this example).
• By selecting multiple lines from the collar map window.
If selecting multiple lines, the View direction towards option will indicate a Left or Right view
direction, based on the drawing direction of the selected line.
• By selecting the Table option on the Define tab and defining the sections from
SectionLines_Projectname table.
4. Select a line from the collar map window and click the Populate from Selected Line(s) button.
Section envelope parameters will be automatically populated from the line including start E and N,
orientation length and view direction.
5. To configure multiple sections navigate to the Offset Multiple tab and check the Create multiple
offsetted sections option. Select the number of sections you wish to create and offset direction.
Select a Section name suffix and Suffix name prefix if required. After configuring the multiple
section options, observe the multiple section envelopes displayed in the collar map window.

depth ticks. A particularly useful option Show distance infront/behind of section plane defines
7. Navigate to the Downhole Data tab, if a downhole data setting has been previously defined
under the DRILLHOLES>Create>Downhole Data tool, select the appropriate setting to apply
during the section creation.
in the drillhole project select and specify an absolute or relative position. Use the Absolute
geophysical.
9. Click the Generate button to create multiple vertical envelope sections.
To create a longitudinal (long.) section:
displayed.
3. Type in an appropriate name for the long. section under the Section name text box.
Creating a vertical long. section
4. Select a line from the collar map window and click the Populate from Selected Line(s) button.
Section envelope parameters will be automatically populated from the line including start E and N,
orientation length and view direction.

5. Under Select Collars to Display option on the Define tab observe the collars which will
participate in the section production. To refine this selection you may need to filter collars you
wish not to display.
depth ticks. A particularly useful option Show distance infront/behind of section plane defines
7. Navigate to the Downhole Data tab, if a downhole data setting has been previously defined
under the DRILLHOLES>Create>Downhole Data tool, select the appropriate setting to apply
during the section creation.
in the drillhole project select and specify an absolute or relative position. Use the Absolute
geophysical.
9. Click the Generate button to create a vertical long section.
Managing and analysing sections and plans

Related tools: Section Manager
The DRILLHOLES>Manage>Section Manager is designed to assist with the management and
analysis of cross-sections and plans. It enables the hassle-free management of all associated
MapInfo Pro tables for drillhole project sections. All vertical sections, plans, polyline sections
and trenches defined in a project are listed in the Section Manager dialog.

Section Manager dialog.
Note: All sections and plans created for a drillhole project can be managed using the Section Manager. Refer to
Creating and managing drillhole projects section for Section Manager configuration.
By default, when a drillhole section is created, it is catalogued in the Section Manager, with all the
parameters automatically populated.
All sections and plans created for the drillhole project are displayed in the list of Available Sections
and Plans. The properties of each section are displayed in the list (see Section and plan properties).
The list can be sorted by clicking a column name. The section manager tools are displayed below the
list of available sections and plans:
Select the sections you want to open and click the Open button to display previously
created sections or plans. Alternatively, select the check box in the Open column or
double-click the section in the list.
Select the sections you want to close and click the Close button to close the selected
sections and associated tables. Alternatively, clear the check box in the Open column.
The Regenerate option is a time-saver when new drillholes or hole extensions and
splays have been added to a drillhole project. This tool automatically regenerates and
updates the selected sections with any new drillholes that fall inside its spatial
envelope. The Regenerate sections and plans dialog bo is displayed, from which you
can select an alternative Downhole Display template. This can be useful if the original
display settings have been updated—for example, with display preferences for new
downhole data (such as new magnetic susceptability readings).
Sections can also be regenerated with more customizations using the
SectionLines_Projectname table via the Table option of the Generate Sections
dialog in tandem with the Downhole Data tab.
Click the Analytical tools button to select from the available tools.

Click the Administrative tools button to select from the available tools.
Working with the Section Manager

The Section Manager is a floating window, so it can be left open throughout your entire session. It can
also be docked to the side of the application window, allowing customization/optimization of your work
area.
To dock the Section Manager:
• Drag the Section Manager window by the title bar, towards the edge of the screen, until the
mouse cursor is over one of the small directional icons, and a blue shadow indicates the window's
docked position. Then release the mouse button to dock the Section Manager.
• Alternatively, double-click on the Section Manager title bar to return it to it's last docked location (if
available).
To undock the Section Manager:
• Double-click the Section Manager window title bar, so that it floats. You can then move it to
another location in the application window.
An example of the Section Manager docked, with the Layer Control and Table list windows tabbed below, ensuring a more
efficient drillhole work environment.
Section and plan properties

Section Type
Vertical drillhole section
Vertical drillhole section with digitized boundary layer

Vertical drillhole section defined by polyline (non-linear)
Horizontal or plan view drillhole section
Open
Open sections are marked with a tick.
Name
User specified name of the drillhole section.
Orientation
Orientation or bearing of the drillhole section.
Width (+/-units)
The Envelope width of the section. Note that the width is symmetric about the centre, and the total
envelope width is twice the value displayed.
Easting
Start easting for the section line.
Northing
Start northing for the section line.
Z
The maximum elevation in a Vertical cross-section, or the central elevation in a horizontal plan/section.
Length
Length or distance of the drillhole section line, the units of measure are determined by the collar table
projection system.
Modified
Date of last modification/update of the section/plan.
View
View direction of the section in degrees (as set in the Define New Section dialog).
Analytical tools
The following tools are available from the Analytical Tools menu. These tools are also
available from the context menu displayed when right-clicking in the Section Manager with
one or more sections selected.
Display 3D Vector Models – Load DXF or Feature database vector models and display
intersection polygons or polylines on the selected sections.
Create Pierce Point Layer – Convert downhole intervals into Pierce Points, for precise labelling,
thematic mapping and even sectional gridding.

Display 3D Vector Models

Note: Polyline sections are not supported by this option.
The Display 3D Vector Models button allows you to load DXF or Feature database vector
models and display intersection polygons or polylines on the selected sections and plans. The
3D Vector to Section dialog is displayed. Click the Open 3D Vector Model button to select one
or more 3D vector files. On the Open dialog, select the 3D vector file type. You can load either DXF or
Feature database (.FDB) files but not both.
Note: If you have a 3D vector file in other formats, such as Vulcan, Surpac or GoCAD, many of these can
be converted to a 3D DXF using DISCOVER>File>Vector Transform.
For each 3D vector model, click the Style button and select the line colour and style of the
corresponding intersection lines. Click OK to apply to the selected sections and plans. The format of
the displayed intersection depends on the types of objects contained in the 3D vector file:
• 3D polyhedrons are displayed as a closed, pattern-filled polygons.
• 3D wireframes are displayed as coloured, patterned lines.
Note: Any embedded colour styles in the 3D Vector files are discarded and overwritten by the selected
style.
3D Vector to Section dialog.
The intersection lines and points created by this option are stored in MapInfo Pro TAB files in the
Section folder in the drillhole project. These TAB files are named Sectionname _Modelname. Any
attributes in the model file are carried over to the intersection table.
To modify or remove 3D vector models displayed on a section, in the Section Manager dialog, select
the section and click the Display 3D Model button. The loaded models are displayed in the 3D Vector
to Section dialog. Select the model and either click the Delete button to remove or click the Style
button to change the line style and colour.

Create Pierce Point Layer

The Create Pierce Point Layer tool will convert downhole intervals into fully-attributed MapInfo
Pro Point symbols. Intervals can have different from-to depths or can be coincident giving a point
depth.
This significantly enhances the display and analytical options for this data on long- and cross-sections,
such as:
• A range of label positions for composited intervals, such as created with the
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Downhole Clip tool (see Clipping drillholes by 3D solids or surfaces).
Pierce points can be created at the top, mid-point, or bottom of an interval; the shallowest of
deepest RL; or the location closest to or furthest from the viewer.
• Use of MapInfo Pro symbols to highlight and reinforce particular intercepts (for instance, locations
where boreholes have intercepted an aquifer/watertable).
• Thematic mapping or geochemical data classification (see Classifying data by colour, size, and
symbol) of pierce points (derived from clipped to 3D volume and/or composited intervals) allows
for the powerful and effective display of high grade (or grams per metre) intercept values.
• Surface gridding of pierce points values (such as grade or gram/metre values) extends the
advanced analysis and trend interpretation options, including resource calculations.
Some examples of the various pierce point outputs, and the display and analysis options they provide:
(1) Using a source file of downhole assays clipped to an orebody volume and then Composited by Cut-Off Grade, resulting
in discrete high-grade intercepts.

(2) Converting (1) into pierce points located at the top of each high-grade intercept for long-section display and labelling of
the intercepts.
(3) Thematically mapping the mid-point pierce points of the same high-grade intervals by Cu% provides a visually powerful
and informative summary of the drilling results.

(4) Grid interpolation of the pierce points extends the analytical and interpretation options.
It is recommended that the source downhole data table contains a limited number of intervals per
drillhole, otherwise the resulting table may contain a large number of points, which may not be easy to
display effectively. Some suggested input downhole table types:
• Borehole intercepts with an aquifer or water table (with From = To depths).
• Drillhole intercepts within a vein system.
• High-grade composites.
• Downhole assays that have been clipped to an orebody volume using the Downhole Clip tool
(see Clipping drillholes by 3D solids or surfaces), then composited by cut-off grade (see
Downhole compositing) to generate a limited number of intervals per hole through the orebody.
• Single intercept (or a very limited number of intercepts) per hole, by first compositing using a very
low cut-off value (such as 0.0001).
The output pierce point layers will be automatically handled by the Section Manager each time the
parent section is opened or closed.
Note: Any derivatives from Pierce Points, such as custom labels, thematic layers, and custom symbols,
will not be preserved via the Section Manager. Ensure these are saved (and reopened) using the
Session Manager.
To generate pierce points for a section or plan:
1. Open a drillhole project.
2. Open the Section Manager, and select one or more sections to create pierce points for.
3. On the Analytical Tools menu, click Create Pierce Point Layer.
4. In the Create Pierce Point Layer dialog box, select the source downhole data table,
the intervals for which will be converted into pierce points.

5. Choose the Position along each interval where the resulting pierce point will be located.
Available options are:
• Mid Point (of the interval)
• Highest RL (i.e. shallowest absolute depth)
• Lowest RL (i.e. deepest absolute depth)
• Top of Interval (i.e. closest to the collar location)
• Bottom of Interval (i.e. furthest from the collar location)
• Closest to view position (when viewing the long/cross-section)
• Furthest from view position (when viewing the long/cross-section)
6. Unless manually refining the closest/furthest view position options (see Handling complex
drillhole projects), leave the Pierce point invert column set to <None>.
7. The Output Table is automatically named SectionnameP. Edit the “P” suffix, if required.
8. If required, customize the Symbol Style.
9. Click OK.
Handling complex drillhole projects

When attempting to display pierce points on either the hangingwall or footwall of an orebody, the
various pierce point location options above may not satisfactorily do so for all drillholes. This will be
particularly noticeable when drilling has been conducted in multiple orientations (from both the footwall
and hangingwall), as well both downwards (from surface) and upwards (underground drilling).
The pierce point Invert Column option allows you to manually override or flip specific intervals.
To manually invert pierce points:
1. Experiment with the various pierce point locations to identify the option which correctly positions
the most pierce points on the required side of the orebody or 3D solid.
2. Write down the specific drillhole IDs for which the pierce point needs to be inverted—i.e., need to
be positioned at the other end of the interval.
Note: If you have MapInfo Discover 3D, using the 3D Points menu option is very effective at identifying
problems by visualizing the pierce point layer in 3D together with the drillholes and 3D solid.
3. Open the source downhole data table with the Table Structure tool (right-click on the table in the
Table List) and add a new field of type Logical. Name the field to indicate the pierce point
location option (identified in step 1) and the word “invert”—for example, 'ShallowRL_Invert'. Click
OK.
4. Open the table as a Browser.
5. For each drillhole noted in step 2, set the value in the new field (e.g. ShallowRL_Invert) to T(rue).
When all noted drillholes have been edited, save the changes.
6. Update the drillhole project with these changes by clicking Refresh Cache at the
bottom left of the Project Manager.

7. Open the Create Pierce Point Layer tool, select the preferred location option, and set the Pierce
point invert column to the new logical field created in step 3. Click OK to regenerate the pierce
points.
Note: Pierce Points are automatically attributed with their actual XYZ coordinates. This means they can
be easily visualised in MapInfo Discover 3D using the 3D Points menu option—a powerful way to
highlight points of interest.
Administrative tools
The following tools are available from the Administrative tools menu. These tools are also
available from the context menu displayed when right-clicking in the Section Manager with
one or more sections selected.
Copy Selected Section
Rename Section
Delete Section
Add Section Layer
Delete Section Layer
Add Section Point Layer
Synchronize Section Lines
Preview Section Lines
Section Image Preview
Copy Selected Section

The copy option is useful for making duplicates of a series of existing sections with a user-
specified suffix. This can be a powerful way of creating different displays of the same sectional
data, for instance a geochemical vs geophysical focused sections using the Display Downhole
Data tool.
Rename Section
Rename the selected section including all component tables and metadata.
Delete Section
This will permanently delete the selected section and associated tables from the Section
Manager and the project folders.

Add Section Layer

The Add Section Layer button allows the addition of new layers to sections. Once section layers
are created, geological or ore boundaries can be interpreted visually. Add Section Layer allows
the following functionality:
• Saving and preserving of geological, structural and mineralization interpretations and trends with
the section. These are automatically reopened when the associated section is opened using the
Section Manager.
• Section layers can be automatically exported into 3D space for use in MapInfo Discover 3D (or
other 3D applications) for solid generation.
• Section layers can also be used to restrict the area over which sectional resource calculations are
interpolated.
The table structure of the added table contains three columns:
ID
Feature Code
Resource
Note: Custom fields can be added or removed using DISCOVER>Manage>[Tables]>Structure
Manager.
Layers can be added simultaneously to all sections that are highlighted in the Section Manager. As
many layers can be added as desired.The produced layer can be suffixed with text defined by the user;
however, the default suffix is a B to produce a B layer.
The new table will be saved into the section folder(s) that are stored in the drillhole project folder.
Note: The DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Resource Calculator and DISCOVER 3D>Drillholes>Section
Layer tools will only use layers from a section suffixed with a B.
Delete Section Layer

The Delete Section Layer button allows the deletion of layers that have been added to sections
with the 3D Object to Section tool, Add Section Layer tool or any other layers created within a
section.
To delete layers, select the sections you want to delete layers from in the Section Manager, and then
click the Delete Section Layer button.The Delete Section Files Dialog is displayed. Expand each
section and select the layers to be deleted. Click Delete.
Add Section Point Layer

Enrich the impact of your drillhole sections, with fully customizable collar symbols and labels.
MapInfo Discover 2015 introduces a new ‘Section Point Layer’ for collar and end-of-hole (EOH)
locations. These point layers contain all the collar file attributes, allowing a rich range of
cartographic refinements and enhancements on long- and cross-sections, such as:
• Custom collar and EOH symbols, using all MapInfo Pro symbol types, colours and sizes.
• Custom collar and EOH labels, using the full range of MapInfo Pro capabilities, such as: label
position, colour, font, offset distance, etc.

• Create detailed and informative labels, by using MapInfo Pro expressions to combine and format
multiple fields.
• Thematically map collar symbols, allowing the clear visual differentiation or identification of collars
by an important attribute field, such as drilling type (e.g. RAB/RC/DDH), drilling contractor, or year
drilled.
Enhance the value and effectiveness of your cross- and long-sections, with the new Point Layer allowing professional and
informative labels and collar symbols.
To create a Section Point Layer:

1. With one or more sections selected in the Section Manager, select the Add Section Point Layer
tool from either:
• Administrative Tools drop-down menu, or
• Right-click context menu.
2. Select the point position at which the section layers will be created for the selected sections:
• Collar – drillhole start points
• End of hole (EOH) – drillhole end points
• Entry point of envelope – points where drillholes enter a section envelope at depth, if
applicable.
• Exit point of envelope – points where drillholes exit a section envelope at depth, if
applicable.

3. Select the default Point symbol style.

4. Click OK to generate a point layer for the selected sections, with a suffix reflecting the Point
position selected:
• “Col” for collar
• “EOH” for end of hole
• “En” for entry point
• “Ex” for exit point
These point layers will contain all data fields in the project's collar file, as well as an extra
“Distance_To_Env” numeric field, indicating the distance each point location is from the section's
defining plane. These fully attributed section point layers allow numerous powerful labelling and
symbol customization options to enrich your cross-sections, such as:
• Thematic mapping of collar symbols to indicate drilling type (e.g. RAB/RC/DDH).
• Precisely positioned and oriented EOH labels in your desired colour/font/size.
• Informative multi-part collar labels using MapInfo Pro's label expression builder.
Note that while Section Point Layers are handled natively and preserved by the Drillhole Project
Manager and the Section Manager, the following derivatives are not:
• Custom labels
• Custom symbols
• Ordering of multiple Point Section Layers within a section
• Thematic layers
To ensure these customisations are preserved for later viewing and refinement, ensure that the current
drillhole environment, including open sections and their labels, are preserved (and reopened) using the
drillholes Session Manager.
Synchronize Section Lines

This will automatically populate the SectionLines_Projectname table with all existing sections
and plans within the project (as listed in the Section Manager), including the section lines/
polylines, their names, and envelope widths.
Sections (or plans) already in the SectionLines_Projectname table with the same name will be
overwritten.
This option is recommended when importing pre-2012 projects to initially populate the
SectionLines_Projectname table. It can also be useful if the SectionLines_Projectname table
has become “messy” with user-added lines that aren’t being used for section creation. To clean up the
table, delete all records, and then run the Synchronize Section Lines option.

New (empty) SectionLines_Projectname table
SectionLines_Projectname table after synchronizing with the Section Manager
Preview Section Lines

This shows the location of selected sections on the collar map window.
Section Image Preview

This automatically displays a thumbnail when a section is selected, allowing the section to be
previewed (without opening). This can be particularly useful for large or imported projects.

Displaying downhole data

Related tools: Downhole Data
Once section and/or plans have been created (Creating sections and plans), you will want to start
visualizing your downhole data graphically. This might include data such as assays, geology, regolith,
geophysics, water table depths and structural measurements.
The DRILLHOLES>Create>Downhole Data tool allows these detailed downhole datasets to
be effectively visualized (even in complex sections or plans) using a number of display types,
including Text, Linegraph, Trace Shade and orientated Structure.
Additionally this tool can:
• Display up to 16 different data attributes (or variables) for each drillhole.
• Display data from any appropriate column in any downhole data table.
• Colour and pattern modulate display types with user-created legends.
• Create editable data attribute legends.
• Save your downhole display settings as templates. These can then be applied to new sections or
plans, or reapplied after the sections or plans have been regenerated, or shared with other users.
A drillhole cross-section displaying geochemical assay values as both text labels and a bargraph plot, as well as geology
presented as a trace shade.
To create a downhole display setting:

Note: If you experience problems with missing downhole tables or if downhole data isn’t displayed, see
Resolving problems with missing downhole data tables.
1. Open a drillhole project (see Opening drillhole projects), and open one or more cross-sections or
plans (see Managing and analysing sections and plans).
2. Select DRILLHOLES>Create>Downhole Data to open the tool.

The Downhole Data dialog.
3. Ensure that the Global Map Scale at the bottom of the dialog is set to the intended output scale.
This will generally be the same as the Preferred Scale as set in the Generate Sections tool
under the Annotate tab.
4. Choose a display type from the icons at the top of the dialog:
Text is useful for displaying exact values or attribute codes, but can result in a cluttered
view if over-used. Ideal for assays. These can be colour coded to help discern trends.
Linegraph is an useful way of visualizing numeric datasets, particularly for identifying

and assessing trends along and between drillholes and sections. They are very
effective for high density downhole datasets such as decimetre- or even centimetre-
scale geophysical measurements.
Bargraph is another useful way of visualizing numeric datasets. They clearly indicate
both the sample interval widths, as well as the sample values (i.e. samples are
represented discretely as individual 'bars'). Bargraphs (unlike linegraphs) can be colour
and pattern modulated.
Trace Shade is a powerful way of visualizing attribute information, such as geology and
regolith logging. These utilize custom colour legends to control the trace colour and/or
pattern.
Structure allows structural measurements such as bedding, foliation, veining, etc to be
correctly displayed using either true or apparent dip directions. These can be colour
modulated.
Depth Label allows previously set annotation settings to be modified and saved as part
of a downhole data display. The annotation settings are initially imported from the
annotation settings set in the Generate Sections tool of any active sections, and
displayed as the first row on depth label display.

5. In the settings dialog, select the source Table and Field to use for the display type, e.g.
DH_geology and LithCode for trace shades, or Assays and Cu for a linegraph.
6. Each display type can be positioned precisely where the user wants it, either to the left or right of
the drillhole trace. This is important to prevent different display types overprinting each other (e.g.
multiple text labels). The Offset parameter in each setting dialog controls this positioning in
millimetres:
• a negative offset value places the display type to the left of the hole trace
• a positive offset value positions it to the right
• The Set Offset button has a number of preset options to get you started (Near Left, Far Right,
etc).
Note: The offset of each display type can also be controlled in the main dialog by altering the values in
the Offset column
7. Populate the remainder of the dialog as necessary: each display type's setting is discussed in
relevant section below. All display types (except the Linegraph) can also be colour and/or pattern
modulated using legends created using the Creating and editing legends. Press OK when
finished with the setting dialog.
8. Back in the main Downhole Data dialog, repeat steps 4-8 for each additional data field to be
displayed.
Note: Although up to 16 attributes may be displayed at the same time on a section or plan this may not
be practical due to drillhole spacing or plot scale. To create a well-presented section map, limit the
display to a suitable number of data attributes.
9. Existing display types listed in the main dialog can be easily modified and edited:
Once satisfied with your display settings, it is worth saving this
• To reopen an existing display type's settings for modification, click on the Settings button
on it'd far right. Alternatively, double click in any static part of the row entry (e.g. the table
or field cells)
• The listing order of display types can be rearranged by selecting a row (click once in
a static cell) and then use the reorder buttons. Note that this does not affect the
actual display type offsets on the section/plan: it is only of use visually to reorder display
types to match their offsets.
• Existing display types can be deleted from the listing by selecting one or more row
entries (click once in a static cell; use in combination with SHIFT or CTRL for multiple
selections) and pressing the delete button
• The Offset of each display entry can be altered from the listing by modifying the values in the
Offset column. This is a powerful way of 'tweaking' display positioning to prevent overlaps,
practically once the listings have been reordered (i.e. from -ve to +ve offsets).
• Save display settings as a Setting Template (see Using setting templates). Press the
Save Downhole Settings button, enter an appropriate name (typically project-specific)
and press OK. This ensures that your customized settings can be reused or modified at a
later date.

10. In the Sections listing on the right of the main dialog, highlight a section to apply your
display settings to. Before continuing, it is recommended to move the dialog to one corner of
the screen (possibly even minimizing the section listing using the minimize button ) and ensure
that the target section/plan map window is visible in its entirety. Press the Apply button. Your
downhole display settings will now be applied to the selected section/plan. The time taken by
MapInfo Discover to render your settings will be controlled largely by the following:
• the number of sections/plans selected
• the number of drillholes in the sections/plans
• the length of the drillholes
• the number of display settings selected
• the size of the sample intervals (1m assays decimetre-scale geophysics measurements)
• text labels are significantly slower to render than other display types
11. Once the section/plan has been rendered, zoom and pan within its map window to check offsets,
scaling, text sizes, etc. If any issues are apparent, simply modify the necessary parameters in the
still open Display Data Display dialog (either in the main display listing, or in individual settings
dialogs). Then resave the setting template (e.g. overwrite the previously saved template), and
reapply to the target section.
Note: It is strongly recommended that when first creating a setting template for a drillhole project, work
only with one section ( to minimize the rendering time: see the first bullet of step 12 above), and
choose one of the more complex sections (typically in the core of the orebody / mineralization).
This section will likely have the highest density of drilling, scissor holes, splay/daughter holes, etc.
If your downhole display scaling/offsets/text sizes can be configured satisfactorily for this section,
the resulting template is likely to be viable for most other sections in the same project. Of course,
a complex section will be slower to render than an emptier section, so a compromise may be
necessary here.
12. The downhole settings applied to your section/plan are now saved with that section: next time you
open the section/plan (using the Section Manager), the last display settings applied to it will be
displayed.
Resolving problems with missing downhole data tables

Downhole display settings can only be applied to downhole data that was associated with the cross-
section/ plan during the process of Creating sections and plans. If the downhole data table/s were not
selected during this step, MapInfo Discover will not have included these tables in the section data.
Some indications of this issue:
• An error such as "Error plotting data for section - Table not found in the section. Regenerate the
section to include missing data" is displayed
• The selected downhole display settings do not appear in the output section/plan window when
applied
The three primary situations where downhole data tables may not be associated with your cross-
section/plans (and how to resolve them) are:

• For drillhole plans, the "Plot survey traces only" option is by default disabled in the Generate
Sections tool to help speed up plan generation time for typically larger datasets (often all holes in
the drillhole project). If you wish to display downhole data on your plan, regenerate the plan (i.e.
rerun the Generate Sections tool) with this option disabled.
• If new downhole tables have been added to a drillhole project after its creation (e.g. downhole
geophysics conducted a month after drilling, or assays composited to 5m intervals), open the
Project Setup menu option, select the Modify button for the target project, and ensure that under
the Downhole tab the new downhole table/s are on the Selected side of the dialog.
• If new downhole tables have been added to a drillhole project after cross-sections or plans were
created, first check options 1 and 2 above. The sections/plans will also need to be regenerated
to desurvey the new data tables. Rerun the Generate Sections tool, but first check that the new
data table/s are selected under the Downhole Data button of this dialog.
Downhole display types
Text
The Text display option displays data in numeric or character attribute fields as labels for
each sample or interval down the drillhole. The Text Labels Settings dialog contains
options to modify the data range displayed, text styling, positioning, orientation and
formatting of the labels on the drillhole section or plan.

Entering parameters for text labelling of drillhole data.
Source Data
As with all downhole data setting dialogs, the Table and Field pull-downs need to be first populated
with desired targets.
Data Handling Options

The Data Handling Options dialog enables the capping of values and sample decimation.

The Cap to minimum... and maximum values will be auto-populated with the selected data
field's minimum and maximum values (these will be greyed out if a character field has been
selected). If this data range is modified, intervals with values outside the new range will not have a text
label displayed. (e.g. an initial data range of 5 -> 5000, modified to 100 -> 5000 will only display labels
for this new range). These values can be reset using the adjacent reset buttons, which provide options
for using either the data range of the entire table (i.e. the whole drillhole project) or just the selected
section/s.
Select the Decimation option and specify the sampling input. Data can be decimated, by using only
every nth sample. For example, to use 1 in 10 samples (10%), set the nth sample value as 10. This
can be useful when processing massive datasets of very small-scale data, such as centimetre or
decimeter-scale geophysics.
Style
When configuring the appearance of text labels on sections or plans, the primary parameter is the Size
(pts). As with many MapInfo Discover tools, text labels are created as map objects at a specified scale
to facilitate professional-looking hardcopy/printed output. By default the drillhole text labels utilize the
Global Map Scale set in the main Downhole Data Display dialog.
Note: Do not override the Map Scale between different display settings.
Generally the label size will need to be smaller when downhole intervals are smaller to prevent
overprinting over adjacent intervals. For instance, text labels for 3m assay intervals may display
without issues with a font size of 5pts for a map scale of 1:1000, but 1m assay intervals will likely
require a font size of 3pts or smaller at the same scale to prevent overprinting issues.
Alternatively, enable the Autoscale labels to fit intervals option to create text labels scaled to the
smallest downhole interval.
The Font Style button provides additional text formatting options such as colour, font type, background
and effects.
A powerful way of visualizing text labels is by colour modulation using a legend available from the
Colour by Legend list. For instance, this can help highlight anomalous regions in assay values
not immediately apparent in uniformly coloured text labels. Numeric and character (i.e. attribute)
legends can be created and edited using the adjacent Creating and editing legends button.
Note: Legends are applied to the same field used for the text labels. Note that the field type must match
the legend type, e.g. numeric legend can be applied to float and integer fields, and text legends
can be applied to string or date fields.
Position and Orientation

The position of your text labels is controlled by the Offset parameter in millimetres:
• a negative offset value places text labels to the left of the hole trace
The Set Offset button has a number of preset options to get you started (Near Left, Far Right, etc).
• The Vertical Position of the text labels within their intervals can be controlled by
selecting from Top, Centre or Bottom icons.
The Orientation of text labels can also be modified in a number of ways:

• Perpendicular (default): labels are upright on a vertical drillhole (top of the label is always 'up-
hole').
• Horizontal: text labels are uniformly horizontal with respect to the map window (i.e. independent
of hole trace orientation)
• Parallel: text labels are aligned parallel to hole trace
• Custom angle: labels are aligned at a user specified angle with respect to the map window (i.e.
independent of hole trace orientation), with positive values rotating the labels anticlockwise. Thus
0 degrees is identical to the Horizontal option above, and 45 degrees angles labels towards the
top right of the map window.
Format
Assay laboratories will often return null values such as “sample not received / (SNR)”, or “<0.01 /
(BDL)”. In order to keep the assay values in a numeric format (rather than a character field), many
databases will therefore store these null values as a negative value (in the numeric assay field) to
clearly indicate their status (e.g. -9999 or -0.01).
The user may not however want to see these negative values displayed as text labels in their cross-
sections, but instead replace them with a more meaningful text string. MapInfo Discover allows the
user to build a list of their database's null values, and their related text strings in the d_abbrev table,
accessed via the browse button to the right of the option.
Enabling the Replace numbers with alias from d_abbrev option in the Text Labels Settings dialog
will then replace any occurrence of a value in the Number_Code field with the Alpha_Code field value
in the d_abbrev table. For example -5 may be replaced by BDL. The entry in the description field is for
user comments only (it is not used by MapInfo Discover).
D_abbrev browser for replacement codes.
MapInfo Discover will (by default) present numeric data to the number of significant figures in each data
value. The user can however specify the number of Decimal Places displayed by enabling this option.
This can be set to between 0 and 5 decimal places. For example, 0.08 displays as 0 when formatted
to 0 decimal places, and as 0.1 with 1 decimal place.

Linegraph
Linegraph finds the mid-point of each interval, and assigns this location the interval's data
value. The size of the linegraph at this position is then a function of both the data value and
a user-defined scale (below). A linegraph / profile is then created by joining these mid-point
size locations. Linegraphs are therefore very effective for high density downhole datasets
such as decimetre- or even centimetre-scale geophysical measurements. They work best with regular/
homogenous downhole interval sizes; if there is a large variation in downhole interval sizes (e.g. 1m
vs. 10m), linegraphs can misrepresent the data as the actual interval thickness is not represented
graphically.

The Data Handling Options dialog provides a range of options for dealing with null values, missing
intervals, extreme values, and dense data.

High and low cap values

The Cap to minimum value and Cap to maximum value options cap the linegraph at the
specified minimum and/or maximum values. A line is drawn at the cap value, unless the Cut option
is selected, which leaves gaps.
The default cap values are auto-populated with the selected data field's minimum and maximum
values.
The cap values can be reset using the adjacent reset buttons, which provide options for
using either the data range of the entire table (the whole drillhole project) or just the
selected sections.
Null values and missing intervals
For interval data (From < To), null values and missing intervals are shown as gaps. To fill in gaps,
select the Use max gap option and set the max gap value. A line is drawn between the values
either side of the gap if the gap length is less than the max gap value.
For point data (From = To), null values are shown as gaps. Select the Continuous line option to
ignore all nulls. A line is drawn between the non-null values either side of the gap.
Log scale
The Log(10) transform option changes the linegraph plot scale to log10. This can be useful when
the sample population includes occasional very large values, which would obscure the rest of the
data (plotted along the trace).
Reducing dense data
The Decimation option reduces the number of values displayed by using every nth sample. For
example, set the nth sample value as 10 to use every 10th sample (10% of all samples are
displayed). The values between the nth values are ignored (no averaging is performed). This can
be useful when processing massive datasets of very small-scale data, such as centimetre or
decimeter-scale geophysics.

Example of every 4th samples deicmation applied in Red
If the drillhole contains null values or missing intervals, a gap in the line occurs between the last
nth point before the null interval and the first non-null interval after the null interval.
If the Cut to minimum value or Cut to maximum value options are also selected, a gap in the
line occurs between the last nth point before the cut interval and the first non-null, uncut interval
after the cut interval.
Null value
The Numeric null value option treats a specified numeric value (e.g. -999) as null.
Bargraph
Bargraph presents each downhole interval as a separate bar with the same size as used
in the linegraph, but with the bar 'thickness' correlating with the interval length. As each bar
is a polygon, bargraphs can also be colour and/or pattern modulated using a legend. Thus
bargraphs can be very useful for datasets with variable interval lengths, but can get
cluttered for very small interval lengths. Bargraphs are also slower to render than linegraphs.

Specifying bargraph display parameters.
Source Data

The Data Handling Options dialog enables the capping of values and sample decimation. Linegraphs
and Bargraphs have a number of options for source data handling:
The Cap to minimum... and maximum values will be auto-populated with the selected data
field's minimum and maximum values. If this data range is modified, intervals with values
outside the new range will be capped to the appropriate limiting value; this can be used to visually “cut”
high grade assays (e.g. removing nugget values). These values can be reset using the adjacent reset
buttons , which provide options for using either the data range of the entire table (i.e. the whole drillhole
project) or just the selected section/s.
MapInfo Discover can also Log(10) Transform the raw data.
Numeric input data can be decimated, by using only every nth sample. For example, to use 1 in 10
samples (10%), set the nth sample value as 10. This can be useful when processing massive datasets
of very small-scale data, such as centimetre or decimeter-scale geophysics.
Note that Decimation can misrepresent the data and should be used with care.

Scale
The scale section of the dialog allows the width of your linegraph/bargraph to be controlled. This is
important for ensuring that linegraphs/bargraphs do not overprint other data displays and adjacent
drillholes, whilst having sufficient width to discern subtle trends.
The width can be controlled either via specifying the:
• Maximum display width (in millimetres) in your eventual layout window, for the Global Map
Scale specified in the main dialog. This is a precise way of controlling multiple downhole displays,
in order to synchronize the various offsets correctly (e.g. 3 adjacent linegraphs for Au, As & Mo,
each 30mm wide maximum, each offset by 35mm to prevent overlapping).
• A precise Scale in millimetres per data unit (e.g. 1:200 or 1:0.001 mm/ppm), for the Global Map
Scale specified in the main dialog. This is generally of most use when wanting to simultaneously
compare the absolute values of multiple data fields (for instance, setting Cu, Pb & Zn linegraphs
to all have a scale of 1: 0.001). It also allows the accurate measurement of downhole values from
the graphical display on a print-out using a scale ruler. This option can take some
experimentation to get right with respect to the actual resulting width of the displays and offset/
overlap issues.
Style
Linegraphs can have their line style, width and colour modified using the provided buttons; this is
particularly useful for displaying and identifying multiple linegraphs per hole.
The style of bargraphs can be either a:
• homogenous colour and pattern using the left-hand style button
• colour and/or pattern modulated by selecting an existing legend from the available list.
Legends can be created and edited using the adjacent Creating and editing legends button.
Note: Legends are applied to the same field used for the bargraph. Note that the field type must match
Note: Note that applying a legend to a field with the log(10) transform option (see Source Data) enabled
will utilize the transformed values, not the raw data. Therefore the legend will need to be built using
appropriate log(10) values.
A linegraph cannot be coloured using a colour pattern since the linegraph is created as one continuous
polyline for each drillhole. Linegraphs display much faster than bargraphs as there is just one map
object per drillhole.
Position
The position of your linegraph or bargraph is controlled by the Offset parameter in millimetres:
• a negative offset value places the display to the left of the hole trace
The Set Offset button has a number of preset options to get you started (Near Left, Far Right, etc).
Clever use of offsets and scales can allow multiple linegraphs and bargraphs to be placed adjacent to
each other, or even coincident.

The Facing or direction the linegraph/bargraph is orientated towards can be controlled

with the left/right buttons.
If the dataset being displayed involves valid negative values (e.g. magnetic
susceptibility or EM (electromagnetic) data), the facing option will control the
orientation of positive data. Therefore setting a linegraph or bargraph to display to the right of the hole
trace will display positive values (if any) to the right of the trace, and negative values to the left of the
trace. When displaying datasets encompassing both valid negative and positive values, it is
recommended to not apply any offset (i.e. set the offset to 0mm), as this position effectively acts as the
origin for the display.
If displaying a dataset of only valid negative values (i.e. no positive values), an offset can be applied,
but opposite to it’s normal parameters. For instance, a 5mm geological Trace Shade is to be applied
to the right of the drillhole trace, with a linegraph of a valid negative value (only) dataset offset to the
right of this. In the Linegraph setup dialog, set it’s position as ‘Left of trace’, and apply an offset of -7mm
(giving a 2mm clearance between the trace shade and the linegraph origin).
Trace Shade
The Trace Shade display type is designed for displaying downhole data such as lithology
or regolith attributes. This is achieved by displaying a polygon of set width for each
downhole interval shaded by a specified colour legend.
Trace Shade settings dialog
The Width of the trace shade polygons are specified in mm relative to the Global Map Scale specified
in the main dialog. By default the trace shade polygons are centred on the hole traces; therefore a 2mm
wide trace shade will display 1mm either side of the hole trace.
The Default Style options allows the user to select what is the default style for a trace shade if it isn't
contained within the bounds of a Legend. The default setting for this is transparent which will make the
object appear invisible.

The position of the trace shade can also be specified as an Offset from the drillhole trace. The offset
is relative to the centre of the trace shade, so that a trace shade 2mm wide, offset 1mm to the left of
the drillhole (i.e. -1mm) is displayed with its right margin flush with the drill trace.
Colour and/or pattern modulate the trace shade by selecting a legend from the list available.
Legends can be created and edited using the adjacent Creating and editing legends button . If the
attribute value for an interval does not match any of the values in the legend, no trace shade polygon
is displayed for that interval.
Note: Legends are applied to the selected field for the trace shade. Note that the field type must match
Structure
The Structure Tick display type enables downhole structural data measurements to be
displayed on a drillhole section. MapInfo Discover generates a line that crosses the drill
trace at the appropriate dip angle. The structure measurement may be displayed with either
true or apparent dips.
Use the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Alpha/Beta tool to convert downhole structural observations
into true dip/dip direction values.
Displaying downhole structural data using true dip and azimuth information. Tick marks in this example will be coloured by a
legend using the Type field.
First populate the Table and Dip Field pull-downs as appropriate.

The structure measurements may be displayed with either a:

• True Dip for oriented core: this requires a Dip Direction (e.g. azimuth) field to be specified.
Note: To convert core alpha-beta values to dip and dip direction, see Converting alpha-beta core angles.
• Apparent Dip for unoriented core. This will display two structure ticks symmetrical about the drill
trace. Zero dip can be set either as measured parallel or perpendicular to the core axis.
Note: Apparent dip is only valid for displaying data on cross-sections, not plan views.
Display
Enter an appropriate Tick Length (mm) for the Global Map Scale the drillhole section is to be viewed
or plotted.
Structure ticks can be placed at the top, centre or bottom of the measured structural
interval.
Structure ticks can be coloured according to entries in another column in the structure table. For
example, a type field containing entries such as bedding, foliation, cleavage, etc. This enables
different types of structural data measurements to be displayed using different line colours and styles.
Specify the Colour by column from the list available, and then select the appropriate legend. Legends
can be created and edited using the adjacent Creating and editing legends button.
Note: Note that the field type of the colour by column must match the legend type, e.g. numeric legend
can be applied to float and integer fields, and text legends can be applied to string or date fields.
If a legend is not used, the default tick display can be modified using the Line Style button.
Depth Label
A Depth Labels display type is automatically populated (as the first row entry) for any new
section in the Downhole Data dialog. It will display all depth/EOH/collar label styles and tick
mark spacings as specified in the Annotate tab during section creation.
Opening this display type's Settings dialog allows the user to easily customize these styles and
parameters, particularly to prevent issues such as bargraph/trace shade overprinting of these primary
labels.
The Settings dialog presents the exact same options as available in the Generate
Sections>Annotate. Refer to Creating sections and plans for further information.
Using setting templates

Downhole display parameters can be saved as a Setting Template, preserving the time and work
invested in finessing your potentially complex display parameters. Saved settings templates can be:
• Quickly applied to other new sections.
• Selected during the Generate Sections process, making section plan creation a one-step
process.
• Easily reapplied after cross-sections or plans have been regenerated with new drilling (e.g. infill
drilling or diamond tails/splays).
• Edited at a later date to include new downhole data, or resolve issues (such as overlaps, text
labels too large, etc).

• Duplicated and the duplicate modified to display a different series of display characteristics.
• Applied to other drillhole projects.
• Easily shared between users, allowing uniformity of drillhole section display output within an
organization.
Saving a setting template

When all of the display settings have been configured in the Downhole Data dialog, and you are
satisfied with the resulting section/plan display, press the Save button in the Settings area. Enter an
appropriate setting template name, and press OK.
Setting templates are saved by default in a user settings directory. If you are creating multiple setting
templates per drillhole project (e.g. the Challenger and Titania prospects each have a number of
project-specific settings templates being used, such as geochemistry, regolith, etc), templates can be
stored in sub-directories (e.g. named by project) using the New Folder button. These sub-directories
are coloured blue, whilst the settings templates are black.
The user settings folder is located at .\Discover\Config\Downhole Data Display Settings
(default path specified from PRO>Options>MapInfo Discover>Configuration). Saved templates are
stored as .XML files with a .downhole suffix.
Existing settings templates and sub-directories can also be Renamed and Deleted from within this
dialog.
Using an existing setting templates

1. To use an existing template, whether it is to be applied to new or regenerated sections, or
modified, press the Open saved setting button .
2. From the list of settings available select the required setting and either:
• Double-click on the required setting to populate the main dialog with its parameters and
auto-close the Load Settings dialog, or
• Select the required setting and press the Apply button to populate the main dialog but keep
the Load Settings dialog open. This is a useful way of quickly previewing the parameters of
each existing setting to find the precise one you are after.
In addition to the User Settings saved by the user (see Saving a setting template), you can select
from two additional setting template types:
• Last Settings Applied: MapInfo Discover automatically saves the last settings applied with
the Downhole Data Display dialog with this template name (overwriting it), regardless of
whether they were manually saved to a user-specified name or not. This allows you to easily
recover the last session's work
• From Open Section: MapInfo Discover automatically saves the display settings applied to
each section or plan with that section or plan in it's project subfolder as an .XML file with a
.downhole suffix. Therefore for any open cross-section you can load its display settings (if
applied), and then apply these settings to other sections, save the settings as a setting
template, or edit the settings and re-apply to the source section.
3. Once the setting template is loaded (and modified if required), select the section/s to apply it to
from the Sections list in the main dialog and press Apply.

4. If an existing setting template is modified/edited, simply resave it (overwrite the existing template)
or save it as a new template to preserve the changes.
Note that as soon as a user-named setting template is modified, or a template is loaded from an open
section, the Current Settings name is listed as Custom Settings.
Sharing settings templates with other users

As discussed in the Saving a setting template section above, setting templates are stored in your
.\Discover\Config\Downhole Data Display Settings (default path specified from
PRO>Options>MapInfo Discover>Configuration) as .XML files with a .downhole suffix.
Simply copy and paste the templates to be shared between the different user's Downhole Data
Display Settings subdirectories (e.g. via a shared network or portable storage device).
Adding templates to exported drillhole projects

When drillhole projects are exported (see importing and exporting MapInfo Discover Drillhole Projects),
only the section-specific setting templates are exported (i.e. those auto-created in each section
subfolder, as detailed Using an existing setting templates). Any settings templates in the user settings
directory applied to the project are NOT exported.
To add user-saved settings templates to an exported drillhole project, either:
• Share the setting templates as discussed in Sharing settings templates with other users
(recommended).
• Or, on the destination computer:
• Import and open the project.
• Open its cross-sections. Load the setting template from a representative section using the
From Open Section option (see Using an existing setting templates).
• Save these settings as a user-named setting template.
• Repeat this for as many representative sections as required.
Displaying downhole logs

Related tools: Generate Logs
The DRILLHOLES>Create>[Generate Sections]>Generate Logs tool can display up to 24
columns of downhole data for one drillhole in a plain log style display.
The drillhole log style display is a valuable means of displaying detailed relationships between multiple
downhole variables such as a geochemistry assays, lithology and geophysical readings within a
drillhole.
To create a Log Display select one or more drillholes from the collar map window. If multiple drillholes
are selected a separate drillhole log is created for each drillhole. The drillhole log is saved to a
mappable table in a Non_Earth (cm) projection and named according to the selected drillhole. The
drillhole log table can be further annotated and added to the layout window for printing.

Drillhole data displayed in log style.
For details on using the Generate Logs tool, see:

• Define log display
• Log display parameters
• Global settings

Define log display

The log display is defined by choosing a downhole data table, selecting the columns from the table to
display and selecting how each of these columns is to be displayed. The log can display up to 24
columns, with column 1 being at the left of the log, and column 24 at the right.
Defining the tables, columns and Display Type in the Drillhole Log Display dialog.
Select a downhole table containing attribute data columns from the Select columns from Data Table
pull-down list. The log display may be made up of attribute data from more than one data table. For
each downhole table select the attribute columns and the assigned column positions from the
Columns to Display in Log dialog.
Select columns to display in Log Plot.

To change the column position for an attribute column click on the Reorder Columns button. Use the
Up and Down buttons to move the attribute columns to their correct positions. Remove an attribute
column using the Delete button.
Log display parameters

Choose a Display Type for each data attribute column. Click the Settings button in either the
Columns to Display in Log or Generate Logs dialog. The following Log Types are available:
• Text – Numeric and non-numeric data. By default the Text Style scale box is checked to
autoscale text within drillhole log intervals. To modify text size and colour click on the Text Style
button. Display text using a Legend or check the Replace numbers with alias from table
d_abbrev box if required.
• Trace Shade - Numeric and non-numeric data. Trace shades must be displayed using an
associated Legend.
• Bargraph – Numeric data only. Bargraphs may be displayed using a Legend or select a Pen
style and Brush style to apply to all bargraph bars.
• Linegraph – Numeric data only. Linegraphs may be filled with plain colour using the Brush style
colour or from a Trace Shade Legend displayed in another drillhole log column.
The width of each log is set to a 2 cm default but can be modified for each log column. Numeric data
can be displayed as log values or between selected minimum and maximum data values. Logs can be
scaled by a defined Horizontal Scale. Numeric data options are also available to show or ignore
negative values, set negative values to 0 or multiply negative values by -0.5.
When displaying linegraphs or bargraphs of valid negative value datasets (e.g. magnetic susceptibility
or EM data), enable the Show negative values data handling option, as well as the Scale log from
minimum value option. This will ensure that the X axis starts at the minimum (negative) dataset value,
rather than the default 0 value.
When the log display settings have been setup for each data attribute they can be saved and re-used
for other drillhole log displays. Click the Save button and enter a name for the setting. To use a saved
setting select the setting from the Saved Settings pull-down list. Use the Remove button to delete a
saved setting from the list. By default the Last Settings Used are automatically displayed whenever
the Drillhole Log Display dialog is opened during a current work session.

Columns and settings for Generate Logs.
Global settings
Defining Global Settings.

A number of log display parameters can be set up as global settings and defaults. Many of these
settings, such as the column width and graphic styles, can be overridden in the individual log settings
either when the data attribute column is first selected or from the Generate Logs dialog. The following
Global Settings and Default Style may be set:
• Log Dimensions - column width, vertical scale, horizontal scale, column spacing, minimum and
maximum log depths
• Annotation settings – linegraph scale, column labels, depth ticks, depth lines, axis style and
label styles
• Data Handling – negative data value options, replace numbers using alias from the d_abbrev
table
• Default Log Styles - numeric and character default log styles, linegraph fill, text style, linegraph
pen style, fill style, Log(10) transform, log scale from minimum value
Default Style in the Drillhole Log Display dialog.
Creating and editing legends

Related tools: Legend Editor
Drillhole legends are created and modified with the DRILLHOLES>Create>Legend Editor tool
(also ANALYSIS>Manage>Legend Editor). Downhole numeric and textual data can be
displayed using pre-defined legends. For example, assay values displayed as text labels or
bargraphs coloured by specific data ranges can allow the easy identification of high or low values and
trends. Lithological data displayed in a trace shade can have standard colours and/or patterns
assigned for each lithological unit. Legends can also be applied to textual data displayed as text labels
or structure ticks.
Available legends are listed in the Legends window on the left hand side of the Legend Editor dialog.
When a legend is highlighted in this window the Legend name, Description, Filename and Data
Type are populated with the associated legend entries displayed in the main legend window.

Legend Editor dialog showing assigned properties, colours and patterns.
Three operational buttons are located at the base of the Legends List:
• New - Create a new legend
• Import – Import a selected setting from a MapInfo Discover xs_colr.tab to available legends
• Delete – Permanently delete an existing legend file
To save a new or modified legend click on the Save button on the right-hand side of the
Legend Editor dialog.
To save legends with another name use the Save As button.
Use the Close button to exit the Legend Editor dialog.

Create a new legend

Create new legend from downhole table.
1. Click New button to display the New legend dialog.

2. To use an existing field in a drillhole downhole table as the basis for the new legend check the
Populate legend from dataset or feature database box. Select the downhole table from the
Dataset pull-down list and the data attribute column from the Field pull-down list.
If an existing field is not used to create the legend, the number of rows and data range will need to
be selected manually.
To create a legend with an even colour spread, select the option Use histogram equalization.
Note: The option for creating a legend from a feature database is only available from within the MapInfo
Discover 3D application.
To condition or filter data from the automatic assignment select the Data Conditioning
option.
3. Select the legend Data Type from the following options:
• Text – Individual textual categories
• Numeric – Numeric ranges whereby the upper limit of one range is continuous with the lower
limit of the next range. Only values that are less than the maximum value for each range are
displayed using the range colour. If using the Populate legend from dataset option the
maximum value will need to be increased in order for the maximum value in the dataset to be
coloured.

4. Select the Number of rows to display in the legend. If a text field is selected as a Data source
the Number of rows is automatically populated with the number of unique data entries. (It is
recommended to not alter the number of rows in this case).
5. Enter the Data range to use for numeric legends. The data range determines the minimum and
maximum data values to display in the legend. The data range is divided by the number of rows to
create the initial legend from and to values. If a numeric field is selected from a downhole table as
a Data source the Data Range is automatically populated although this value can be changed
manually.
6. Enter a Legend name for the output table. If a field is selected from a downhole table as a Data
Source the Legend name is automatically created by concatenating the downhole table and
attribute field name together. This name can be overwritten with a user-defined name.
7. Click OK to display the legend in the Legend Editor dialog.
Modifying legend entries

Each legend is composed of a number of properties that can be modified at any time. To modify a
legend select the legend from the list. The existing legend properties will be automatically displayed in
the Legend Editor window. For each legend entry the following legend properties are available:
• Row – Incremental legend row number
• String – Text legend entry field. Double-click with the mouse in the string column to modify entry
(Only available for Text Data type).
• From (>=) – Numeric legend minimum range value. Double-click with the mouse in the From (>=)
column to modify the entry (Only available for Numeric continuous Data type).
• To (<) - Numeric legend maximum range value. Double-click with the mouse in the To (<) column
to modify the entry (Only available for Numeric continuous Data type).
• Fg (Foreground colour) – Colour used for solid or pattern fills. Left-mouse click in the Fg colour
box in the legend entry to display the colour palette.
Select from any of the standard colours available or press Custom to create a new colour. In the
Colour dialog select a colour from the Basic Colours palette. Click in the colour spectrum
window or enter RGB or HSL values until the desired colour is created. Use the Add to Custom
Colours button to add the colour to the Custom Colours palette. The Fg colour can also be set
to Transparent to display data with this legend entry see-through.
Colour palette
• Bg (Background colour) – Colour displayed as solid background fill if a pattern is selected.

Selection of background colours is identical to selection of foreground colours (see above)

• Pattern – Pattern displayed for a legend entry. Left-mouse click in the Pattern box in the legend
entry to display the available patterns. The pattern selected is displayed with the colour of the
nominated Fg Pattern styles are stored in bitmap files located in the Encom\Common\Patterns
folder.
MapInfo Pro patterns.
• LCol (Line colour) – Line colour used for trace shade or bargraph boundaries and structure ticks.
Left-mouse click in the LCol box in the legend entry to display the colour palette. To copy the
Foreground colours to use as the line colours highlight the Fg column entries and press Ctrl-C.
Highlight the corresponding lines and press Ctrl-V.
• LStyle (Line style) – Line style used for trace shade or bargraph boundaries and structure ticks.
Left-mouse click in the LStyle box in the legend entry to display the available styles.
Line styles.
• LThick (Line thickness) – Line thickness used for trace shade or bargraph boundaries and
structure ticks.
• Comment – Descriptive text entry for each legend row can be stored with the legend.
Note: The Auto-populate “From” fields option selected will automatically populate the From (>=) field
with the To (<) value for modified or newly entered data values

Additional legend editing tools

• RGB Interp - Interpolate RGB (Red:Green:Blue) shades in colour columns across rows of
selected cells.
RGB interpolations can be used with any of the legend colour columns Fg, Bg or LCol. To select
the rows to shade either left-mouse click in the first colour cell and drag the mouse cursor to the
last colour cell or left-mouse click in the first colour cell and hold down the Shift or Ctrl keys to
select the last colour cell. Click the RGB Interp button. The intermediate rows show continuous
shading between the first and last selected colour cells.
• HSL Interp - Interpolate HSL (Hue:Saturation:Lightness) shades in colour columns across rows
of selected cells.
HSL interpolations can be used with any of the legend colour columns Fg, Bg or LCol. To select
the rows to shade either left-mouse click in the first colour cell and drag the mouse cursor to the
last colour cell or left-mouse click in the first colour cell and hold down the Shift or Ctrl keys to
select the last colour cell. Click the HSL Interp button. The intermediate rows show continuous
shading between the first and last selected colour cells.
• Step Patterns - Automatically assign patterns across rows of selected cells. To select the rows to
pattern either left-mouse click in the first pattern cell and drag the mouse cursor to the last pattern
cell or left-mouse click in the first pattern cell and hold down the Shift or Ctrl keys to select the last
pattern cell. Click the Step Patterns button. Each row is displayed in a different pattern according
to the order in the available pattern
• Duplicate - Copy a colour, pattern or line style across rows of selected cells. Select the cell to
copy and drag the mouse cursor to the last cell or hold down the Shift or Ctrl keys to select the
last cell. Click the Duplicate button and all selected cells will be updated with the same
parameter as the selected cell.
• Insert row - Insert an empty row above the selected row.
• Add row – Add an empty row to the end of the legend.
• Delete rows - Remove single or multiple rows. Select a row to delete by clicking in the legend
row column. Use the Shift and Ctrl keys to select multiple rows. Any cell selection that is
highlighted is removed with this operation. A confirmation message is displayed before the rows
are deleted.
Note: The columns in the Legend Editor can be automatically sorted by clicking the column name. The
sort can be toggled between ascending and descending (successive clicks).
Note: If rows are deleted from a legend they cannot be restored once the modified legend is saved.
Exporting legends
Legends can be included when exporting a Drillhole Project (see Sharing MapInfo Discover drillhole
projects). Ensure to include the legends used so that other users who share the project can regenerate
and recreate the drillhole cross-sections.

Legend configuration
Use the Settings button to view the current file path for the legend and pattern directories.
Legends are stored as .LEG files in the Encom\Common folder. The Settings dialog also
displays the MapInfow.pen path.
Note: MapInfo Discover automatically installs a custom Mapinfow.pen file to MapInfo Pro. This includes
additional line styles, as listed in Styles and symbol fonts.
Creating section legends

Related tools: Create Section Legend
The Create Section Legend tool allows a legend to be created on demand for any existing
section, polyline section or plan for both trenches and drillholes. It displays a schematic key of
a drillhole trace with text showing the location of each data display attribute, including a legend
for each colour pattern used in the downhole display. The legend created is section specific and is
automatically stored in the section's subdirectory. This therefore allows the creation of multiple legends
for a series of sections with differing data display settings.
Example drillhole legend

Adding sections to a layout

Related tools: Print Sections
Use the DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Print Sections tool to add one or more
sections to the layout window. Select the scale and layout page size for a section and add a
section grid, title block and scalebar. Create a section collar plan and add to the layout in a
separate frame.
An example of a detailed cross-section and plan of a proposed road tunnel generated using the Print Section tool,
incorporating a titleblock, scalebar and legend.

Select drillhole section, map scale and page size.
The Add Section to Layout dialog enables a user to specify a map scale and page size frame for a
drillhole section in the same way as Creating scaled maps.
1. Select the section to add to a layout from the Select Section window. Only one section can be
selected from this window and the layout frame parameters will be based on this section and
applied to any additional sections selected in the next dialog.
2. Choose a scale from the Map Scale pull-down list. If the desired scale is not available then
choose Custom Scale at the bottom of the list and manually enter a map scale.
3. Select a page size and orientation from the Frame Setup list. To add a new page size see Select
the page size and frame for more information on creating and saving page frames. The page
dimensions and map window area covered by the chosen frame are displayed at the base of the
dialog.
4. Click the Preview button to check the Map Size frame in the selected section's map window.
Adjust the paper and scale size if necessary, and click OK once satisfied.
5. Whatever is displayed within this frame in the section map window is what will appear in the
layout. If the frame does not appear in the correct location then select the frame in the map
window and drag to cover the desired window contents. Do not resize the MapSize frame as this
will affect the map scale in the layout. When the MapSize frame is correctly positioned select
DRILLHOLES>[Section Output]>Accept Parameters.
6. If the MapSize frame is too big or too small for the section map window contents then select
DRILLHOLES>[Section Output]>Modify Parameters and select a different Map Scale or
Frame Setup. Continue this process until an acceptable MapSize frame is created and choose
DRILLHOLES>[Section Output]>Accept Parameters.

Section Layout Options

Related tools: Print Sections
Adding scaled sections to the layout window, ready to print.
Once the section map position is accepted the scale, frame width, height, top RL and frame left
details are displayed under Frame Parameters in the Add Section to Layout dialog. Click the
Preview button to re-size the section map window to frame parameters. The frame parameters
can be modified manually if required.
7. To create multiple layouts based on the same frame parameters, highlight additional sections
from the Choose Sections to Add window. To view how an additional section will be displayed in
the layout, select the section from the list and click the Preview button. If necessary modify the
frame parameters to accommodate the additional section dimensions.
8. The Add Plan of Collars to Layout box is automatically checked to include a plan of the
drillholes displayed in the cross-section in the layout. The collar plan is opened into a new map
window and displayed in a separate frame in the layout above the cross-section. The collar plan
can be edited and additional layers such as surface geology added to enhance the layout.
Note: Raster and Grid Images and Structural Symbols are not supported by default in the collar plan.
Note: Drillhole collars projected using a custom affine coordinate system (see Affine transformation)
cannot be displayed using the Add Plan of Collars to Layout option.
Note: Collar plans are added to the top of the map frame in the layout which may result in a layout bigger
than the original page size selected. Select larger page size or create custom map frame as a
workaround.
A layout frame can be added to an existing layout if one is already open and multiple sections can
be placed in one layout (with multiple pages) or a separate layout can be created for each
section. Check the Show section info text in layout box to include information such as scale,
section origin X, Y and RL and section orientation on the layout.

9. A section grid is created automatically as part of the section layout. See Adding a map grid to
sections for more information. A title block and scalebar can be added to the layout window for
each section in a similar method to using the MapInfo Discover map making tools such as Scaled
Output. See Creating scaled maps and Customizing title blocks for more information on title
blocks and creating a customized title block.
Note: This menu option is specifically for cross-sections. If there are multiple plans to print use the
DISCOVER>Output>[Map Output]>Scaled Frame tool. With either of these functions, frames
can be added to existing layout windows, enabling a user to add accurately scaled frames for
sections and plans together in the one layout.
Adding a map grid to sections

Related tools: Section Grid
Use the DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Section Grid tool to draw a map grid on the
front-most drillhole section map window. The grid drawn will reflect the real easting and northing
coordinates along the X axis, and also the correct vertical exaggeration. If you wish to draw a
map grid using the non-earth in-line distance coordinates, use DISCOVER>Output>Map Grid.
Drillhole Section Grid dialog.
Select an appropriate X and Elevation Grid Spacing. The section grid may be displayed as Lines,
Points or Edge Ticks. Use the style buttons to modify grid linestyles, point symbols, colour and font.
Make sure the Label Size is appropriate for the Scale at which the section is to be viewed or plotted.
Section grid labels may be displayed in a polygon mask outside of the map frame and at the top,
bottom, left and right in the map window. Use the Other Label Options to modify the text displayed in
the grid label or to label only selected grid intervals. The grid file is automatically written to section
directory and named using the section name with a “G” extension. To save the grids to a different
location or under a different name use the Save As button.
Click on the preview button to preview the map grid and make changes as necessary. Click OK to
produce the final map grid.

See Add a map grid for more information on MapInfo Discover grids.
Creating a section collar plan

Related tools: Collar Plan
Use the DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Collar Plan tool to create a section collar
plan without having to run the Print Sections tool.
Section collar plan.
Note: If you experience issues generating section collar plans, see this troubleshooting Knowledge Base
article http://encomkb.encom.com.au/questions.php?questionid=21.
Interrogating drillholes
Related tools: Downhole Info
Select the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Downhole Info tool and click on a collar in a section or plan
to display the collar and downhole survey data. To view information from any downhole tables
select the table from the downhole data pull-down list.
Drillhole information from the graphically selected hole.

Downhole compositing
Related tools: Grade
Depth
Attribute
The MapInfo Discover drillhole compositing tool composites downhole data in a number of ways:
Composite by cut-off grade – Composite data using a minimum cut-off grade for a specified
downhole length or vertical thickness interval. Include internal dilution parameters.
Composite by downhole depth or elevation – Composite data using regular downhole elevation
intervals such as mining bench RL or downhole depth from surface.
Composite by attribute – Composite data using a unique-value attribute such as lithology or
alteration. All contiguous intervals with the same attribute value are grouped together and
assays composited for each contiguous group.
For descriptions and general settings that are common to all three compositing tools, refer to:
• Selecting drillholes for compositing
• Data handling options
Selecting drillholes for compositing

The drillholes selected for compositing are displayed in the Drillhole box. By default all drillholes in the
project are selected.
To composite a selection of drillholes choose the drillholes in the collar map window prior
to running the compositing tool. Alternatively, click the Unselect All button below the
Drillhole box and select individual drillholes using the left mouse button. To select
consecutive drillholes hold down the SHIFT key and for non-consecutive drillholes holes hold down the
CTRL key. To reselect all drillholes, click the Select All button.
Note: The composite tool does not support Trenches. Only Drillhole collars will be listed.
Data handling options

Downhole assay data is often received in a format that requires some manual manipulation before the
data can be used in downhole analysis—for example, zero values or negative values representing null
or below detection limit values.The Data Handling Options tool provides a number of standard data
transformations to deal with the most common data exceptions.

Data Handling Options dialog
• Numeric null value – Use this option to set a “Null” data value, e.g. -999.
• Set negative values to – Use this option to set all negative values to zero (multiply by zero) or to
a positive value (multiply by a negative number). For example, if the detection limit (DL) is 0.01
and assay values below the DL are entered as -0.01, multiplying all negative values by -0.5 will
convert each DL value to 0.005 (half the DL).
• Set all zero values to – Zero values can be set to a single value—for example, to half the
detection limit.
• Custom assign values from template table – To apply different replacement values for element
data in a table or for multiple replacements within the same element field, a custom template can
be created. The template must be a TAB file containing three fields: the column name, the original
value and the new replacement value. The template must be opened in a browser window before
selecting the compositing tool.
Composite by cut-off grade

Related tools: Grade
Use the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>[Composite]>Grade tool to composite downhole data by cut-
off grade. Compositing by cut-off grade is commonly used to summarize assay data into
intervals above a specified value. A minimum interval length can also be specified along with
internal dilution constraints.
The composited interval is calculated using a downhole running weighted average of consecutive
samples that conform to the cut-off grade parameters. Cut-off grade composites can only be calculated
for one assay column at a time.
Note: Composite by cut-off grade does not support assay tables with 'gaps' in the interval data (i.e. non-
continuous From-To intervals)

Compositing by cut-off grade
project are selected. To change the selection, see Selecting drillholes for compositing.
When compositing by cut-off grade, the following settings and options are displayed:
Table Input
Table
Select the input table containing the grade data that will control compositing (the “primary”
column). All downhole tables in the drillhole project are displayed in the drop-down.
Column
Select the primary column containing the sample values by which the cut-off grade is determined.
All numerical columns in the input table are displayed in the drop-down.
By default, only the selected primary column will be composited. To composite additional
numerical columns (e.g. other grade values), click the Filter button to select the columns to
be processed and included in the output table. Ensure that the primary column and the
compulsory HoleID, From and To columns remain selected.

If the assay data needs to be conditioned before compositing (contains zero and negative
values), see Data handling options.
Composite Grade
Minimum grade
This parameter has two functions:
• Any sample grades below this value are excluded from the downhole running average grade.
• Unless internal dilution has been specified, if the downhole running average grade is falls
below this value, the current composite terminates.
High cut grade
Any sample grades higher than high cut grade are cut to the high cut grade.
Composite distance
• None – The full length of all drillholes are composited, including short holes and short
composites.
• Drill trace length – Composites (above the cut-off grade) shorter than this downhole length
are excluded.
• Minimum Vertical Thickness – Composites (above the cut-off grade) shorter than this vertical
height are excluded.
Internal dilution
Internal dilution
Samples above the cut-off grade are often separated by samples with low grade assay values. Due
to restrictions such as minimum mining width, it can be necessary to include this material as part
of a composite interval.
An internal dilution length and grade can be set so that low grade material can be included in a
composite under specified conditions. If the low grade material is above the internal dilution grade,
it will be included as part of the composite as long as it's cumulative length (for the current
composite interval) is less than the specified internal dilution thickness (downhole length). Low
grade material is not added to the end of a composite interval.
Internal dilution can be assessed as either an average (default) or as a minimum dilution grade.
For example, if internal dilution is set to 5 m @ 50 ppb with the Average option selected, an
interval of 5 m @ 63 ppb would be valid regardless of the actual sample values making up this
interval. However, if the Average option is cleared and the 5 m @ 63 ppb segment contained 1 m
@ 30 ppb, the interval would not be valid.
If a subgrade interval is encountered, the following logic is applied:
• If interval grade is below cut-off but above internal dilution grade, add the interval length to
the total contiguous internal dilution length and calculate the diluted composite grade.
• If the diluted composite grade is above the cut-off and the total contiguous length of dilution
does not exceed the maximum dilution length, add to the current composite. Get the next
interval.

• If total contiguous internal dilution length exceeds the maximum dilution length or the diluted
composite grade is less than the cut-off, terminate the composite and discard intervals back
to last interval above cut-off grade.
• Start the next composite at the next interval above the cut-off grade.
The Running Grade (GR) is the grade of a composite as its being composited down the hole. If the
running grade falls below the minimum grade, the composite is cut back to the last intercept of
minimum grade. For example, if:
Minimum Grade (GM) = 1 g/t
Internal Dilution Grade (GD) = 0.5 g/t
Internal Dilution Thickness (TD) = 5 m
Interval (m) Grade (g/t) GR (g/t)

0–1 1.1 1.1
1–2 1.2 1.2
2–3 1.1 1.1
3–4 1 1.1
4–5 1 1.1
5–6 0.6 1.0
6–7 0.6 0.9
7–8 20.2 20.2
8–9 0.45 10.3
In this example, a 5 m @1.1 g/t composite is created because the internal dilution (5–7 m) is not
included—the running grade GR dropped below the minimum grade at interval 6–7 m.
Edge Grade
Specifying an edge grade allows the application of edge padding when downhole compositing.
The Edge Grade value (GE) should be set between the Internal Dilution Grade (GD) and Minimum
Grade (GM) values. Edge Grade can only be used when Internal Dilution is applied. The
maximum Edge Grade thickness TE uses the value set for the Internal Dilution thickness.
Edge padding allows a composite ending in a valid internal dilution interval to be carried through
to a sample >=GM if the intervening interval meets the Edge Grade requirements and the overall
running grade >= GM throughout.
For example, if:
GM = 500 ppb
GD = 50 ppb
GE = 250 ppb
TE = 5 m
Assuming that the running grade is >= 500 ppb across the composite, the following interval would
be treated as a continuous composite:

Depth (m) Grade (ppb) Interval

length
105-120 702 15
120-125 89 5 valid internal dilution
125-127 400 2 valid edge padding
127-130 550 3
The following interval would finish the composite at 120 m:
Depth (m) Grade (ppb) Length (m)

105-120 702 15
125-127 230 2 invalid edge padding
127-130 550 3
The following interval would also finish the composite at 120m:
Depth (m) Grade (ppb) Length (m)

105-120 702 15
125-131 300 6 length>internal
dilution width
131-134 550 3
Table Output
Interval column
A new column (default name “Interval”) is added to the output table containing the downhole
length of each composited interval. An existing field cannot be specified.
Table suffix
Composite data is stored in a new table. The new composite table is named using the original
downhole table name with a default suffix of “_comp”. The suffix can be changed to any user-
specific name.
By default, only the selected “primary” column will be composited. Use Filter option on the input
table Column selection (above) to add extra columns to the output table. If additional fields are
composited, modify the table suffix to show the primary compositing field, e.g. “_comp_Cu”.
Add output to current project
Select this option to automatically add the composite table to the current drillhole project.
Composite data can then be viewed on a section using the Downhole Data tool (see Displaying
downhole data).

Composite by downhole depth or elevation

Related tools: Depth
Use the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>[Composite]>Depth tool to composite downhole data by
downhole depth or elevation. Compositing by downhole depth (From–To), elevation or RL (Z) is
useful to normalize downhole data tables to a consistent sampling interval or mining bench
height. For example, a hole collared at RL 257.9m and composited at 10 m RL intervals might have
downhole intervals of 0–10.09 m (257.9–247.9 m RL), 10.09–20.206 m (247.9–237.9 m RL), etc. The
same hole composited at 10 m downhole depth intervals has intervals of 0–10, 10–20, etc. from
surface. In the case of vertical holes, these composite intervals and grades will be identical. For
inclined holes, the Downhole depth and Elevation (RL) composite options will produce different
composites: the downhole interval is at the angle of the drillhole whereas the RL interval is measured
vertically.
In both instances, the composite is calculated using a weighted average based on samples that fall
entirely and partially within the designated composite interval. If a composite interval contains no
samples or missing samples, then a zero value is inserted and used in the final calculation.
Compositing by elevation
project are selected. To change the selection, see Selecting drillholes for compositing.

Downhole depth composites are calculated using the From and To intervals in the downhole table.
Elevation and RL composites are calculated by converting the From and To intervals in a drillhole to
the corresponding downhole XYZ coordinates and using the Z value for each sample to determine
which composite interval it falls within or intersects.
When compositing by depth or elevation, the following settings and options are displayed:
Table Input
Select the input table containing the data that will be composited. All downhole tables in the
drillhole project are displayed in the box.
By default, all numerical columns will be composited. To change the selection, click the
Filter button to select the columns to be processed and included in the output table. Ensure
that the compulsory HoleID, From and To columns remain selected.
Elevation Parameters
Composite interval
Type the composite interval.
Downhole depth
Select this option to composite down the drillhole trace.
To limit the depth range of the composites, type a Start Depth (max) and/or End Depth (min). If
no start or end depths are specified, the first composite will start at the collar of each drillhole and
the last composite will end at the end of each hole.
Elevation (RL)
Select this option to composite vertically.
To align composites in all drillholes to a specified elevation or RL, type a Start RL (max) and/or
End RL (min). These values will also limit the depth range of the composites. If no start or end
values are provided, the first composite will start at the collar elevation of each drillhole and the
last composite will end at the end of each hole.
Table Output
Interval column
Table suffix
specific name.


Select this option to automatically add the composite table to the current drillhole project. This is
needed to subsequently calculate 3D coordinates for the table. Composite data can then be
viewed on a section using the Display Downhole Data tool (see Displaying downhole data).
To display the Z coordinate for each composite interval:
1. Select DRILLHOLES>Manage>Project Manager, select the current drillhole project, and click
OK. This is required to make sure the drillhole project registers the new composite table in the list
of available downhole tables.
2. Select DRILLHOLES>Analyze>3D Coordinates and choose the newly created composite table.
Click OK to calculate the 3D coordinates and redisplay the composite table in a browser window.
This adds six new columns to the composite table with the corresponding XYZ for the From value (XF
columns) and To value (XT columns). The XFR and XTR columns contain the RL values for the upper
and lower composite interval.
Composite by attribute
Related tools: Attribute
Use the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>[Composite]>Attribute tool to composite downhole data by
attribute value. Compositing by unique attribute is generally used to merge contiguous drillhole
intervals together that contain the same attribute, e.g. lithology, alteration, etc. A table can be
composited using the intervals generated from compositing a column in another table, e.g. assay
grades can be composited based on lithology composite intervals. Numeric values are composited with
a weighted average.
Note: the composite by attribute does not support downhole tables with gaps in the interval data (From
To intervals)

Compositing by attribute using assay data in one table with lithology data in another table.
When compositing by attribute, the following settings and options are displayed:
Attribute Table
Table
Select the input table containing the attribute data that will control compositing. All downhole
tables in the drillhole project are displayed in the drop-down.
Column
Select the column containing the attribute values by which the composite intervals are
determined. The attribute column must be a text field (alphanumerical).
Data Tables
Select the downhole tables containing the assay data that will be composited (length-weighted
average). All downhole tables in the drillhole project are displayed in the box.
By default, all numerical columns will be composited. To change the selection, click the
Filter button to select the columns to be processed and included in the output table. Ensure
that the compulsory HoleID, From and To columns remain selected.
Table Output
Interval column

Table suffix
specific name.
Select this option to automatically add the composite table to the current drillhole project. This is
needed to subsequently calculate 3D coordinates for the table. Composite data can then be
viewed on a section using the Downhole Data tool (see Displaying downhole data).
Merging downhole tables

Related tools: Downhole Merge
Use the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Downhole Merge tool to combine multiple downhole data
into a single table with From-To intervals derived from all the input tables. For example, you can
merge an assay table with a lithology table, which will apply the lithology to each assay interval.
For example, the following downhole tables have different From-To intervals:
Assay Table
From-To Mo
105-110 m 702
110-115 m 89
115-120 m 400
120-125 m 550
Lithology Table
From-To Lith_code
98-106 m GNS
106-115 m PEG
115-178 m SUL
Which, when merged, produce the following From-To intervals and values in the combined output
table:
Merged Table
From-To Mo Lith_code
98-105 m – GNS
105-106 m 702 GNS
106-110 m 702 PEG
110-115 m 89 PEG

Merged Table
From-To Mo Lith_code
115-120 m 400 SUL
120-125 m 550 SUL
125-178 m – SUL
To merge two or more downhole tables:

1. Open the drillhole project with DRILLHOLES>Manage>Open Project.
2. Select the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Downhole Merge tool.
3. The downhole tables available in the current project are displayed in the Downhole Data Table
box. By default, all downhole tables are selected. Select or clear tables as required.
4. The available columns (in the selected downhole tables) are displayed in the Unselected Fields
box. Use the controls provided to move the required columns to and from the Selected Fields
box, as shown below:
Merging downhole tables
5. By default, the output is saved to a TAB file named Downhole_Aggregated. To change the output
table, edit the file name in the Output File box, and click the save button.
6. Click OK to merge the tables.
7. The merged table is displayed in a browser window:

Merged downhole tables
Clipping drillholes by 3D solids or surfaces

Related tools: Downhole Clip
Use the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Downhole Clip tool to intersect and clip downhole data
tables with 3D solids (volumes) or surfaces. This allows the generation of new downhole data
subsets, displaying either:
• Only those downhole intervals (such as assays and geology) within an orebody, alteration or
aquifer volume; or
• The point intersection (i.e. From = To depth values) of downhole intervals with modelled 3D
surfaces, such as fault planes, unconformity surfaces and planar vein systems.
Downhole object clip allows all downhole intervals contained within a 3D volume (left) to be converted and displayed as a new
subset downhole data table, for further display and analysis (right).

These new downhole tables allow for some powerful analytical and display options, particularly for
creating rich and informative long- and cross-sections:
• The detailed display of only those downhole intercepts contained within an orebody volume.
• Isolating and displaying only the intercepts within an orebody volume using trace shade/bargraph/
linegraph display options.
Note that the green outline is solely the intersection of the sectional plane with the orebody volume, onto which the entire
drillhole project is displayed; thus the contained intercepts do extend outside this sectional outline.
• Compositing (see Composite by cut-off grade) the intervals contained within an orebody to show
and label long-section intercepts.
The same intercepts have been composited by a very low cut-off grade (such as 0.000001g/t) to create a reduced
number of intercepts per drillhole. Labelling these provides an informative summary of high-grade intercepts across the

orebody.
• Converting these composited intercepts into pierce points (see Create Pierce Point Layer),
enabling even more advanced display and analytical options, such as precise positioning of
intercept labels, thematic mapping, and sectional gridding.
Converting (composited) downhole intercepts into Pierce Points allows (a) the precise positioning of the label points,
such as top, middle or bottom of the intercept, and...
(b) size and/or colour modulation by for example grade or gram metre value, providing a powerful and effective visual,
and...

(c) sectional grid interpolation, again using for example the grade or gram-metre values.
To clip downhole data tables to either 3D Volumes (solids) or surfaces:

2. Select DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Downhole Clip.
3. Move the desired downhole data tables to the Selected list.

4. Click Open to browse for the 3D vector file (.DXF or .FDB) containing the 3D volumes or
surfaces.

5. The resulting (subsetted) downhole table has the suffix _clipped added to the to the source table
name. Edit the suffix, if required.
6. If you intend further process the resulting tables (such as compositing, creating pierce points,
etc.), Select the Add output to current project option. This will require a little extra time to
refresh the project cache.
7. Click OK.
Notes
• This tool allows the selection of only one 3D vector file (.DXF or .FDB format), which can contain
either volume (solid) vector objects, or surface vector objects, but not both.
• This tool supports intersecting volumes; an interval occurring within two overlapping volumes will
be output as a single interval.
• When intersecting downhole intervals with 3D surfaces, the output will be downhole point
locations i.e. with identical From and To values per intercept. Convert these to pierce points (see
Create Pierce Point Layer) for more advanced display and analysis options.
Generating 3D coordinates
Related tools: 3D Coordinates
Use the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>3D Coordinates tool to convert a drillhole downhole table
(such as a lithology or assay table) directly into a mappable table, calculating and using either
the downhole table interval's top, middle or bottom locations.
Note: This tool does not support trenches.
3D Coordinates dialog

The resulting mappable MapInfo Pro table can also be queried (e.g. with Select by Attribute or SQL
Select) to select a subset such as only fault intercepts or copper values above 10,000 ppm).
To generate 3D coordinates:
2. Select DRILLHOLES>Analyze>3D Coordinates.
3. Select the target Downhole Data table from the top pull down list.
4. Select the interval position on each downhole sample interval to calculate 3D coordinates, either:
• Top
• Midpoint (the midpoint of a straight line between the top and bottom positions; this should be
used cautiously for longer intervals such as when logging by stratigraphic unit)
• Bottom
5. The output file is automatically placed into the Drillhole Projects root directory, and includes a
suffix indicating which interval position was selected in step 4.
6. Press OK.
7. The new table will be auto-opened into MapInfo Pro, with the following components:
• XYZ coordinate fields will be created and populated within the table for each intervals:
Top (FromX/FromY/FromZ)
Midpoint (MidX/MidY/MidZ) and
Bottom (ToX/ToY/ToZ) locations
• The table will be automatically mapped on the selected interval positons coordinates.
• Both the populated coordinates and the table mapping utilize the drillhole collar table's
projection.
Calculating maximum and EOH values

Related tools: Max/EOH
Use the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Max/EOH tool to extract the maximum downhole grade and
end-of-hole (EOH) data values for selected holes. The Maximum and EOH values are saved to
new tables which can be added to a drillhole project for analysis e.g. enrichment zones or
mineralized trends, or subsequently analysed.
• Analyse maximum downhole grades
• Analyse EOH data values
Note: This tool does not support trenches.

Analyse maximum downhole grades

Analysis of maximum downhole grades for selected elements, for each individual drill collar, is
achieved by selecting the Max Values tab. Maximum downholes grades will only operate on numerical
data fields.
Maximum Values dialog.
Define the Downhole Table to analyse the maximum values from the dropdown list available under the
Input option. By default a Hole ID and maximum downhole grade will be displayed in a MapInfo Pro
Browser format. To display the respective interval where the maximum grade exists select the Display
From and To values option.
To prevent numerous entries when the maximum value is zero, check the option Only one max value
when it is zero. Numerous options exist for selecting elements to interrogate.
The unique field attributes will initially populate the Unselected pane. Move the
Select
required attributes to the Selected pane using the selection buttons. To select
consecutive attributes hold the left-mouse button and drag or use the SHIFT key Unselect
in combination with the mouse control. To select non-consecutive attributes use
the CTRL key in combination with the mouse control.
Additional element columns can be selected to interrogate the respective
data values and the maximum value for the primary maximum element
values. The data values for the additional elements will be displayed, note
that these are not the maximum values for these elements downhole.

Select additional element columns dialog.
The Output table for the maximum values analysis will automatically be saved into the drillhole project
folder; and alternate path can be defined if desired.
Analyse EOH data values

Analysis of EOH downhole data for selected elements, for each individual drill collar, is achieved by
selecting the EOH Data tab. EOH downhole data will operate on both numerical and character data
fields.

EOH Data dialog.
Define the Downhole Table to analyse the EOH values from the dropdown list available under the Input
option.
By default a Hole ID, From, To, EOH and selected elements columns will be displayed in a MapInfo
Pro Browser format.
Numerous options exist for selecting elements to interrogate.
The unique field attributes will initially populate the Unselected pane. Move the
Select
required attributes to the Selected pane using the selection buttons. To select
consecutive attributes hold the left-mouse button and drag or use the SHIFT key Unselect
in combination with the mouse control. To select non-consecutive attributes use
the CTRL key in combination with the mouse control.
Two options exist for analysing EOH data; either Use deepest sample/interval
or EOH Check.
When selecting Use deepest sample/interval the values for the selected column report the interval at
which the last downhole data value appears.

When selecting EOH Check the values for the selected columns, by default report an EOH depth as
specified in the collar table. A data value may or may not exist at the reported depth. If no data values
exist at the EOH depth two text boxes No sample string and No sample value are available to
populate user defined null values. The numerical toggle box for the EOH Check option allows a fault
tolerance value to be set. For example, if the total depth for a drill hole was 100m and the last sample
interval was 99m the EOH values would be a null. If a fault tolerate value of 1 was set the EOH routine
would report the EOH value at 99m. The fault tolerance only applies to EOH values which are null or
are not populated with an interval value.
Note: The EOH column will be populated with either a T or F indicating if the EOH displayed is the actual
EOH value. A T indicates a true result; therefore the EOH depth is the actual collar EOH. An F
indicates a false result; therefore the EOH depth is either shorter or longer than displayed.
The Output table for the maximum values analysis will automatically be saved into the drillhole project
folder; and alternate path can be defined if desired.
Converting alpha-beta core angles

Related tools: Alpha/Beta
Use the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Alpha/Beta tool to calculate the orientation of discontinuities
and geological structures from the alpha and beta core angles of the discontinuity and the
orientation of the drillhole at the location of the discontinuity.
Convert Alpha-Beta Angles dialog
Referring to the diagram below, the discontinuity surface forms an ellipse, referred to as the “apical
plane”, with apices at either end of the major axis of the ellipse.
The alpha angle is the acute angle of intersection between the apical plane and the core axis measured
along the major axis of the ellipse (BB’). The alpha angle is always a positive angle between 0° and 90°.

The beta angle is measured clockwise looking in the direction of drilling (the right-hand thumb rule)
around the circumference of the core from the top-of-core or bottom-of-core reference line (A) to the
apex furthest from (B) or nearest to (B’) the collar.
The measuring convention (bottom or top of core and nearest or furthest apex) must be consistently
applied on all drillholes. The diagram shows the furthest from convention.
Measuring alpha and beta core orientation angles showing bottom-of-core reference line (A) and apex furthest from collar (B).
Note: Take care to ensure that the alpha and beta angles are measured as shown and whether the
reference line is scribed at the top or bottom of core. Practice does vary—for example, the alpha
is sometimes measured as the angle between the normal to the apical plane and the core axis i.e.
90° – alpha.
Before alpha-beta structure data can be displayed on a drillhole trace (see Structure), the file must be
converted into a standard structural data table with dip and dip direction fields (see Downhole structural
data tables).
The DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Alpha/Beta tool converts structural downhole data point defined by
alpha and beta angles into dip and dip direction angles. Before using this tool check that:
• The structure table contains (at least) HoleID, Depth From, Depth To, Alpha, and Beta fields. The
field names in the structure table must match the corresponding field names used in the project.
For more information, see Downhole interval and point data tables. Additional fields in the input
table are preserved.

• The Depth From value must be equal to the Depth To value (forming a surface of zero thickness,
such as a joint or bedding plane) or greater than the Depth To value (forming an infilled structure,
such as a shear or fault). The apical plane is defined at the midpoint of the from and to depths.
• The Alpha and Beta fields must be numeric. If present, Dip and Dip Direction fields must be Float
type.
• The Alpha and Beta values have been measured according to the convention defined above.
Note that zero alpha and beta values are valid and are treated as zero angles (not as null values).
When the file is processed, if zero values are detected, the number of records with zero values is
reported, and the user is asked to confirm before proceeding to process the file.
Note: If the data is imported in CSV format from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, Excel converts blank
cells into zeroes. To preserve null values, enter –999 in all blank cells before saving as a CSV.
Null dip and dip direction values are output if:
• Either the alpha or beta value is null (-999),
• The alpha value is greater than 90 or less than zero.
• The beta value is greater than 360 or less than zero.
Converted alpha-beta structure table showing zero and null values.
Workflow:
1. Import alpha-beta structure data file as a TAB file.

2. Load the structure table into the drillhole project from Downhole tab on Drillhole Project Setup
dialog box (DRILLHOLES>Manage>Manage Project>Modify). The project must contain at least
the collars and survey tables required to compute the drillhole trace. This associates the HoleID,
Depth From, and Depth To fields with other drillhole tables in the project.
3. Convert the structure table with Alpha/Beta tool (see below). The converted structure table can
be viewed in the table browser.
4. The structure data can then be displayed on drillhole sections using the Structure display option.
To convert alpha-beta structure data into dip and dip direction:
2. Select DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Alpha/Beta. The Convert Alpha/Beta Angles dialog box is
displayed.
3. In the Structure Table box, select the structure file.
4. Under Source Columns, select the Alpha Angle and Beta Angle fields from the input file.
5. Under Output Columns, if the structure table already contains dip and dip direction fields (from a
previous conversion, for example), select the Dip and Dip Direction fields. Otherwise select
<New Column> and, when prompted, type the name of the new column.
6. Under Orientation Mark, choose if the reference line is marked at the bottom (default) or top of
core.
7. Under Beta Angle Measurement, choose if the beta angle is measured from the apical plane
point furthest from or nearest to the collar.
8. Click Apply. When processing is complete, close the dialog box.
Calculating sectional resources

Related tools: Resource Calculator
MapInfo Discover provides a simple method for interpolating resources from cross-sections or
level plans. The DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Resource Calculator creates a grid based on the
selected section's assay data points which are contained in the section's 1, 2, 3.. layers. It then
uses the Top and bottom nodes/points of each assay interval segment, and then uses a Inverse
Distance Weighted interpolator method to create a grid.
Section grids are created over the entire section, and can be clipped to within a digitized section
Boundary layer (must be a layer with _B suffix). The Resource Calculator then calculates a tonnage
(metric tonnes) based on the formula:
• If no boundaries are used:
(Area of valid grid cells) x (Width) x SG (tonnes/m3) = Tonnes
• If boundaries are used:
(Area of boundary polygons) x (Width) x SG (tonnes/m3) = Tonnes

The Tonnes or Area is recorded with "@ value", where the value is the mean (average) of the valid grid
cell values.
Note: Ore resource values generated by the Resource Calculator are approximation only and should
be used in conjunction with other resource calculation applications.
The resource grid is stored as a table named with the section (or plan) name plus a suffix to show it is
a resource grid, and stored in the section folder.
The Resource Calculator requires a drillhole project and either a cross-section or plan of the drillhole
results to be used for the calculations. In order to ensure that all drillhole assay results which intersect
the cross-section are included in the interpolation check the Show holes intersecting at depth box
in the Drillholes Generate Sections dialog. This option will ensure that any drillholes that is collared
outside of the section envelope but intersects the section envelope at depth are included in the cross-
section.
Drillhole plotting dialog with show holes intersecting at depth option.
Once the resource grid has been generated it may be contoured, queried or re-coloured using the
functions in the MapInfo Pro Raster module.
The sectional resource will generally be contained within a boundary that has been interpreted based
on geological or geochemical restraints. Drillhole assay results that lie within the selected boundary
are used in the resource interpolation.

Set up resource parameters

1. Select the DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Resource Calculator tool.
Drillhole Sectional Resources Step 1 of 3 dialog.
2. Select the section to be used in the sectional resource calculation and click OK.
Drillhole Sectional Resources – Step 2 of 3 dialog.
3. Use the From Table pull-down list to select the assay table to use in the resource calculation.
Highlight the appropriate assay column in the From Column list.
4. If there is a section boundary in the section map window the options to Use Data Bounds or Use
Section Layer are available. The Use Section Layer option will restrict the sectional resource
calculation to within the interpreted ore boundaries by excluding all assay results that lie outside
the computed boundary.
Note: The calculation is only made with boundaries on the B layer.
5. Check the Convert area to tonnes box to more accurately calculate the resource tonnage. The
Width value is the total distance from the section line in either direction to include in the resource
calculation. For example, a resource calculation width of 20 m is comprised of a +/-10 m envelope
either side of the section line. Effectively this value is twice the envelope width specified in the
Drillholes Generate Sections dialog.
Enter a Specific Gravity (SG) or density for the ore specified in
tonnes/m3. The section volume is multiplied by this value to calculate the resource tonnage.

If the Use Section Layer option is selected the Store Resource in column becomes active.
Check this box to store the results of sectional resource calculation in a new column named
Resource in the digitized boundary table (cross-section table with “B” extension).
Drillhole Sectional Resources – Step 3 of 3 dialog.
6. The Grid Cell width/height is automatically populated but can be changed to a more appropriate
size if required. The minimum and maximum X and Y extents for the output grid are also
displayed and may be changed manually if no ore boundary is selected. Enter a Null cell value
for any blank grid cells created (default -999999).
The interpolation used by MapInfo Discover in the sectional resource calculation is a simple two
dimensional Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) algorithm similar to that used in the MapInfo Pro
Raster module. A search ellipse of fixed size and orientation can be defined and a grid cell value
is then calculated from the weighted average of all data points that lie within the ellipse centred on
each grid cell. If the input data points are not evenly distributed then using an oriented search
ellipse may produce a more representative grid.
7. Uncheck the Ignore zero data values or Ignore negative data values boxes to include zero or
negative data values in the section resource calculation.
8. The Weight power determines the rate at which the influence of each data point declines with
increasing distance from the grid cell being interpolated. Increasing the weighting power reduces
the influence distant points have on the calculated value of each grid node. The weighting value
defaults to 2 (i.e. the weight of any data point is inversely proportional to the square of its distance
from the grid cell) which is appropriate for most situations. If required, the weighting value can be
altered to any positive value.

9. Enter a Min points per cell value. This value represents the minimum points required within the
search ellipse before a grid cell value can be interpolated and controls the appearance and
smoothness of the output grid.
Note: If the minimum number of points is set greater than 1, some cells may report a null value as they
do not contain sufficient data points within the search ellipse.
10. For a simple search with no bias in the search orientation use the default Search Ellipse
Orientation of 0 degrees. Set the Ellipse Long Radius and Ellipse Short Radius to the same
value to create a circular search ellipse.
When the mineralization orientation such as the dip or plunge of the ore body is known, alter the
search ellipse parameters accordingly. The search ellipse orientation may be between –90° and
90°, where 0° is vertical and -90° and 90° orientations are horizontal search orientations in the left
and right hemispheres respectively. For example, a section with the mineralization plunge/dip 50°
to the right on section requires a search orientation of –40°. The long axis (major) and the short
axis (minor) define the search ellipse used by the grid algorithm.
11. The sectional resource grid is saved by default with the section name plus “Resource” suffix in the
drillhole section directory. The grid can be saved with a different name and location if required.
Choose a colour look-up table to shade the new sectional resource grid from the Image Shading
pull-down list.
12. Click OK to create the sectional resource grid. The grid is automatically added to the section map
window and the tonnage and grade displayed in a message window. The tonnage and grade is
also written to the Resource column of the boundary table if this option was selected.

20 - Hydrological
surface analysis
The generation of stream network and watersheds from a topographic grid
surfaces (e.g. DEM or DTM) is required in many disciplines including mineral
exploration, environmental monitoring, hydrology and engineering. The
Hydrology tool in MapInfo Discover can be used to assist with the planning of
new stream sediment sampling programs, or determine if previous
conducted surveys have satisfactorily sampled an area. They can also be
used to normalize the analytical results of a survey to stream basin area,
slope and aspect to determine likely source location for dispersion. In
addition these tools can be used to identify erosion prone areas, wetness
indices, potential fuel accumulation for managing forest fire risk and many
other terrain based analysis.
In this section
Hydrology workflow 488

Extract drainage features from a DEM 489
Pit fill options 493
Flow direction options 495
Surface derived drainage 498
Custom outlet derived drainage 500
Hydrological surface analysis
Hydrology workflow
The Hydrology workflow follows several steps starting from a raw topographic grid surface. Each step
can be run independently or as part of a continuous process. The workflow steps are summarized
below:
1. Source digital elevation model (DEM) 2. Calculation of a flow direction grid surface
3. Generation of a Flow Accumulation grid surface 4. Applying a threshold contributing area value to
generate a Flow Threshold grid surface
5. Vectorization of steam networks, with hierachial 6. Delineation of watershed boundaries as polygonal

stream order attributes regions

This workflow can result in the following attributed TAB vector files:
• Stream outlets and stream junctions points.
• Stream network polylines attributed with their hierarchical stream order, stream segment length
and junction nodes.
• Watershed/catchment polygon boundaries for each stream segment or each stream outlet.
• Custom Watershed/catchment polygon boundaries for user-specified outlet locations
In addition to outputing vector TAB files, alternatively output can be generated in grid format, including -
• Stream networks with value corresponding to their hierarchy.
• Watershed/catchments attributed by their ID number.
• Distance to the nearest stream.
Note: A watershed is the upslope area contributing flow to a given location. Such an area is also variously
referred to as a basin, catchment, sub-watershed, or contributing area. A sub-watershed is simply
part of a hierarchy, implying that a given watershed is part of a larger watershed.
The workflow is controlled from the Hydrological Analysis tool, which analyses the watersheds and
streams in a topographic DEM and extract as vectors. The basic operation of the tool is described in
Extract drainage features from a DEM.
The Hydrology module supports topographic models in the following grid file formats (whether created
with the MapInfo Pro Raster module, or imported from a 3rd-party product):
Arc ASCII GeoTIFF

Arc Binary Landmark
Arc Gridfloat MapInfo
ASEG GXF Minex
BIL MRR (including multi-banded)
DTED Surfer
Encom USGS
ERMapper USGS DEM
Geopak Vertical Mapper
Geosoft
Extract drainage features from a DEM

Related tools: Hydrology
The ANALYSIS>Raster>Hydrology tool will automatically extract drainage features from a
DEM grid and output these as vector files. Streams and their corresponding watersheds can be
delineated from a DEM based on a minimum catchment area threshold and watersheds can be
created for each outlet or stream segment in the network. Catchment areas can also be determined for
custom outlet locations, for example river bed stream samples.
The Hydrological tool has four major functions:

• Pit fill options: Use an existing stream network vector file to burn-in streams (optional). Remove
pits and depressions to ensure hydraulic connectivity within the watershed.
• Flow direction options: Compute flow direction (slope aspect) and slope (gradient) grids.Generate
the contributing area (flow accumulation) grid. Generate a threshold flow grid, based on a defined
minimum catchment area.
• Surface derived drainage: Automatically generate stream network vectors, stream junctions and
watersheds for each stream outlet and/or segment. Generate a Distance to the nearest stream
grid (optional).
• Custom outlet derived drainage: Use Custom outlet points (steam samples) to generate per-outlet
catchments (watersheds) including point attributes. Optionally generate stream networks,
junctions and outlets for the custom outlet points.
Each function produces a number of processed grids or vectors, which are used as input to the next
step. You can re-run each step, without needing to re-run steps prior to this.
Within each step, each output file is marked with Done, Run and Open check boxes. Each of these are:
• Done indicates the file is already present, and is not required to be re-run (If parameters have
changed in previous steps, you will need to re-run to update the results)
• Run will process the output when the Process button is clicked.
• Open will automatically open the output file in MapInfo Pro once it is completed.
By default, all required steps are selected to Run, but only the Drainage output vectors will be
automatically opened when processing is complete.
Once the Process button is selected, the status will be displayed in the execution log.
To pre-process a DEM for hydrological analysis:
1. In the Hydrology tool select the source topography DEM from the Surface drop-down list of
open grids (under Input Surface).
2. Select the correct Elevation unitfor the DEM (XY units are automatically determined form the
DEM's Projection).
3. Select the Pit fill options button.
4. For the Pit Fill grid, select the Run and Open check boxes.
5. (Optional) If you have any existing stream vectors, select the Stream Centering check box.
a. Browse for and select the Stream Center vector file (a range of formats are supported).
b. Enter the desired Buffer Width and Drop (elevation offset or 'burn depth') values.
6. (Optional) The elevation range to be pit filled can be limited by selecting the Exclude pits if check
box. For example, to exclude areas below sea level in a coastal DEM, set Elevations < to 0. By
default these are set to the minimum and maximum values for the DEM.
7. (Optional) To preserve any lakes or dams in the DEM, select the Exclude pits if check box, and
enter a Pit depth and/or Pit Area value. Ensure the appropriate area unit is set at the far right.
This defines the minimum depth or area of a pit to preserve as a lake or dam. Then also select
Insert NULL cell at the bottom of any unfilled pits. This will preserve the pits as a drainage
point for the DEM.

8. (Optional) If any grid regions are to be excluded from the pit-filling process (such as lakes, dams,
etc), tick the Polygon Exclusion Mask box. Select the polygon table via the Open button. This
will clip the areas within the polygon(s) from the input grid file before processing starts.
9. Click OK to close the Pit Fill Options dialog.
10. Click Process. Progress will be displayed in the Execution Log and progress bars. The pre-
processed, pit-filled grid, including stream “burning”, will be opened in MapInfo Pro.
To perform flow accumulation and thresholding:
1. From the Hydrology tool select the topographic grid from the Surface drop-down list of
2. Select the Flow direction options button.
3. Select the Run and Open check boxes for the Flow Direction, Slope (drop), Accumulate,
and Threshold grids.
4. Enter the appropriate Minimum Catchment Area. Ensure the appropriate area unit is set at the
far right.
Note: It is important that the minimum catchment area is appropriately defined for your DEM and analysis
needs. Specifying smaller values will result in more detailed streams and smaller watersheds;
however the processing time will be significantly increased.
5. (Optional) For comparison against more accurate drainage directions, enable the Run options for
the DInfinity Direction and Slope grids.The output units for these grids can also be configured.
6. Click OK to close the Flow Options dialog.
7. Click Process. Progress will be displayed in the Execution Log and progress bars. The Flow grids
will be opened in MapInfo Pro.
To generate streams and watersheds (catchments):
2. Enable the Surface derived drainage option (default on), and select it's adjacent options
button.
3. Select to generate Watersheds for each stream 'Segment' (stream junctions), or for each 'Outlet'
(where a stream exits the DEM).
4. Either 'Ignore' or 'Remove' Edge Contamination. Remove will discard watersheds clipped/
truncated by the edge of the DEM.
5. 'Smooth' the Watershed perimeter for more visually appealing results, or leave as 'Square' to
accurately honor the grid calculations.
6. Select the 'Strahler' or 'Shreve' Stream classification (ordering) method
7. Select the 'Run' and 'Open' check boxes for the Stream polylines, Junction points and
Watershed polygons vector files.
8. (Optional) Select to generate Stream Grids for the stream network, watersheds and/or distance
to stream. These require the Watershed perimeter to be set to 'Square'.

9. Click OK to close the Stream Options dialog.

10. Click Process. Progress will be displayed in the Execution Log and progress bars. The Streams
and Watersheds will be opened in MapInfo Pro.
To generate watersheds (catchments) for custom outlets (samples):
2. Enable the Custom outlet derived drainage option.
3. Browse for and select the Outlet Table containing sample/outlet points.
Note: Only point objects from the custom outlets file are used.
4. Select the Options button.
5. Select to generate Watersheds for either:
• each 'Outlet' (where a stream exits the DEM),
• 'Nested' (any overlapping watersheds are "clipped" to remove the overlap),
• each stream 'Segment' (stream junctions), or
• 'Anywhere' .
6. Either 'Ignore' or 'Remove' Edge Contamination. Remove will discard watersheds clipped/
truncated by the edge of the DEM.
7. 'Smooth' the Watershed perimeter for more visually appealing results, or leave as 'Square' to
accurately honor the grid calculations.
8. Select the 'Strahler' or 'Shreve' Stream classification (ordering) method
9. (Optional) Under Custom Outlets, select the 'Snap outlet to D8 stream centerline' option, and
specify the 'Tolerance': this is the distance an outlet point can be moved during processing to
coincide with a stream network. Any outlet points that do not coincide with a stream polyline after
snapping has been applied will be ignored during the catchment generation process.
10. (Optional) Also under Custom Outlets, enable the 'Copy source attribute fields to...' option to
include any attributes for the custom outlets in the output custom watersheds. This is useful to
identify the sample number and any sample measurements for each catchment (watershed) area.
11. (Optional) Select to generate Surface grids for the Stream Network and Watersheds.
12. Click Process. Progress will be displayed in the Execution Log and progress bars. The Custom
Watersheds will be opened in MapInfo Pro.
The processing steps involved (some steps have been omitted for clarity) are shown graphically below:

Pit fill options

• Stream centering (burn-in)
• Pit fill
Stream centering (burn-in)

Stream centering is a pre-process step to "burn-in" an existing stream network vector file to the raw
topographic surface. The algorithm will overlay the stream network polylines onto the raw DEM. In
addition it also applies a buffer width around polylines.
Note: Only polyline vectors are used. Points, polygons and lines are omitted from the burn-in process.
Grid Cells that intersect a stream polyline exactly will be offset by the subtracting Smooth Drop and
also subtracting the Sharp Drop value.
Grid cells that fall within the buffer are offset by a linear interpolation across the Smooth Drop range.
For example:
• DEM Grid cells are 25 m wide
• Buffer Width is 100 m
• Smooth Drop is set to 10 m
• Sharp Drop is 5 m
The cell which a polyline stream intersects will be offset by (- 10m - 5m).
For a 100 m buffer, either side of this intersecting cell a total of 4 cells either side will fall within the
buffer.
The first cell either side of the centre cell will be offset by (- (1/4) *10m). The second cell either side is
then offset by (- (2/4) * 10m), and so forth,
Pit fill
Pits or depressions areas in a topographic grid surface that are completely surrounded by higher
terrain and can be a relatively common artefact of the interpolation methods used to create them. Pits
are rare in nature, but do occur (e.g. lakes or dams), so a pit filling tool must have the capability of filling
“unnatural” pits or depressions as well as leaving natural ones. Unnatural pits or depressions must be
removed from the topographic grid surface prior to the creation of drainage networks because they are
dead ends to flow and result in a disconnected drainage network.

A 2D representation of the pit fill routine. The pit is filled to the level of the lowest adjacent cell.
The pit fill process involves 'flooding', or filling up, depressions in the topographic grid surface by
detecting cells, or groups of cells, that are lower than all surrounding cells. These cells are then raised
to the elevation of the lowest surrounding cell (known as the 'pour point').
Natural pits and depressions

True pits and depressions, such as lakes and dams, can be processed by inserting a NULL value cell
in the centre of them, which acts as an outlet point for the grid (typically null cells and outlets will only
occur on the edge of the grid).
A typical topographic grid surface. The grid contains numerous pits (as artefacts of the grid surface interpolation) which would
disrupt the drainage network if not filled. Several pits are nested inside each other.

The topographic grid surface after pit fill. All the pits are now filled in and drainage can now flow smoothly through the network..
Flow direction options

• Flow direction and slope (D8)
• Flow accumulation
• Define flow threshold
• Flow direction and slope (DInfinity)
Flow direction and slope (D8)

This step takes a topographic grid surface as input and outputs a new grid which represents the flow
direction from each cell to one of its 8 neighbours (either adjacent or diagonally). The most common
and simplest methodology for representing the flow direction is to divide each cell into eight segments
and compute the vector of maximum slope to determine the direction of flow into one of the eight
adjacent cells. This approach is generally referred to as the single flow direction or the 8-direction (D8)
flow model. The direction of flow is determined by finding the direction of steepest slope from each cell.
This is calculated as the change in height value divided by the distance.
An encoding scheme used to represent the flow directions in the output grid. Each cell is attributed with a code representing
the adjacent cell that is in the direction of steepest slope.

A pit filled topographic grid surface prior to flow direction processing.
The flow direction grid created from the topographic grid surface. The value in each cell represents an adjacent cell in the
direction of maximum slope.
There are several limitations to the D8 model, namely that it produces coarse drainage networks
because of the discretization of flow directions at each cell into only one of eight possible directions.
The method is also unable to accurately represent divergent flows (e.g. on a hill slope with convex
curvature) due to the assumption that each cell can drain to only a single neighbour. These simplifying
assumptions make the process more efficient, so D8 is still the most common methodology used in
GIS applications.

Flow accumulation
This step calculates the accumulated flow (upslope or contributing area) as the accumulated weight of
all cells flowing into each downslope cell in the output grid. The accumulated flow area of each cell is
taken as its own area (one) plus the area of upslope neighbours that have some fraction of their flow
draining into it. This is usually calculated recursively starting at each outlet point. The flow from each
cell either drains entirely to one neighbour (if the flow angle falls along a cardinal or diagonal direction)
or proportionally between two cells, according to how close the flow direction angle is to the direct angle
to the upslope cells.
The flow accumulation grid. The value in each cell represents the number of cells that flow into it.
Define flow threshold

Stream channels are determined from the flow accumulation grid as cells which have a large number
of upslope cells. Because there can be many cells which have upstream cells it is standard practice to
apply a threshold value to the flow accumulation grid tracing the stream network to eliminate small or
unwanted streams. Determining an appropriate threshold value for extracting stream channels is highly
dependent on terrain morphology and factors such as contributing area climate, slope, soil
characteristics etc.
The level of detail for which streams are delineated is controlled by the minimum catchment area
threshold. Specify a value which represents the minimum contributing area you require for your stream
network. If you choose to create one catchment per outlet then no catchment will be smaller than this
value. If sub-catchments are being generated for each stream segment in the network then the
minimum catchment area will only be guaranteed for the source catchments. Some sub-catchments
may be smaller than the threshold in areas where they enclose downstream junctions.

Flow direction and slope (DInfinity)

The DInfinity method can optionally be used to generate a Flow Direction and Flow slope grid.
Note: Currently DInfinity Flow grids cannot be used to calculate an accumulation or flow threshold grids.
Calculating DInfinity grids will not improve the stream or watershed vector results from the
Hydrology tool.
DInfinity can produce a more accurate Direction and Slope grid, as it produces a continuous slope and
also supports cells out flowing into 2 neighbour cells.
Surface derived drainage

• Stream classification
• Watershed processing
• Distance grid
Stream classification
Stream classification (ordering) is a method of assigning a numeric order to links in a stream network.
This order is a method for identifying and classifying types of streams based on their number of
tributaries. The most common systems used to determine ordering are the methods proposed by
Strahler and Shreve.

Strahler method
Shrieve method
In both methods, the most upstream stream segments, or exterior links, are always assigned an order
of one. In the Strahler method, stream order increases when streams of the same order intersect.
Therefore, the intersection of two first-order links will create a second-order link, and the intersection
of two second-order links will create a third-order link. The intersection of two links of different orders,
however, will not result in an increase in order. For example, the intersection of a first-order and
second-order link will not create a third- order link, but will retain the order of the highest ordered link.
The Strahler method is the most common stream ordering method in use. However, because this
method only increases in order at intersections of the same order, it does not account for all links and
can be sensitive to the addition or removal of links.
The Shreve method accounts for all links in the network. As with the Strahler method, all exterior links
are assigned an order of one. For all interior links in the Shreve method, however, the orders are
additive. For example, the intersection of two first-order links creates a second-order link, the
intersection of a first-order and second-order link creates a third-order link, and the intersection of a
second-order and third-order link creates a fifth-order link.
Because the orders are additive, the numbers from the Shreve method are sometimes referred to as
magnitudes instead of orders. The magnitude of a link in the Shreve method is the number of upstream
links.

Watershed processing
The default automatic stream outlets are placed in two locations, either:
• Watershed per stream ‘Outlet’ —simply where a stream exits the edge of the DEM.
• Watershed per stream ‘Segment’ —the outlets are placed at each stream junction, as well as
where the stream exits the DEM.
The watershed polygons are defined for each outlet, and it also exceeds the minimum catchment area
defined for the Flow Threshold grid (see Define flow threshold).
Watersheds (Catchments) which are truncated or clipped by the edge of the DEM grid can be removed
by selecting the Edge Contamination ‘Remove’ option.
The edges of the Watersheds can be smoothed by selecting the Watershed Perimeter ‘Smooth’
option.
Distance grid
The Distance gridoption will generate a grid attributed by the flow distance to the nearest stream. This
distance is based on the results of the Flow Direction (D8) and the Flow Threshold grids. This can be
useful or analysing rain run-off area/distance, and time.
Custom outlet derived drainage

Customized catchments can be generated based on Catchment Outlet points provided by the user.
The input locations for catchment outlets can be a river mouth, dam or lake, or any sample points that
may or may not occur near streams.
Note: To generate custom watersheds, you need to firstly generate automatic watersheds for the entire
DEM. This will define the resolution of the streams and watersheds generated for your custom
outlets.
There are four types of watersheds that can be generated from custom outlets:
• Watershed per Outlet – simply generate one complete watershed for each custom outlet.
• Nested – the watershed are identical to those as Watershed per outlet, however any overlapping
watersheds are ‘clipped’ to remove the overlap. This is useful to separate catchments for when
there is multiple stream samples along the same stream.
• Watershed per Stream Segment – the watersheds are generated for each outlet, and then sub-
watersheds generated for any stream segments within them.
• Anywhere – The watersheds generated represent to "run-off" area for each point, which may or
may not coincide on a existing stream. This is useful for points taken on a alluvial plain or a hill
slope, that you wish to know the potential flow, for example proposed drainage channels.
Note: Only the Anywhere mode will allow non-stream based samples. For all other modes the custom
outlet points must occur close to an actual stream, as automatically calcualted by the tool.
In both cases, the same Watershed processing options are available as for automatic Watershed
processing.

21 - Working with
structural data
MapInfo Discover enables geoscientists to record structural data from
structural mapping (linear dip-strike and point features) and oriented drillhole
core (alpha-beta angles) and display the data on maps as annotated
features with industry-standard structural symbology.
In this section
Structural data 502

Dip and plunge angles 503
Discover structure codes 503
Oriented structural symbols 504
Working with structural data
Structural data
MapInfo Discover allows the geoscientist to graphically display accurate structural observations and
measurements (whether bedding dip and strike measurements from outcrop, an unconformity trace
across a hillside, or downhole alpha/beta measurements of quartz veins in diamond core) in a number
of different ways:
Creating orientated structural symbols from point table data in a map

Structural measurements can be read from columns in a native MapInfo Pro table. This method
provides a simple method for creating as many symbols as necessary in the one pass.
For more information, see Applying structural styles from a picklist and the following sections in this
chapter:
• Dip and plunge angles
• Discover structure codes
• Oriented structural symbols
Digitising orientated structural symbols into a map window

Structural measurements can be digitized into a map window one at a time. This is useful when there
are measurements on a map that have not been transcribed to a file. In this case, the measurement
location is taken from the digitized point (using a digitizing table or from the screen) and a dialog box
is displayed requesting input for structural data for that location.
For more information, see the section "To digitize mappable structure objects with the Data Entry tool"
under Enter or digitize table data and map objects and the following sections in this chapter:
• Dip and plunge angles
• Discover structure codes
• Oriented structural symbols
Applying structural styles to linear map features, such as fault traces or fold axes
Discover can annotate lines with a range of structural symbol as either preset or custom spacings, such
as fold axes (e.g. overturned synclines), normal faults and shear zones. See Apply Geological Line
Styles and Annotations [hyperlink] for more information.
Visualizing downhole structural observations on drillhole cross-sections as orientated structural ticks

For more information on handling and display drillhole structural measurements, see:
• Converting alpha-beta core angles
• The “Structure” option in Displaying downhole data

Dip and plunge angles

A dip or plunge value may be entered for most of the structural types that MapInfo Discover supports.
Selected structural types such as wrench faults, trend lines, monoclines, etc. cannot have a dip value.
MapInfo Discover expects a value to be entered for dip between 0 and 90. However, there are
instances where a dip has not been measured for a variety of reasons. As dip values are stored in
numeric columns blank dip measurements are stored as zero, indicating a horizontal structure.
When digitizing structure measurements, leave the dip entry blank to indicate no dip measurement was
taken. MapInfo Discover will store a value of –99 in the dip column for blank entries. If processing
structural measurements from a table, ensure that values of –99 have been inserted into blank entry
cells in the correct fields. If MapInfo Discover finds a null dip value, no dip label is displayed.
Also see Converting alpha-beta core angles for oriented core measurements.
Discover structure codes

Structure symbols are based on those described in the Australian Geological Survey Organisation
(AGSO) mapping style guide with the addition of extra symbols such as schistosity, L1-L3 lineations
and general trend lines. A full table of symbols for the Australian, US and Canadian symbol sets,
together with Discover structural codes and keyboard codes, is given in Styles and symbol fonts.
These codes are provided in both a numerical and alphabetical order.
Note: For a number of structure types, such as bedding or cleavage, MapInfo Discover uses different
symbols to indicate horizontal and vertical dip.
For the correct display of Structural Symbols (using a Structural Picklist in the Data Entry module, see
Applying structural styles from a picklist), the structural dataset will need a column populated with the
appropriate Discover Codes (see Structural symbol font).
For instance, 'bedding' measurements will require a field with a '1' attribute, whilst 'foliation'
observations would need a '17' code. For existing datasets, this can be accomplished with a
combination of Queries and Update Column operations or, for advanced users, see the Updating
multiple columns.

An example of field descriptions (the 'Type' column) converted into Discover Structure Codes (the 'Code' field) for use with
the Data Entry module.
Oriented structural symbols

The structure symbols are stored in a TrueType font that is available from the MapInfo Pro Symbol
Styles libraries along with the other TrueType symbol fonts that ship with MapInfo Pro and MapInfo
Discover. If the symbol font is unavailable, MapInfo Discover will plot normal text instead of the
structure symbols. The True Type fonts are installed during the MapInfo Discover installation
procedure. If the fonts are unavailable in MapInfo Pro, check the Windows Control Panel>Fonts
directory to see if the fonts are installed.

22 - Tenements
In this section
Tenements module 506

Apply for an Australian mineral tenement 506
Displaying graticular state reference grid 512
Searching Australian tenements 513
Tenements
Tenements module
The Tenements module provides an interactive interface for searching existing tenement data and
creating new applications.
• Query tenements by date, licence type and holder information.
• Create applications with interactive State and Datum selection.
• Create polygonized block and sub-block reference grids.
• Create new or modify existing applications by selecting sub-blocks manually or interactively,
including sub-block counter, limit and area checks.
• Generate application reports automatically for entry into standard statutory application forms.
The Tenements module consists of the following tools, which can be accessed from the ANALYSIS
tab in MapInfo Discover:
Apply for an Australian mineral tenement
Displaying graticular state reference grid
Searching Australian tenements
Apply for an Australian mineral tenement

Related tasks: Create Application
Create new or modify existing applications by interactive sub-block selection, and generate
application reports automatically for entry into standard statutory application forms.
To make an application:
1. Select ANALYSIS>Tenements>Create Application. The Australian Tenement
Application dialog box is displayed.

Tenements
2. Under Select State, select a state from the map. When a state is selected the corresponding
datum is also selected. For example, selecting WA will select the GDA 94 datum.
If a datum is selected that does not comply with the current state legislation, then the application
may be invalid.
3. If not previously configured, click Configure to set a workspace or table. On the Configure dialog
box, select Load base table or workspace and type a path for either a MapInfo Pro Table or
Workspace. Click OK to save and return to the main dialog.
Note: This is the same as using FILE>Home>Open>Open Workspace.
4. From the Australian Tenements Application dialog box, click OK. The table or workspace
specified in step 3 is opened, and the Define Application dialog box is displayed, from which you
can define the method of application and the tables to be used for application (see Application
tables).

Tenements
5. In the Application directory box, click the Save button to select (or type the folder path name)
where the application files will be saved. The tables created during the application process
include Application Table, Block Table and Label table.
6. For a new application, under Application region, select Create new and type the application
region name. For example, typing Darlot creates a MapInfo Pro table named Darlot.TAB.
To modify an existing application, select Modify existing, and click the browse button to select
the application table in the adjacent box.
7. Under Application method, select either:
• Define interactively: select sub-blocks from a mapper window.
• Manually define: select sub-blocks manually. This method is not available for Victoria,
Tasmania and South Australia applications.
8. Click Settings to turn on and off the auto-labelling of blocks and sub-blocks.
9. Click OK to create the application. The application tables are created or updated and placed in
the current map window.
For Victoria and Tasmania applications, which use a Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Map
Grid of Australia (MGA) grid system, the UTM Zone dialog box is displayed to select the correct
UTM Zone.
10. Depending on the Application method selected, select blocks and sub-blocks. See Interactive
block selection or Manual block selection.
11. At completion of block selection, for all states except WA, a summary text report is displayed. The
summary report includes the map sheet, block number, sub-block letter, bounding coordinates,
datum, state, total area, and total subblocks/graticules. These details can be copied and pasted
onto the official application forms, which are typically PDF or Microsoft Word formats.
For Western Australia, the forms (Form 21 Attachment 1 and Form 21 Attachment 2) are
presented as MapInfo Pro tables.
All tables required for the tenement application are stored in the Discover tenement directory, which is
defined with PRO>Options>Configuration>Directories, typically C:\Users\All
Users\Encom\Discover\Tenements.

Tenements
Application tables
Application table
The application table contains the following fields:
• SubBlock: Block Identification method (BIM) letter
• Map: Map Sheet name either 1:1,000,000 or 1:100,000
• Block: Block Identification Method (BIM) block number
• Merged: Defines the record status, N denotes a single sub-block, Y denotes a merged polygon of
all the sub-blocks
• Area: Area or sub-block in km2
Block table
The block table stores application block polygons and gridlines for blocks and sub-blocks. The block
table contains the following fields:
• BlockNumber: Block number for selected application
• RecType: Type of gridlines

Tenements
Label table
The label table stores application corner points for the total application area. The Label table contains
the following fields:
• PointID: Number of point
• Latitude: Y coordinate or point
• Longitude: X coordinate or point
• AreaName: Application Region Name
• Map: Blank field for user to update with mapsheet if required
Interactive block selection

This selection method is enabled when Define interactively is selected on the Define Application
dialog box. The Select Application Area dialog box is displayed, which displays the current sub-block
selection, sub-block limit and area selected for the selected state.
Click the selection tool and then select or deselect blocks and sub-blocks in the map window. The
selection information is dynamically updated with the selected sub-block count and total area selected.

Tenements
Click OK to finish block selection. A number of checks are performed for sub-block count, total area
and non-contiguous blocks. Warning messages are displayed if conditions applicable in the selected
state are not met by the selection.
Manual block selection

This selection method is enabled when Manually define is selected on the Define Application dialog
box. The Manually Define Sub Blocks dialog box is displayed, from which you can select blocks and
sub-blocks on a map sheet.
Click the 1:1 million mapsheet box and select the map sheet, type the block number in the Block
number box, and then select the sub-blocks from the matrix. Click All to select all subblocks in the
selected block. Selected sub-blocks are shown in the Selected sub-blocks box. To add sub-blocks
from other sheets repeat the process until all the desired sub-blocks appear in the Selected Sub-
Blocks box.
To delete a block, select the block in the Selected sub-blocks box and click Delete Block.
Click OK to finish block selection. A number of checks are performed for sub-block count, total area
and non-contiguous blocks. Warning messages are displayed if conditions applicable in the selected
state are not met by the selection.

Tenements
Displaying graticular state reference grid

Related tools: Create State Grid
Create polygonized block and sub-block reference grids.
To display the state graticular reference grid:
1. Select ANALYSIS>Tenements>Create State Grid. The State Grid dialog box is
displayed.
2. Under Select State, select a state from the map. When a state is selected the corresponding
datum is also selected. For example, selecting WA will select the GDA 94 datum.
If a datum is selected that does not comply with the current state legislation, a warning message
is displayed.

Tenements
3. Under Region, in the Name box, type the name of the region.
4. In the Folder box, click the Save button to select (or type the folder path name) where the grid
files will be saved.
5. Click Settings to turn on and off the auto-labelling of blocks and sub-blocks.
6. Click OK to draw the graticular grid.
For Victoria and Tasmania, which use a Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Map Grid of
Australia (MGA) grid system, the UTM Zone dialog box is displayed to select the correct UTM
Zone.
Gridline, Block, and Sub-Block layers are created and drawn in the current map window. The tables
created are prefixed with the Region Name and suffixed with either _Grid, _Block, or _SubBlock.
Searching Australian tenements

Related tools: Tenement Search
Tenement data can be searched with the Tenement Search tool.
To search Australian tenements:
1. Select ANALYSIS>Tenements>Tenement Search. The Tenement Search dialog box is
displayed.

Tenements
2. In theTenement Table box, select the tenement table to be searched. The tenement layers
available in the Tenement folder are listed. The Tenement folder is defined by
PRO>Options>MapInfo Discover>Configuration, typically the C:\Users\All
Users\Encom\Discover\Tenements folder.
3. Under Select holder, select the type of holder search:
• None: Do not restrict search by holder.
• Individual search: Search by tenement holder name.
• Keyword search: Search by keyword or text string. In the Holder column box, select the
search field in the tenement table, or select <All>.
• Alias search: Search by holder group alias. Click Configure to view or define alias groups
(see Manage tenement tables and holder aliases).
4. Under Select date select the type of date search (application date, granted date, or expiry date)
and the date range.
• Under Licence type option select one or more types of licence to be searched (application,
granted and moratorium).
• Under Selection display select how the results of the search will be displayed:
• Browse Selection: display in browser.
• Map Selection: display in map window.
• Zoom map to Selection: zoom map window to the selected search results.

Tenements
• Selection Statistics: display search summary in browser, including number of tenements

records returned, total area of tenement polygons in km2, area of smallest tenement polygon
in km2, and area of largest tenement polygon in km2.
5. In the Name Selection box, type a name for the search.
6. Click Search to start the search.
Manage tenement tables and holder aliases

On the Tenement Search dialog, click Configure to display the Configure dialog box, from which you
can create, edit and delete tenement tables and holder aliases.
Tenement tables
To create a new table:
• Click New to display the Tenement Table dialog box, from which you can select the folder location
and table name.
To edit a table:
• Select the table in the Tenement tables box, and then click Edit. The Tenement Table dialog box
is displayed, from which you can edit the folder location and table name.
To delete a table:
• Select the table in the Tenement tables box, and then click Delete.
Holder Aliases
A holder alias allows the selection of multiple holder values from a tenement table with an alias name.
To create a new alias:
1. Click New to display the Define Holder Alias dialog box, from which you can select the folder
location and table name.
2. Select the alias in the Holder alias box, and then click Edit.
3. In the Tenement table box, select a tenement table.
4. In the Holder field box, select the field containing holder names.
5. In the Holder alias box, type the holder alias name.
6. Under Select holders, use the controls to move holders from the Available box to the Selected
box, and vice versa.
7. Click OK to save.
To edit an alias:
1. Select the alias in the Holder alias box, and then click Edit. The Define Holder Alias dialog box is
displayed, from which you can edit the alias settings.
2. The alias settings are displayed, which can be edited.
3. Click OK to save changes.

Tenements
To delete an alias:
• Select the alias in the Holder alias box, and then click Delete.

TOOLS
23 - MapInfo Discover
tools
This section contains an alphabetical list of all the tools in MapInfo Discover
with a short description. To locate a tool, click the tool name to view the full
tool description. Each tool description provides the navigation path, links to
associated task descriptions, and descriptions of dialog boxes opened by
the tool.
In this section
MapInfo Discover tools 519


Icon Tool Description
3D Coordinates Calculate X, Y and Z interpolated coordinates from

downhole data intervals.
3D Coordinates Display X, Y and Z interpolated coordinates from downhole

data intervals in 3D.
3D Lines Display interactive line objects in 3D.
3D Points Display interactive point objects in 3D.
3D Selection Toggle Update the 3D window to display selected objects.
Accept Parameters Accept the map scale and page size parameters to create
scaled map.
Accept Parameters Accept the section scale and page size parameters to
create scaled map.
acQuire Import Import tables from an acQuire database into MapInfo Pro.
Align Objects Align selected map objects vertically or horizontally.
Alpha/Beta Convert drillhole alpha and beta measurements into true

dip and direction values.
Apply Picklist Apply multiple picklist styles to MapInfo Pro table.
Apply Style Apply individual picklist style to existing map object or

newly created object.
Area Change Display changes in area or distance for polygonal or line

datasets.
ASCII Import Import ASCII text files into MapInfo Pro.

Assign Values Assign text values from one map object into another map
object
Attribute Composite downhole data by attribute.
Build Object Create map objects from manually coordinate input.
Capture Setup Contains all the required options for setting up the GPS
data capture and default object styles.
Clip Image Clip image file with polygon map object.
Clone Style Copy and paste object styles to map objects.
Close Close the session of scaled output.
Close Close the session of section output.
Close All Close unused, queries or selected MapInfo Pro tables.
Collar Plan Create a collar strip plan for sections.
Colour Labels Colour text objects from a Legend colour pattern.
Colour Table Editor Create and modify colour tables from drillhole data and
features.
Configure Setup DBMS auto-refresh session.
Contour Label Positioner Position contour labels where the contours lines intersect
custom path lines.
Contour Labels Add Z value labels at user-specified intervals to contour

lines.

Convert Image Save image into another file type.
Correlation Matrix Display variance or correlation between selected elements.
Create Application Create and relinquish tenement parcels.
Create Hotlink Create link between selected object and selected file.
Create Section Legend Create a legend for sections or plans.
Create State Grid Create tenement blocks and graticules over a map window.
Cursor Off Disable map window cursor position location.
Cursor On Enable map window cursor position location.
Cursor Setup Select map windows to synchronise the cursor location.
Custom Patterns Create custom region fill styles and apply.
Custom Transform Custom define parameters for transforming coordinates or

map objects.
Data Classification Classify point data by colour, size and style.
Data Normalisation Normalise selected data fields to display trends and

patterns in data.
Data Statistics Display statistics for selected MapInfo Pro table fields.
Datamine Studio Export Export vector, surface and image files to Datamine Studio
3 DM file format.

Datamine Studio Export Export drillhole project as dynamic drillhole dataset.
DataSight Import Import data from a DataSight database into a MapInfo Pro
table.
Default View Set the default table location and scale for opening a
MapInfo Pro table.
Delete Delete linked MapInfo Pro tables from DataSight database.
Depth Composite downhole data by elevation or downhole depth.
Display Window Open the Select Map Window dialog which displays all
thee open map windows in MapInfo Discover.
Display Wizard Display data in 3D with a wizard interface.
Distance Calculator Calculate the distance between map objects matched by

unquie value.
Donut Polygons Excise smaller and overlapping polygons from larger

polygon map objects.
Downhole Clip Clip downhole data with 3D volumes or surface objects.
Downhole Data Create and manage downhole data displays and

templates.
Downhole Info Display downhole data and survey information for a

selected collar.
Downhole Merge Merge multiple downhole data tables to smallest interval.
Drape Image Drape an image over a surface grid to create an EGB file in
3D.
Drillhole DXF Export Export interpolated drillhole traces to a 3D DXF file.

Drillhole Traces Display drillhole traces in 3D.
Dynamic Grid Create a dynamic map grid over the current map window.
ECW/JP2 import Import ECW, ECWP and JPEG2000 files into MapInfo Pro.
Edit Data Edit the source native MapInfo Pro tables of a drillhole
project.
EGB Export Export map window as geo-referenced EGB image.
EGB Import Import geo-located EGB file into MapInfo Pro.
Enhance Image Modify image colour, contrast and brightness properties.
Enter Data Enter valid data into a MapInfo Pro table in multiple record
view.
Extract Nodes Extract map object nodes as point symbols.
Extrusion Wizard Extrude 2D planar objects into 3D solids in 3D.
Favourite MapBasics Create a list of favourite MapInfo Pro MBX applications.
Favourite Projection Create a list of commonly used projections for quick

access.
Favourite Tables Create a list of favourite MapInfo Pro tables.
Favourite Workspaces Create a list of favourite MapInfo Pro workspaces.
Filter Image Apply filters to enhance image definition.

Format Text Format text size, scale, angle and style for text objects.
Generate Logs Create log graphs for selected collars.
Generate Sections Create vertical and plan view drillhole sections.
Geophysical Filters Apply geophysical Fast Fourier Transform filters, remove

edge effects, and remove internal holes.
Geosoft Import Import tables from a Geosoft database GDB file into
MapInfo Pro.
gINT Import Import gINT drillhole database into a project.
GPS Setup Contains all the required options for setting up GPS.
Grade Composite downhole data by grade, distance or internal

dilution.
Graph Overlay Create and manage GraphMap vector selection overlay

files.
Graphing Display and interactively analyse data in graph plots.
Hydrology Create and analyse drainage surface grid data.
Insert Nodes Insert nodes into map objects at user specified distance.
ioGAS Import Import ioGAS GAS file into MapInfo Pro.
Label Angles Modify the angle of automatic labels displayed in MapInfo

Pro.
Label Creator Create advanced scaled labels for a MapInfo Pro table.

Labels from Table Update text labels from data in a selected column.
LAS Import Import LAS 1.2 and 2.0 files into a drillhole project.
LAS Template Create and manage templates to import and append LAS
files.
LAS Viewer View LAS 1.2 and 2.0 files in tabbed display.
Leapfrog Export Export vector, surface and image files to Leapfrog file
format.
Legend Editor Create, modify and import legend patterns to apply to

downhole data templates.
LIDAR LAS Import Import LIDAR LAS files into MapInfo Pro.
Line Annotation Create and define custom line styles for selected line
objects.
Line Annotation Select Manually place line style annotations at mouse cursor
location.
Line Cut Cut a map object with a selected line object.
Line Join Join selected line map objects together based on distance
and search angle.
Line Orientation Calculate and display the orientation of selected line

objects.
Line/Point labels Create labels for point data along traverse lines.
Location Info Interactively display coordinates, field values, distance and

bearing between map objects.
Logs Display downhole log charts as images in 3D.

Manage Project Manage, export and delete drillhole projects, including

modifying source table and column assignments.
Map Grid Create a map grid over the current map window.
Map Legend Create a legend from map window objects.
Map Linking Link multiple map windows to display the same field of
view.
Map Size Resize linked map windows to same dimensions.
Map to Image Save the current map window display to an image file.
Map Window Display map window contents as image in 3D.
Mapper State Save and restore map window to previous size and scale.
Max/EOH Calculate values for the maximum and EOH for each
drillhole.
Micromine Import Import Micromine DAT or STR files into MapInfo Pro.
Minesight Export Export vector table as MineSight SRG file.
Modify Bounds Modify the coordinate bounds for a vector table.
Modify Image Modify image and color transparency.
Modify Parameters Modify the map scale and page size parameters.
Modify Parameters Modify the section scale and page size parameters.

Mulit-Column Update Update multiple fields in a MapInfo Pro table joined by a

unique value.
Multi-Append Append multiple MapInfo Pro tables to another table.
Multi-File Open Open multiple MapInfo Pro tables from several folder
locations.
Multi-MIF Export Export multiple vector tables as MIF files.
Multi-MIF Import Import multiple MIF files into MapInfo Pro.
Multi-Pack Pack multiple MapInfo Pro tables to remove deleted

records.
Multi-Section Register and display multiple cross-section images in 3D.
Multi-Table Reproject Reproject multiple MapInfo Pro vector tables

simultaneously.
New Project Create a new drillhole project
Object Builder Automatically create objects from coordinate data in

selected column.
Object Manager Create and display topographic objects into a 3D display

window.
Offset Object Offset and duplicate a map object by specified distance

and number.
Open Open DataSight data using a query template.
Open 3D Window Open the MapInfo Discover 3D application.
Open 3D Workspace Open files from MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover 3D as a
workspace.

Open Hotlink Open the defined Hotlink file.
Open Project Open an existing drillhole project.
Open Session Load drillhole project sessions.
Pause Temporarily stop the data capture.
Picklist Manager Create, delete and modify picklist libraries.
Plot Vectors Plot velocity or flow vectors to indicate direction and

magnitude of data.
Point Create a point object at the current GPS receiver location.
Point Trace Create a series of point objects at the specified time or

distance intervals from the Capture Setup Settings tab.
Polyline Create a polyline object with nodes at the specified time or

Polyline Label Positioner Position contour labels where the contours lines intersect
custom path lines.
Polyline Labels Add Z value labels at user-specified intervals to contour

lines.
Print Sections Create a scaled section display in the Layout Designer for
printing.
Projection Info Display projection information for the map window.
Properties Image Display image type and registration information.
Proximity Search Perform search around selected vector object by specified

distance.

Recenter Manually center the live GPS position on the selected map
window.
Record Entry Enter valid data into a MapInfo Pro table in single record
view.
Rectify Image Register and rectify image file into the specified geographic
projection.
Refresh Refresh linked MapInfo Pro tables from DataSight

database.
Refresh Refresh changes to ioGAS GAS file in MapInfo Pro.
Refresh Manually update DBMS linked table.
Refresh 3D Data Refresh changes made to data in MapInfo Pro in 3D.
Refresh Off Stop DBMS auto-refresh session.
Refresh On Start DBMS auto-refresh session.
Region Create a region object with nodes at the specified time or

Reproject Coordinates Reproject vector objects to a defined projection system.
Reproject Image Reproject image file into another projection.
Resource Calculator Estimate a commodity resource for a section.
Restore Restore the map scale after zooming or panning.
Restore Workspace Open the last automatically saved workspace.

Resume Resume a paused data capture session.
Reverse Line Reverse the drawing direction of a selected line map

object.
Revert Table Revert edits or modifications in a MapInfo Pro table.
RGB Colourizer Colour map objects from a column containing RGB or BGR
values.
Rotate Image Apply defined or custom rotation to image.
Save 3D Workspace Save files from MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover 3D as a
workspace.
Save Table Save edits or modifications in a MapInfo Pro table.
Scaled Frame Create a scaled layout frame.
Scaled Output Create a scaled frame in a layout with grid and titleblock
adornments.
Search and Replace Search and replace selected string values from a selected
column.
Section Grid Create map grid for drillhole section.
Section Image Export Export geo-referenced image to 3D.
Section Layer Display section layers in 3D.
Section Layer Export Export layers from a section to registered 3D DXF file.
Section Manager Manage drillhole, trench and plan drillhole sections.

Sections Display drillhole sections as images in 3D.
Seismic Sections Display SEGY velocity and depth models in 3D.
Select by Attribute Query a table by unique field text attributes.
Select by Style Query map objects by selected object style.
Session Manager Open and save drillhole project session workspaces.
Setup Connect and configure to a DataSight database.
Setup Hotlink Setup the field for defining the object Hotlink.
Setup Table Setup tables with validation rules for data entry.
Smooth Lines Smooth polyline objects by adding new nodes.
Split by Attribute Split MapInfo Pro table into several tables based on a field
attribute.
Stacked Profiles Display graphical trends in select data on grid line

datasets.
Standard Views Save and apply user defined map location views.
Stop End the data capture session.
Structural Symbols Apply structural point symbols to a point table.
Structure Manager Modfiy the structure, field types and order of MapInfo Pro
vector tables.

Subset Project Subset a drillhole project by collar HoleID.
Surfaces Display surface grid file in 3D.
Table from Labels Update selected column from text labels.
Table Sort Sort designated fields in MapInfo Pro table.
Tenement Search Search for tenement parcels in MapInfo Pro table.
Thin Node Number Reduce nodes in lines by specified number.
Thin Node Position Reduce nodes in lines by specified distance value.
Title Block Create custom titleblock with user defined scale.
Transform Object Transform map objects by move, rotate and scale

operations.
Traverse Lines Create traverse lines and pegs from a baseline for a
sampling campaign.
Trench Traces Display trench traces in 3D.
Trivariate Classification Classify point data by three field multi-variate relationships.
Unique Identifier Assign a unique number/alphanumeric value to each

record in a MapInfo Pro table.
Update Coordinates Update X and Y coordinate values for map objects or into a
browser.
Vector Clip Clip vector objects in a map window with a polygon map
object.

Vector Export Export vector table files into another file type.
Vector Import Import vector files from numerous data sources into
MapInfo Pro.
Vector Transform Transform and/or reproject a vector file(s) into another file
format.
Vectors Display vector data as DXF file in 3D.
Vectors Display vector data as DXF file in Discover 3D.
Voronoi Polygons Create voronoi polygons from selected point map objects.
Vulcan Export Export vector table as Vulcan Archive file.
Vulcan Import Import Vulcan Archive ARCH_D files into MapInfo Pro.
Window Animator Create a movie or animation of changes from a map

window.
Window to Object Resize the map window to the selected map object. Map
window must be floating to resize.
WinLoG Import Import WinLoG drillhole database into a project.
Workspace Advanced Open and analyse corrupt MapInfo Pro workspace file.
Workspace Editor Modify workspace table paths and settings.
Workspace Export Package MapInfo Pro tables into a workspace for export.
Zoom to Object Zoom map window to the selected map object bounds.

24 - Pro tab
The PRO tab provides access to the tools and resources needed to manage
your MapInfo Discover installation.
In this section
Add-Ins 535
Options 536
Tool Search 540
Pro tab
Add-Ins
PRO>Add Ins>MapInfo Discover
License Manager
Related tasks: Licensing MapInfo Discover
Opens the MapInfo Discover License Manager. MapInfo Discover is protected under
international copyright law. Pitney Bowes Software (PBS) licensing systems are designed to
protect against unlawful copying and use of the software.
Help
Related tasks: Getting help
Opens MapInfo Discover Help. MapInfo Discover Help is a comprehensive and accessible
reference and contains all topics found in the MapInfo Discover User Guide.
Knowledge Base
Opens MapInfo Discover Knowledge Base. The online Knowledge Base contains useful
information that is regularly updated, including how-to articles, tips and tricks, error messages
and their resolutions, video tutorials, and such.
Suggestions
Post and discuss your product improvement suggestions and ideas with the MapInfo Discover
user community on the Pitney Bowes Ideas portal (http://pbinsight.force.com/pbideas).This
portal is actively used to assist with guiding future product development.
Updates
Related tasks: Checking for MapInfo Discover updates
Click to check for product updates. Maintenance Releases are released regularly to resolve
critical issues identified by our development and technical support teams, as well as clients.
3D Help
Related tasks: Viewing data in three dimensions
Opens MapInfo Discover 3D Help. MapInfo Discover 3D works seamlessly with MapInfo
Discover and MapInfo Pro to display mapped data in an interactive three-dimensional
environment.

Pro tab
Videos
View MapInfo Discover video tutorials. Tutorial videos are a great way to learn about some of
the advanced features our products have to offer, whether you are a new or experienced user.
Product Improvement
Related tasks: Product Improvement Initiative
Choose to participate or stop participating in the Product Improvement Initiative (PII). The PII
helps Pitney Bowes Software to better understand user workflow and interaction with MapInfo
Discover.
About
Related tasks: Introducing MapInfo Discover
Display information about the installed version of MapInfo Discover.
Manuals/Tutorials
Related tasks: Viewing and printing the electronic manuals
Opens the Documentation folder, which containing PDFs of MapInfo Discover documentation,
such as User Guides, Tutorials and Quick Start Guides.
Options
Configuration
PRO>Options>MapInfo Discover>Configuration
Related tasks: Configuring MapInfo Discover
The install program configures each installation to the default settings, including MapInfo
Discover directory locations, status bar settings, and autosave interval. You can customize
these settings at any time. Displays the Configuration Dialog Box.
Configuration Dialog Box

Related tasks: Viewing and changing Mapinfo Discover directory locations
Directories tab
Set the locations of directories used by MapInfo Discover to store your configuration settings and other
installation-specific information.
File Paths
Related tasks:

Pro tab
By default, the MapInfo Discover configuration folders [defaults are shown in brackets] are created
under the shared data location [disk:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Discover].
By default, these folders are hidden and read-only. The MapInfo Discover install automatically
elevates permissions for All Users to read/write to these folders.
Configuration files
[.\Discover\Config] folder containing tables and text files used to store a variety of system and
user-defined settings. Users require read-write access to this folder. Click the browse button to
display the Configuration Directory Dialog Box.
Temporary files
[.\Discover\Temp] folder containing temporary tables. Can be set same as the MapInfo or
Windows temp folders. Users require unrestricted access to this folder. Click the browse button to
display the Configuration Directory Dialog Box.
During a MapInfo Discover 3D session various files are created for display and management of the
3D displays. By default, this is the same directory as the MapInfo Discover Temp directory.
Hotlink files
[ ] folder containing hotlink files.
Tenement files
[.\Discover\Tenements] folder containing tenement tables. Click the browse button to display the
Configuration Directory Dialog Box.
Picklist files
[.\Discover\Picklists] folder. Click the browse button to display the Configuration Directory
Dialog Box.
Encom.prj path
[.\Discover\Common\Projections] folder containing Encom projections file.
Legend/LUT path
[.\Discover\Common\Legends_LUT] folder containing legends and lookup files.
View Manager file
[.\Discover\Common\ViewManager\viewmananger.set] View Manager settings file.
Remove 3D temporary files
When the MapInfo Discover 3D window is closed, any files present in the nominated Temporary
Directory are removed if this option is enabled.

Pro tab
Title Block tab

Related tasks: Customizing title blocks
Set the default entries displayed on title blocks.
Name options
Company name
Displays your company name. Click to edit.
Office name
Displays your office location. Click to edit.
User name
Displays your user name. Click to edit.
Display tab
Related tasks: Controlling the interface
Overriding the default map status bar display
Using Tool Search
Set MapInfo Discover display options, including user level, Status Bar, Tool Search and auto-save
interval.
MapInfo Pro/Discover Options
User level
Choose either <Standard> or <Advanced> level.
Note: The advanced level allows the user to simultaneously run multiple tools. However, this may result
in data loss when concurrent operations are performed on the same data table.
Status bar
Overrides the MapInfo Pro Status Bar display (Zoom) default when a new Map window is opened.
Select a display option:
• Cursor Position: Displays the cursor position in map coordinates.
• Zoom (Window Width): Displays the width of the Map window in map units.
• Map Scale: Displays the map scale.
• Cartographic Scale: Displays the cartographic scale.
Workspace save (mins)
Set the workspace auto-save interval in minutes.

Pro tab
Discover 3D Options
Image Resolution
Raster images are used to show draped pictures over surfaces or at defined elevations etc. The
amount of detail used in these images impacts on the drawing speed of MapInfo Discover 3D. If
the detail of an image is increased the redraw speed is decreased but the information provided in
the images is increased. If you select a value of 2x, MapInfo Discover 3D creates an off-screen
bitmap that is 2x the size (in width and height) and 4x the size in pixels of the selected Map window.
Image Transparency
Set default transparency to % for all located images
Point Size
Sets a default size for 3D Point symbols in MapInfo Discover 3D displays (measured in map
distance units)
Layout Designer Image
The desired width and height (in pixels) of images created in MapInfo Discover 3D.
Notifications tab
Select when MapInfo Discover sends or displays notifications.
Notification options
Display program tips
Select to display tips and tricks from the MapInfo Discover Knowledge Base.
Check for program updates
Select to automatically check when an update (maintenance release) is available for MapInfo
Discover.
Send usage statistics
Select to send anonymous usage statistics to Pitney Bowes Software.
Ribbons tab
Related tasks: Controlling the interface
Select from a range of variant ribbon interfaces, such as workflow versus data-orientated ribbons.
Additionally, control which tabs are displayed for the selected ribbon.
Ribbon layout setting
Ribbons
Select a preferred ribbon interface.
Tabs
Hide and show tabs on the selected ribbon.

Pro tab
Configuration Directory Dialog Box

Related tasks: Viewing and changing Mapinfo Discover directory locations
Select Discover folder settings:
• All users: All users on the same machine share the same Discover configuration folders, using
the installer template folder - C:\ProgramData\Encom\Discover.
Note: This option is not recommended as it requires Administrator permissions, and you will lose the
ability to reset settings to the defaults.
• Current user: Users with separate logins on the same computer have separate Discover
configuration folders. Creates the selected configuration folder under
C:\Users\username\AppData\Encom\Discover.
• Custom: User-defined path on a local or network drive. By default this is set to either the MapInfo
Pro or MapInfo Discover program folder or sub-folders.
Tool Search
Related tasks: Using Tool Search
Tool Search lets you search for tools available from the MapInfo Discover ribbon layout by name or
keyword. To change Tool Search settings, click the Options button in Tool Search to display the Tool
Search Options Dialog Box.
Tool Search Options Dialog Box

Related tasks: Using Tool Search
Text size
Set the font size in pts.
Maximum tool list
Limit the size of the recently used list of tools.
Transparency
Change the transparency of the results list (0 = opaque).
Clear tool list
Reset the list of recently used tools.

25 - Discover tab
Tools are listed in left-to-right order as they appear on the DISCOVER tab in
the default ribbon layout. If you are using a customized layout, you can
locate a tool name in MapInfo Discover tools, which gives an alphabetical
list of all tools.
Tools in this section
File
Open Table 543
Save Table 543
Revert Table 543
Close All 543
Vector Import 543
Multi-File Open 544
Multi-MIF Import 544
ASCII Import 544
acQuire Import 549
DataSight Import 550
EGB Import 553
ECW/JP2 import 554
Geosoft Import 555
ioGAS Import 556
LIDAR LAS Import 557
Micromine Import 558
Vulcan Import 559
Multi-MIF Export 560
Vector Export 560
Datamine Studio Export 560
Leapfrog Export 560
Minesight Export 560
Vulcan Export 561
EGB Export 562
Vector Transform 563
Manage
Structure Manager 563
Modify Bounds 563
Multi-Pack 563
Default View 563
Open Hotlink 564
Setup Hotlink 564
Create Hotlink 564
Configure 564
Refresh On 565
Refresh Off 565
Refresh 565
Workspace Export 565
Workspace Editor 565
Workspace Advanced 566
Restore Workspace 566
Favourite Tables 566
Favourite Workspaces 566
Favourite MapBasics 566
Output
Scaled Output 567
Map Legend 570
Scaled Frame 572
Title Block 573
Map Grid 575
Dynamic Grid 577
Label Creator 579
Line/Point labels 579
Polyline Labels 581
Polyline Label Positioner 581
Format Text 583
Label Angles 584
Colour Labels 584
Labels from Table 585
Table from Labels 585
Window Animator 586
Projection
Projection Info 588
Favourite Projection 589
Update Coordinates 589
Custom Transform 590
Reproject Coordinates 594
Multi-Table Reproject 595
Reproject Image 595
Windows
Mapper State 596
Standard Views 596
Cursor Setup 597
Map Linking 598
Map Size 598
Data Entry
Picklist Manager 599
Setup Table 599
Record Entry 599
Enter Data 599
Structural Symbols 599
Apply Picklist 600
Apply Style 600
Discover tab
FILE
Open Table
DISCOVER>File>Open Table
Open a MapInfo table.
Related tasks: Opening and closing tables
Save Table
DISCOVER>File>Save Table
Save an open table.
Related tasks: Opening and closing tables
Revert Table
DISCOVER>File>Revert Table
Undo changes to a table.
Related tasks:
Close All
DISCOVER>File>Close All
Closes unused tables, query tables, selected tables, or all open tables.
Related tasks: Closing all tables
Vector Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>Vector Import
Imports a wide range of 2D and 3D vector formats into a MapInfo Pro table.
Related tasks: Import vector files

Discover tab
Multi-File Open
DISCOVER>File>Import>Multi-File Open
Opens multiple tables from different folders into one map window, separate map windows, an
open map window, a browser windows, or as no view.
Related tasks: Opening multiple tables
Multi-MIF Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>Multi-MIF Import
Import multiple MID and MIF files from different folders.
Related tasks: Importing multiple MID/MIF files
ASCII Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>ASCII Import
The MapInfo Discover Advanced ASCII Import tool is designed to import external multi-column
ASCII data files into a MapInfo Pro .TAB file.
Displays the ASCII Data Import dialog box.
Related tasks: ASCII data
ASCII Data Import dialog box

Imports a columnated (fixed column width) or delimited ASCII data to a MapInfo Pro table (.TAB) file.
After you have made your selections on the dialog box, click the Import button to import the selected
input file. You will then be asked to select the name of the TAB file that is created to contain the
imported data, and to select a projection.
Expand/Contract
Show and hide advanced import settings.
Options
Click to display the ASCII import options, from which you can display and edit import options,
including:
• Save path name of import template file.
• Rename easting and northing fields to X and Y.
• Auto-classification options.
• Output null value.

Discover tab
Field Summary
Displays a list of all the assigned column names and field data types.
Save Format
Save the ASCII import settings for later use. Enter a name for the template. Make sure to save the
import template before you start importing the data or the format information will be lost.
Load Format
Reload a saved template. Choose the template file (.i3) from the Open dialog box.
Input file
Displays the ASCII file to be imported.
Open
Click to browse for the input file.
Show header
Show and hide header lines in the Data preview area.
Ignore characters
To pre-process or filter out unwanted characters from the ASCII dataset, type the characters to
ignore (such as *, %, $, #, @ or ?). Once defined, the Data preview is updated, and the characters
will not be imported.
Line numbers
Files may contain a line field or a separate line that specifies the start of each new survey line.
Import the Line/Hole field
Select if the file contains a column containing a line or hole identifier.
Has interspersed line numbers (Geosoft XYZ format)
Select iif the file contains interspersed line numbers. When selected, there is no need to select a
Line field.
Line number prefix
Type the line number prefix.
Include line prefix in output
Select to include the line prefix in the output. For example, if the prefix is “Line,” the line number is
“Line 1020” with the prefix or “1020” without the prefix.
Header
If available, column names can be read from the header lines. Header lines are displayed in the
Data preview area as green text and are separated from the data by a horizontal line.
To manually define column names, right-click on the column label in the Data Preview area and
select from the Fields shortcut menu.

Discover tab
Number of lines in header

Click or type to change the number of header lines.
Field names are in header on line
Select if the header contains field names and click or type the line number that contains the field
names.
Starting at char
Skips leading characters in each field name.
Get Field Names
Click to update the field names assigned in the Data preview.
Column format
When first loaded, the type of file (fixed width or delimited) is determined automatically. Use the
following options to modify the file type and column format settings.
• Fixed width: Select if field values are confined within the same character positions on every
line.
• Delimited: Select if field values are separated by spaces, tab characters, or other delimiters.
• Comma delimited: Select if file is a CSV (comma separated values).
Columns
When first loaded, the columns are determined and are displayed in the Data preview area with
vertical separator lines. With fixed-width data, you can add and edit columns in the Data preview
box:
• To add a column break, click the position.
• To delete a column break, move the cursor over the vertical line until the cursor shape
changes, and then double click.
• To move a column break, drag it to a new position. Hold the CTRL key to move all columns to
the right of the current column.
Reset Widths
Click to return columns to their original widths.
Clear Names
Click to remove all column names. Names are reset to Skip.
Auto-name
Click to name all skipped columns with a sequentially numbered prefix. Before auto-naming, you
can set columns to Skip, by either right-clicking on the column label and selecting Skip this field
from the shortcut menu, or clicking the Clear Names button to reset all field names to Skip.

Discover tab
Comment lines
Ignore lines starting with
Type the character or text string used at the start of the unwanted lines. Enclose each entry in
double quotation marks and separate multiple entries with commas. For example: “#”,”//”, “/”
Data preview
Displays the first 100 data records of the file specified for import. If the data is not suitable for
import (e.g. binary file or an unsupported text file), a warning message is displayed. If no data is
loaded the message “No data loaded” is displayed in the data preview area.
Right-click on a column heading to display the Fields shortcut menu, from which you can assign
field names, select the field type, and add or delete column labels.
Refer to Header, Column format and Columns sections for information on setting column widths
and field names.
Edit
Click to display the entire file in an external text editor. The default editor is WordPad. To change
the editor, click Options.
Fields shortcut menu
Displayed from the Data preview box on the ASCII Data Import dialog box.
Properties
Displays the Properties dialog box, from which you can display, edit and create fields names, edit
field properties, and the treatment of null values.
Skip this field
Set field name to Skip. Column is not output.
Set as X (Easting/Lon) field
Set the X coordinate field.
Set as Y (Northing/Lat) field
Set the Y coordinate field.
Set as Z (Elevation) field
Set the Z coordinate field.
Set as Station field
Set the Station field.
Insert column label
Insert a new field name and shift the existing labels to the right.
Delete column label
Delete a field name and shift the existing labels to the left.

Discover tab
Properties dialog box

Display, edit and create fields names, edit field properties, and the treatment of null values.
Field properties
Name
Click to select a standard field name (X, Y, Z, Depth, Azimuth, Fiducial, and such), or type a name
in the box.
Data type
Click to select the field data type. Types include: Floating point, Integer, String, Deg Min Sec, Time,
Date and DateTime.
<Deg Min Sec>
The Deg Min Sec data type has a format of dddmmss.sc or ddmmss.sc, e.g. 334510.05N =
33 deg north, 45 min, 10.05 sec. The fractional seconds part (.s) is optional. To discriminate
which hemisphere the input coordinates are located in, a suffix of E or W will determine which
hemisphere from the Greenwich Meridian the input coordinates are located in. A suffix of N or
S will determine which hemisphere from the Equator the coordinates are located in. The
coordinate values will be prefixed with either a + or -.
Nulls
Input data fields containing an asterisk, a single minus sign or blank are automatically treated as
null values. Nulls are written to the .TAB file as blanks for text (string) fields or zeros for numerical
fields.
String interpreted as null input value
Type a different null specifier string, for example –999.
Apply to All Fields
Apply the null specifier to all input fields.
Options dialog box

Format files
Use last format file (*.i3) by default
When an import template is loaded, the path name of the last loaded or saved template will be
used. Clear to load the template from the same folder as the input data file.
X and Y fields
Rename selected easting field to X and selected northing to Y
Select to rename easting and northing columns to X and Y.

Discover tab
Auto-classify behaviour
Hide header when classified
Select to hide the header lines in the Data preview when the file is classified.
Show dialog compacted
Select to hide advanced options on the ASCII Data Import dialog box when the file is classified.
Nulls
Output null value
Null value inputs can be specified under the Properties dialog when right clicking on a particular
field. To specify the output value of a defined null value, type in for example -9999 into the Output
null value dialog box. Subsequent to importing the ASCII file, the defined null values will populate
the MapInfo Pro Browser.
Editor
External editor
The input file can be previewed with an external editor of the user’s choice as set under the Editor
option. By default this is set to WordPad.exe.
acQuire Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>acQuire Import
Imports drillhole or geochemical data from an acQuire database into MapInfo Pro tables. This
tool uses the acQuire database API to select and query an acQuire database.
Displays the Import from acQuire dialog box.
Related tasks: acQuire
Import from acQuire dialog box

Mode
Select either Drillholes or Point samples.
Commands
Select data from acQuire
Click to display the Select Data from acQuire dialog box, from which you can create an SQL query
and select the data from the acQuire database.
Choose MapInfo projection
Click to select a MapInfo Pro projection for the collar data.
Import
Click to start the import.

Discover tab
Open database
Select to open a browser window during the import.
Create map
Select to display spatial data in a map window.
Load acQuire params
Click to re-load a saved acQuire database query.
Save acQuire settings
Click to save the acQuire database query settings.
Select Data from acQuire dialog box

Connects to an acQuire database and creates an SQL database using the acQuire API interface. Click
Connect to select a connection. Refer to the acQuire documentation for information about creating
database connections and how to use the acQuire API interface to select the data you want.
Choose Output Files dialog box

Select a path name and a file name for each of the imported drillhole or geochemical data tables. When
the path name of the first data table is selected, default names are created for each of the remaining
tables. You can edit the default names. Clear the Import check box to prevent importing unwanted
tables. The collar data is always imported.
DataSight Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import
Setup a database connection, select and import tables from a DataSight database, and manage
open tables.
Related tasks: DataSight
Setup
DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Setup
Sets up the connection to a DataSight database on an SQL Server.
Displays the Setup Database Connection dialog box.
Setup Database Connection dialog box

Related tasks: Server authentication
Access methods

Discover tab
SQL Server
Type the name of a SQL Server instance hosting one or more DataSight databases
Browse
This dialog allows you to choose from a list of SQL Server instances detected on the network
Authentication
Choose either Windows Authentication or SQL Server Authentication. Refer to your SQL Server
administrator to determine which option to use.
User name and Password
If using SQL Server Authentication, type valid login for that SQL Server. (Disabled if using
Windows authentication)
Remember password
Check this to save the password for future sessions.
Select database
Type the name of a DataSight database in SQL Server.
Browse
This dialog allows you to choose from a list of databases detected on SQL Server (requires a valid
login)
Test Connection
Confirms that the login details are valid, and a connection to the database can be achieved.
Open Connections
Shows the connection string for any open database connections.
Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Import
Creates an SQL query for an available DataSight database connection and opens the data in a
MapInfo Pro table.
Displays the Import from DataSight - Step 1 of 2 dialog box.
Related tasks: Prerequisites for using the DataSight import tool
Using the DataSight import tool
Import from DataSight - Step 1 of 2 dialog box

Related tasks: Using the DataSight import tool
Select database table
Database
Choose a DataSight database from the current database connection

Discover tab
Available tables
Choose a table from the database to import into MapInfo Pro
Advanced Table Filter
Click to filter the list of tables displayed in the Available tables box. The Advanced Table Filter
dialog box is displayed.
Select fields and criteria
You may pick which columns to return from the DataSight table by moving them from the Available
to the Selected box.
Refine selection criteria
Select to display the Simple and Advanced tabs, from which you can create an expression to filter
table records.
Simple Tab
Define a row filter for the imported table by selecting a Field, Operator and Value to create a
WHERE condition for the query. Additional criteria can be added by AND or OR in the Join box.
Advanced Tab
Allows you to edit the SQL statement for the query.
Next
Displays the Import from DataSight - Step 2 of 2 dialog box.
Advanced Table Filter dialog box

Choose to show tables, views or system tables.
Import from DataSight - Step 2 of 2 dialog box

Related tasks: Using the DataSight import tool
MapInfo table options
Choose either linked tables, live access, or live access with cache.
MapInfo output table
Specify the file name and path for the imported table. If linked tables was selected a copy of the
SQL data will be placed here. If live access was selected, only a .tab file pointing to the database
table will be created.
Table is mappable
Point objects will be created in MapInfo Pro if this box is checked. This option requires that Latitude
/ Longitude (or Easting and Northing) data exists in the DataSight table / query.
Symbol
Allows you to choose a symbol style for the point objects.

Discover tab
Projection
Allows you to specify the projection in which the DataSight coordinates were created.
Make projection default
Checking this will cause the currently selected projection to be the default.
Open
DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Open
Opens a table from a list of previously imported DataSight tables.
Refresh
DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Refresh
Refreshes a MapInfo Pro table from a DataSight table through the SQL Server.
Delete
DISCOVER>File>Import>DataSight Import>Delete
Deletes open DataSight tables.
EGB Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>EGB Import
Imports EGB (Encom georeferenced bitmap) files created in Discover PA or MapInfo Discover
3D. EGB files are text header files that are used to open and display image files such as .BMP,
.JPG and .PNG in 3D geo-referenced space.
Displays the EGB Import dialog box.
Related tasks: EGB
EGB Import dialog box

Related tasks: EGB
Imports an EGB (Encom Georeferenced Bitmap) file into a MapInfo Pro table.

Discover tab
File details
Input EGB file
Click the browse button to select the EGB file to be imported.
Output TAB file
Click the browse button to select the output folder and the output TAB file name.
Use transparent colour from EGB
If defined, select to import the transparent colour setting from the EGB file.
Set Projection
Click to select a MapInfo Pro projection. The projection defined in the EGB and the selected
projection are displayed.
Coordinate transform
Select the fields in the EGB file that you want mapped to the X and Y coordinates fields in the
output table. For example, you can map the Z field in a vertical section as the Y field in the map
window.
ECW/JP2 import
DISCOVER>File>Import>ECW/JP2 Import
Imports ECW and JP2 format, located, raster image files from either the local disk or from an
Image Web Server.
Displays the ECW/P/JP2 Import dialog box.
Related tasks: ECW/JP2
ECW/P/JP2 Import dialog box

Related tasks: ECW/JP2
Open
• Open ECW or JP2 file: Open a file from the local disk or network.
• Open file from Image Web Server (ECWP): Open a file from an Image Web Server.
File
Click the Open button to select the input file and location. When selected, the image is displayed
under Preview, and its properties are displayed under Image properties.
Image properties
The properties of the selected image file are displayed.
Columns x Rows
Displays the number of columns and rows in the raster grid. Click to display additional
information about the grid.

Discover tab
Grid Information
Click to display information about the raster grid, including the coordinate range, number of
columns and rows, and other data.
Image projection
If available, the projection defined in the input file is displayed.
Map projection
To change or set the image projection, click the browse button and select a MapInfo Pro projection.
Note: Do not override the image projection. To reproject an image after it has been imported, use
Images>Reproject Image.
Top left
Displays the top-left coordinates registered in the input file.
Preview
The imported image is displayed.
Preview toolbar
Use the controls to zoom in and out, zoom to extents, zoom to true scale, and restore previous
view.
Geosoft Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>Geosoft Import
Imports data from a Geosoft Oasis montaj database into a MapInfo Pro table.
Displays the Import Geosoft Database dialog box.
Related tasks: Geosoft
Import Geosoft Database dialog box

Input file
Click the browse button to select the Geosoft database (.GDB) file to be imported.
Has X and Y fields
Select if database contains spatial data.
• X field: Select X coordinate field from the available input fields.
• Y field: Select Y coordinate field from the available input fields.
Select Subset of Lines
Click to restrict the lines imported. The Line Selection Dialog Box is displayed.

Discover tab
Choose Projection
Click to select a MapInfo Pro projection.
Open in map
Select to view spatial data in a map window or clear to import the data into a browser only.
Line Selection Dialog Box

Use the arrow control buttons to add and remove lines from the Selected lines box.
ioGAS Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>ioGAS Import
Import and refresh an ioGAS file and associated thematic map in a MapInfo Pro TAB file.
Related tasks: ioGAS
Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>ioGAS Import>Import
Imports an ioGAS file directly into a MapInfo Pro table.
Displays the ioGAS Importer Dialog Box.
ioGAS Importer Dialog Box

Input file
Click the browse button to select the GAS file to be imported.
Note: Keep ioGAS file names under 31 characters. If the ioGAS file name is greater than 31 characters,
it will be truncated in MapInfo Pro and some windows may not open automatically. These windows
can be viewed by selecting Window>New Map Window.
Field assignments
Review and select the field assignments. The Key is the sample or drillhole ID, and the Easting
and Northing columns contain the X and Y coordinates.
Key
Select the field containing the sample or drillhole ID
Easting
Select the field containing the sample X coordinate.

Discover tab
Northing
Select the field containing the sample Y coordinate.
Null Value
Type the value that will be inserted into any blank cells found when importing the GAS file.
Otherwise, MapInfo Pro inserts a zero value.
Field selection
Field in the Selected data box will be imported with the fields selected under Field assignments.
Use the control buttons to add and remove attribute fields in the Available data and Selected data
boxes.
Display options
• All data: Import all data from the GAS file.
• Visible only: Import only data rows that are set as visible in the GAS file.
Output options
File
Click the browse button to select the output folder and output TAB file name.
Projection
Refresh
DISCOVER>File>Import>ioGAS Import>Refresh
Refreshes an imported ioGAS file, including the ioGAS thematic map. The existing MapInfo Pro
table is overwritten.
LIDAR LAS Import

DISCOVER>File>Import>LIDAR LAS Import
Imports ASPRS standard LAS files into MapInfo Pro TAB files, creating the associated attributed
points.
Displays the LAS Import Dialog Box.
Related tasks: LIDAR LAS
LAS Import Dialog Box

File details
Input file
Click the browse button to select the LAS file to be imported.

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Output file
Click the browse button to select the output folder and output TAB file name.
Set Projection
Click to select the projection that the data was recorded in.
Choose Optional Fields
Click to display the Select dialog box, from which you can choose additional fields in the input file
that you want to import into the output table.
Automatically open on import
Select the check box to display the imported table in a map window at the selected projection.
Transform the X, Y, and Z coordinates in the form of the equations X’=aX+b, Y’=aY+b, Z’=aZ+b.
For each coordinate, type the constant a in the Multiply by box and the constant b in the Add/
Subtract box. To import the coordinates untransformed, set a=1 and b=0.
Micromine Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>Micromine Import
Imports Micromine data and string files into MapInfo Pro tables. MapInfo Discover reads the
Micromine file, creates an appropriately structured table and inserts the data.
Displays the MicroMine Import dialog box.
Related tasks: MicroMine
MicroMine Import dialog box

MicroMine File Type
• Data file: Select if the file contains sample and drillhole information, including survey and
downhole data files.
• String file: Select if the file contains string (polyline) data. The Micromine String Import dialog
box is displayed.
Micromine String Import dialog box

Get X coordinates from column
Click to assign an input field as the X coordinate.
Get Y coordinates from column
Click to assign an input field as the Y coordinate.

Discover tab
Get ID from column

Click to assign an input field as the ID column.
Convert closed polylines to regions
Select to convert closed polylines (polygons) to regions.
Line style
Click to select the line style.
Vulcan Import
DISCOVER>File>Import>Vulcan Import
Imports a Vulcan archive file into a MapInfo Pro table.
Displays the Vulcan Import dialog box.
Related tasks: Vulcan
Vulcan Import dialog box

File details
Input file
Click the browse button to select the Surpac file to be imported.
Output file
Click the browse button to select the output folder and type the output TAB file name.
Create object type
• Auto Select: Create either point, polyline or polygon objects depending on whether there are
single or multiple line entries per block of data.
• Points Only: Create points for each vertex in the string file. Use this option if you wish to
import the string vertices only and preserve the original string file X, Y, Z coordinate
information.
Set Projection

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Multi-MIF Export
DISCOVER>File>Export>Multi-MIF Export
Export multiple MID and MIF files.
Related tasks: Exporting multiple MID/MIF files
Vector Export
DISCOVER>File>Export>Vector Export
Exports a MapInfo Pro table as 2D or 3D vectors in a range of different formats.
Related tasks: Export vector data

DISCOVER>File>Export>Datamine Studio Export
Bulk reproject and export MapInfo Pro .TAB files to Datamine Studio .DM format file.
Related tasks: Datamine Studio
Leapfrog Export
DISCOVER>File>Export>Leapfrog Export
Bulk reproject and export MapInfo Pro .TAB files to Leapfrog Geo project.
Related tasks: Leapfrog Geo
Minesight Export
DISCOVER>File>Export>MineSight Export
Exports a MapInfo Pro table as a MineSight SRG file.
Displays the MineSight Export dialog box.
Related tasks: MineSight
MineSight Export dialog box

Related tasks: MineSight

Discover tab
File details
Input table
Click the browse button to select the MapInfo Pro table to be exported.
Output SRG file
Click the browse button to select the output folder and the output file name.
Flip XY
Select to reverse the order of the X and Y coordinate fields in the output file.
Elevation
Z value from column
Select the column assigned to the Z coordinate in the output file.
Default Z value
If the Z value is not assigned, type a default Z value.
Attributes
Select columns from the input table to be exported as attribute fields. Hold the CTRL or SHIFT key
to select multiple columns.
Vulcan Export
DISCOVER>File>Export>Vulcan Export
Exports a MapInfo Pro table as a Surpac ASCII string file.
Displays the Vulcan Export dialog box.
Vulcan Export dialog box

File details
Input file
Click the browse button to select the MapInfo Pro table to be exported.
Output file
Click the browse button to select the output folder and the output file name.

Discover tab
Output type
Select from the available options: Auto select, Points only, or Labels only.
Name field
Select the column assigned to the Name field (HoleID, for example) in the output file.
Value field
Select the column assigned to the Value field in the output file.
Z field
Select the column assigned to the Z coordinate in the output file.
Use fixed Z value
If the Z field is not assigned, select the check box and type a Z value.
Attributes
Select columns from the input table to be exported as attribute fields. Hold the CTRL or SHIFT key
to select multiple columns.
EGB Export
DISCOVER>File>Export>EGB Export
Exports the selected map window as a PNG file with an associated EGB (Encom georeferenced
bitmap) header file, which can be read into Discover PA or MapInfo Discover 3D.
Displays the EGB Export dialog box.
Related tasks: EGB
EGB Export dialog box

Related tasks: EGB
Windows available for export
Select the map window to be converted.
Height for Z axis
Type a Z value.

Discover tab
Vector Transform
DISCOVER>File>Vector Transform
Imports, converts, transforms, and reprojects a wide range of vector format files.
Related tasks: Transform vector formats
MANAGE
Structure Manager
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Structure Manager
Add, remove, rename or modify data type for multiple fields across multiple tables.
Related tasks: Multi-table, multi-field editing
Modify Bounds
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Modify Bounds
Adjust the map bounds for a mappable table.
Related tasks: Changing the map bounds of a mappable table
Multi-Pack
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Multi-Pack
Pack multiple tables with the option to pack the tabular or graphical component of the table.
Related tasks: Packing multiple tables
Default View
DISCOVER>Manage>Default View
Changes the MapInfo Pro default view for each layer in map window. When a new map window
is opened for a table, the layer is displayed in this default view. This feature is not applicable for
raster tables. Set the default table view to display an entire data layer or to only display a
selected area for large data tables.
Displays the Default View dialog box.
Related tasks: Setting the default map view

Discover tab
Default View dialog box

Related tasks: Setting the default map view
Select the layer in the active map window for which you want to change the default view.
Open Hotlink
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Open Hotlink
Displays documents linked to a map object.
Related tasks: Opening hotlinked documents
Setup Hotlink
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Setup Hotlink
Enables hotlinks to map objects.
Related tasks: Setting up hotlinks

Linking objects to external documents
Create Hotlink
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Create Hotlink
Defines the path name to a linked document for a map object.
Displays the Create Hotlink dialog box.
Related tasks: Creating a hotlink
Create Hotlink dialog box
Hotlink Selection dialog box

Related tasks: Creating a hotlink
Select column
Select the column that specifies the hotlink file name.
Configure
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Configure
Automatically refresh the data in a table linked to a remote database at set time intervals.
Related tasks: Refreshing tables with database connections

Discover tab
Refresh On
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Refresh On
Start auto-refresh of DBMS linked table.
Refresh Off
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Refresh Off
Stop auto-refresh of DBMS linked table.
Refresh
DISCOVER>Manage>Tables>Refresh
Manually update DBMS linked table
Workspace Export
DISCOVER>Manage>Workspaces>Workspace Export
Save all tables and associated workspace to a new folder.
Related tasks: Preparing a workspace for sharing and archiving
Workspace Editor
DISCOVER>Manage>Workspaces>Workspace Editor
Edit workspace tables and pathways.
Related tasks: Checking and modifying table locations in a workspace

Discover tab
Workspace Advanced
DISCOVER>Manage>Workspaces>Workspace Advanced
Open complex workspaces which contain missing, renamed or hidden tables.
Related tasks: Fixing problems in a workspace
Restore Workspace
DISCOVER>Manage>Workspaces>Restore Workspace
Restores the last autosaved workspace (DISCOVER.WOR) from the Discover Configuration folder.
Related tasks: Opening the last auto-saved workspace
Favourite Tables
DISCOVER>Manage>Favourites>Favourite Tables
Maintains a list of frequently used tables so that they can be opened quickly and identified by an
alias.
Related tasks: Favourite tables
Favourite Workspaces
Maintains a list of frequently used workspaces.
Related tasks: Favourite workspaces
Favourite MapBasics
Maintains a list of frequently used MapBasic programs.
Related tasks: Organizing your MapBasic tools

Discover tab
OUTPUT
Scaled Output
DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Scaled Output
Inserts a correctly sized and scaled frame of the front map window with a map grid) into a layout.
Additional frames for scale bar and title block are added to the layout. When applied, the map
scale, map size and paper size are displayed in a text box.
Displays the Scaled Output dialog box.
Related tasks: Creating scaled maps
Scaled Output dialog box

Related tasks: Select the map scale and size
Select the map scale, page frame, map grid, title block and scale bar for the scaled output map layout.
Map scale
Scale
Select a map scale for the frame, or select <Custom scale> and type the scale in the box below.
Frame setup
Frame
Select from the available map frame settings. This defines the frame size, position and orientation
in the layout window, and margins. Note that you may also need to change the printer settings on
File>Print Setup before printing.
Configure
Standard frame settings for A0-A5, B1-B5, C1-C5, and A-F page sizes are shipped with MapInfo
Discover, which define the frame size, position, orientation, and margins. Click the button to display
the Scaled Output Configuration dialog box, from which you can modify, save or create a new
frame setting.
Map extras
Draw grid
Select to display a map grid. The grid and labels are sized to suit the current frame.
Title block
Select a title block from the list of available title blocks, or select <No title block>. To maintain the
list of title blocks, under Frame setting, click Configure. See Customizing title blocks for
information on creating new title block tables.

Discover tab
Add frame border

Select to display a border around the title block, if selected.
Scale bar
Select a scale bar from the list of available scale bars. For information on scale bar styles and how
to create a custom scale bar, see Add a title block and scale bar.
Actual map size
Displays the frame size in page coordinates and the map size in real world coordinates for the
selected map scale and frame setting. If you selected a custom scale, click the Preview button to
update.
Set map position
Displays the Scaled Output Map Position dialog box, from which you can set the coordinates of
any corner or the centre of the frame. If a frame has previously been displayed, you can also select
the frame in the map window and drag it to a new position.
Preview
Click to preview the frame settings in the map window.
Scaled Output Configuration dialog box

Related tasks: Select the page size and frame
Select, edit and save standard frame settings. After you have modified the frame setting, click OK, and
then you will be asked to save the settings or create and name a new frame setting.
Frame setting
Select the frame size from the list of standard page sizes, and then select either a Portrait or
Landscape frame orientation. The frame width and height is displayed.
Non-printing margins
The left, right, top and bottom printer margins (which your printer cannot use). These are shown
shaded grey in the layout window. Changing the left or bottom margins will also move the map
frame position.
Map frame position
The porition of the lower-left corner of the map frame relative to the printing area (within the non-
printing margin).
Maintain frame settings list
Click Remove to select and remove a named frame setting.
Maintain title block list
Click Add to add a new title block to the list of available title blocks. See Customizing title blocks
for information on creating new title block tables.
Click Remove to remove a title block from the list.

Discover tab
Scaled Output Map Position dialog box

Related tasks: Position the scaled output map
Reposition any corner or the centre of the frame to an exact coordinate.
Define map position
Select top-left, bottom-left, top-right, or bottom-left corner or centre of the frame, and then type the
coordinates in the East/Longitude and North/Latitude boxes.
Accept Parameters
DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Accept Parameters
Accepts the scaled output frame settings made for the map window and displays or updates the
output scaled map in a layout window.
Related tasks: Accept output settings and create the layout.
Modify Parameters
DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Modify Parameters
Redisplays the Scaled Output dialog box, from which you can modify the frame settings,
including the frame position, scale, margins, map grid, title block, and scale bar.
Related tasks: Modifying a scaled output layout
Restore
DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Restore
Restores the map window to its original scale and extents.
Related tasks: Preserving the linked, source map window
Close
DISCOVER>Output>Scaled Output>Close
Exits scaled output mode and asks you to save the title block, scale bar, and map grid tables, if
open. You can also save a workspace that includes the layout, for future use. The title block,
scale bar and map grid tables should be saved under new names or they will be overwritten the
next time that Scaled Output is started.
Related tasks: Exit scaled output

Discover tab
Map Legend
DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Map Legend
Creates a customizable legend for up to 10 layers in a multi-layered map. The order of items
within the legend may be altered. The legend is created in a map window for easy insertion into
a layout. The legend is created from up to three columns from one or more tables. You can also
use lookup tables. To get the best results, ensure that the tables are properly structured:
• Records with the same value in the primary column have the same graphic style.
• Text in the supplementary columns relates to the primary column.
Displays the Create Legend dialog box.
Related tasks: Add a map legend
Legend tables and columns
Create Legend dialog box

Related tasks: Add a map legend
Select the tables that you want to create legends from. You can create legends for up to three
attribute column in each table. When you have selected the tables, click OK to display the Map
Legend dialog box.
Map Legend dialog box

Related tasks: Legend tables and columns
Legend tables
Legends tables are displayed in map layer order.
Specify order
Legend items are displayed by record order in the table. Select the check box to allow legend items
to be sorted alphabetically or by a user-defined order, such as geological age. The Legend Order
dialog box is displayed when each selected legend is created.
Column 1
Select the primary legend column. This column defines which objects are drawn on the legend. For
example, if the nominated column is “RockCode” then MapInfo Discover will create a legend entry
for each unique RockCode.
Column 2 and 3
Supplementary text fields.
To use a lookup table, select <Lookup> from the list of available columns and browse to the
location of the lookup table. Match the column in the lookup table with the corresponding column
from Column 1.

Discover tab
Legend style
• One column: Creates a single column vertical legend.
• Two columns: Creates a two-column legend.
Legend box width
Type the box width in centimetres.
Legend box height
Type the box height in centimetres.
Line spacing
Type the vertical spacing of legend items in centimetres.
Legend title
Type the main title.
Subtitle
Type the subtitle.
Legend from objects in map window only
Select check box to restrict legend items to map objects that are visible in the map window. Clear
to include all map objects from the selected tables.
Styles
Click to select text style for title, sub.title and legend items, and the legend border style. Displays
the Legend Styles dialog box
Legend Styles dialog box

Related tasks: Legend style
Legend text styles
Select the text styles for each line type.
Legend box border
Select the legend border style.
Legend Order dialog box

Related tasks: Legend order
Displays the legend items and their order.
Re-order mode
The order of individual items in the legend can be specified in one of the following ways:
• Custom: Select an item and use the Up, Down, and Delete buttons to reorder and delete.
• Alphabetical order: Order items in ascending (A-Z) or descending order (Z-A).

Discover tab
• Lookup code from table: Order items according to a value in another column in the same
table. Displays the Legend Order from Column Values dialog box.
• Look-up code from lookup table: Order items according to a value in another table. You are
asked to select a table, and then displays the Legend Order from Column Values dialog box.
Legend Order from Column Values dialog box

Related tasks: Legend order
When using a Lookup code to re-order legend items select a column from either the same table or a
different one. In this instance the legend item is matched to a numeric value which MapInfo Discover
can use to determine the order of the legend items. These options could be used to re-order geological
units by Age.
Legend code column
Select the column containing the lookup code.
Legend order column
Typically, a column containing numeric values to set the order.
Ascending, Descending
Order the legend order column in ascending or descending order.
Scaled Frame
DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Scaled Frame
Adds the active map window as a scaled frame to the layout window. A new layout window is
created if one is not currently open.
Displays the Scaled Frame dialog box.
Related tasks: Add a scaled frame to a layout
Scaled Frame dialog box

Related tasks: Add a scaled frame to a layout
Frame parameters
Scale
Type the scale for the new frame
Frame width
Type the frame width in centimetres
Frame height
Type the frame height in centimetres

Discover tab
Position in layout
Offset from left
Type the horizontal offset in centimetres.
Offset from top
Type the vertical offset in centimetres.
Add frame to existing layout
If a layout is open, select this check box to add the new frame to the existing layout.
Position in map
Select a position relative to the map border (Centre, Top-left, Bottom-left, Top-right, or Bottom-
right), or type the map coordinates of the top-left corner of the frame (Easting and Northing).
Title Block
DISCOVER>Output>Map Output>Title Block
Creates a custom title block in a map window, which can then be added to a layout.
Displays the Titleblock dialog box.

Related tasks: Add a title block and scale bar
Titleblock dialog box

Related tasks: Add a title block and scale bar
Select a template, scale bar and map scale, and then click OK. The Title Block and Scale Bar Options
dialog box is then displayed.
Select custom title block template
Click to select a template. For information on adding and removing title block templates, see
Customizing title blocks.
Select scale bar type
Both metric and imperial scale bars are available. Click to select a scale bar style:
Scale bar map scale
Type the scale bar scale.
Title Block and Scale Bar Options dialog box

Related tasks: Configure the title block and scale bar
Type or select the options for the title block placeholders defined in the title block template. The font
styles are also defined in the template table.

Discover tab
Title lines
Type the text for the title line placeholders.
TitleBlock
Position
Click to select the position of the title block when it is added to a layout.
TitleBlock Scale
Type the plot scale of the title block. At a scale of 1:1 the default template creates a 50 cm wide
title block.
Save As
Click to save the title block to a new table. By default, the title block is saved in the Discover temp
folder as TITLEBLK.TAB.
Send TitleBlock to back
Select to display the title block behind other frames in the layout.
Other TitleBlock details
ScaleBar
Displays the ScaleBar scale. Select the display option:
Show ScaleBar in title block
ScaleBar is created in the title block map window.
Show ScaleBar separately
ScaleBar is created in a separate map window.
Don’t show ScaleBar
ScaleBar is not shown.
Other options
Layout
Click to open a workspace for a layout with a pre-defined format (instead of an empty layout). For
example, the layout might contain north arrows, legends, logos and other map windows such as
an overview window for the state or country that the map is part of.
When creating a layout template to be used in this way, be careful that only those tables and
windows required for your layout are actually open when you save the workspace. You may also
need different workspaces for each different map format (paper size, orientation etc) that you wish
to produce.
Display list of layers in map
Click to select the position where the list of layers is displayed, or select No List.
No Title
Cancel addition of title block.

Discover tab
Map Grid
DISCOVER>Output>Map Grid>Map Grid
Adds a map grid to the current map window in any of the MapInfo Pro standard projections or in
a user-defined custom projection. The style of the map grid is fully customisable and you can
overlay multiple grids on one another (for example a Lat-Long grid on a UTM grid). The map grid
is drawn into a temporary table called AUTOGRID, which is located in the Discover temporary directory
unless you nominate a different table name and location.
Displays the Map Grid dialog box.
Related tasks: Add a map grid
Map Grid dialog box

Related tasks: Add a map grid
Map projection
The map window projection is displayed. To change the map window projection, see Map
projections.
Projection
• Auto (current map window): Draw a map grid using the current map window projection.
• Custom coordinate system: Draw local and real world grids using a custom transformation.
To create a custom transformation coordinate system, see Coordinate transformations.
• User defined: Draw a map grid in a different projection by selecting the projection from the
list of MapInfo Discover favourite projections.
Grid spacing
The default grid spacing is calculated from the width of the map window. Type a new grid spacing
in the units of the map window projection (typically metres or degrees).
Grid style
Choose Lines, Points, or Edge Ticks grid style. If grid lines have significant curvature, you can
smooth the grid lines using Label Options.
Aa (text style)
Displays the MapInfo Pro Text Style dialog box, from which you can change the label font, font
size, colour, background style and colour, and ornamentation.
Symbol style
(Point style grids) Displays the MapInfo Pro Symbol Style dialog box, from which you can change
the grid point symbol, colour, size, and other effects.
Line style
(Line and edge-tick style grids) Displays the MapInfo Pro Line Style dialog box, from which you
can change the line style, colour and line width.

Discover tab
Label size
Displays the grid label font size. Type a new value in pts, or select the text style (Aa) button. Text
size will change with the scale of the cuurent view.
Map scale
The map scale at which the label text size is correct.
Place labels in mask polygon outside map frame
Select to draw grid labels in a mask outside the map frame. Clear to draw grid labels in the map
window margins.
Display labels at
Select or clear check boxes to show and hide labels at the top, bottom, left, and right of the map
window.
Label Options
Displays the Label Options dialog box, from which you can smooth curved grid lines, add a label
suffix and prefix, set the frequency of grid labels, and change the number of decimal places.
Save as default grid
Select to save the settings and use as the default for new grids. This will cause the AUTOGRID
table to be overwritten.
Options
Append to existing Autogrid
If there is already a grid drawn in the active map window, select the check box to add the new grid
to the existing grid. Clear the check box to replace the existing grid.
Overlay another Autogrid
Select to overlay a second grid with a different projection and style. After you click OK, the first grid
is drawn, and then the Map Grid dialog box is displayed again so that you can define the second
grid.
Save As
Click to save to a user-defined table instead of the default AUTOGRID table. You can also save
the AUTOGRID table to a new table later using File>Save Copy As.
Preview
Draws or redraws the grid in the active map window using the defined settings without overwriting
the existing grid.
Label Options dialog box

Smooth curved grid lines, add a label suffix and prefix, set the frequency of grid labels, and change the
number of decimal places.
Node per grid interval
Add nodes between grid points to smooth curved grid lines.

Discover tab
X-axis label
Define label suffix and prefix using the following building blocks:
<coord> map projection coordinate
<units> map projection units
<eorn> map projection X-axis label (E or N)
For example, the label string “<coord> <units><eorn>” will display a label in the form “140000 mE”.
Other fixed characters can be used in the label string.
Y-axis label
Define label suffix and prefix using the following building blocks:
<coord> map projection coordinate
<units> map projection units
<eorn> map projection Y-axis label (E or N)
For example, the label string “<coord> <units><eorn>” will display a label in the form “52000 mN”.
Other fixed characters can be used in the label string.
Label every N grid lines
Change the frequency of grid labels. Type a value of 2 to label every second grid line.
Restore Default
Restores grid label option defaults.
Decimal places
Number of decimal places of grid labels.
Dynamic Grid
DISCOVER>Output>Map Grid>Dynamic Grid
Displays a dynamic map grid in the current map window in any of the MapInfo Pro standard
projections or in a user-defined custom projection. The map grid coordinates are updated
whenever the map window is zoomed and panned. The style of the map grid is fully
customisable and you can overlay multiple grids on one another (for example a lat-long grid on a UTM
grid).
Displays the Dynamic Grid dialog box.
Related tasks: Add a dynamic map grid to a map window.
Dynamic Grid dialog box

Related tasks: Add a dynamic map grid to a map window.
Map projection
The map window projection is displayed. To change the map window projection, see Reprojecting
coordinates.

Discover tab
Projection
• Auto (current map window): Draw a map grid using the current map window projection.
• Custom coordinate system: Draw local and real world grids using a custom transformation.
To create a custom transformation coordinate system, see Coordinate transformations.
• User defined: Draw a map grid in a different projection by selecting the projection from the
list of MapInfo Discover favourite projections.
Grid spacing
The default grid spacing is calculated from the width of the map window. Type a new grid spacing
in the units of the map window projection (typically metres or degrees).
Grid style
Choose Lines, Points, or Edge Ticks grid style. If grid lines have significant curvature, you can
smooth the grid lines using Label Options.
Aa (text style)
Displays the MapInfo Pro Text Style dialog box, from which you can change the label font, font
size, colour, background style and colour, and ornamentation.
Symbol style
(Point style grids) Displays the MapInfo Pro Symbol Style dialog box, from which you can change
the grid point symbol, colour, size, and other effects.
Line style
(Line and edge-tick style grids) Displays the MapInfo Pro Line Style dialog box, from which you
can change the line style, colour and line width.
Label size
Displays the grid label font size. Type a new value in pts, or select the text style (Aa) button. Text
size will change with the scale of the cuurent view.
Map scale
The map scale at which the label text size is correct.
Place labels in mask polygon outside map frame
Select to draw grid labels in a mask outside the map frame. Clear to draw grid labels in the map
window margins.
Display labels at
Select or clear check boxes to show and hide labels at the top, bottom, left, and right of the map
window.
Label Options
Displays the Label Options dialog box, from which you can smooth curved grid lines, add a label
suffix and prefix, set the frequency of grid labels, and change the number of decimal places.

Discover tab
Options
Append to existing Autogrid
If there is already a grid drawn in the active map window, select the check box to add the new grid
to the existing grid. Clear the check box to replace the existing grid.
Overlay another Autogrid
Select to overlay a second grid with a different projection and style. After you click OK, the first grid
is drawn, and thenthe Map Grid dialog box is displayed again so that you can define the second
grid.
Label Creator
DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Label Creator
Adds text labels to objects selected in a map window, with text size scaled to the map scale.
Label Creator has many “smart” features that will assist with creating professional maps.
Related tasks: Adding text labels
Line/Point labels
DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Line/Point Labels
Apply text labels to every Nth point recorded along regular lines, such as soil geochemistry
samples or ground geophysical readings. Line number and point locations can be annotated at
the same time. Line labels can automatically be placed at the start and end of each line and
sample points can be labelled with a value from a selected column at a user-defined interval.
Displays the Line and Point Labels dialog box.
Related tasks: Adding line and point labels
Line and Point Labels dialog box

Related tasks: Adding line and point labels
Annotation table
Label points within selected polygon
If selected, label points that lie within a polygon.
Select table
The table containing the line data you want to annotate.
Select line column
Select the column containing the line number or name.
Select point column
Select the column containing the point number.

Discover tab
Create labels
Save labels to table
Select the layer the labels are stored in. The line and point labels can be added to the cosmetic
layer, to another open table or a new table.
Label line start
Select to label the start of each line.
Label line end
Select to label the end of each line.
Sort point column
Sort points by point number.
Label points
Select to add labels to points.
Label every N points
Type the point label interval. The first and last point in each line are always labelled.
Filter by
Click to select to filter by Row order or Point column.
Label style
Map scale
Type the map scale. The text size is correct when printed at this scale.
Line label size
Type the text size in pts.
Offset from line start
Type the offset distance from the line start in mm at the specified map scale.
Aa (text style)
Set the line text style. Displays the MapInfo Pro Text Style dialog box.
Point label size
Offset from point
Type the offset distance from the line start in mm at the specified map scale.
Aa (text style)
Set the point text style. Displays the MapInfo Pro Text Style dialog box.

Discover tab
Polyline Labels
DISCOVER>Output>Polyline Labels
Add Z value labels at user-specified intervals to contour lines.
The labels are created as MapInfo Pro text objects in a chosen layer, such as the cosmetic layer.
MapInfo Discover adds labels to any attributed contour plan that has a column for contour level value.
This option can also be used to add line-parallel labels to other linework such as rivers or roads.
Specifying contour labelling parameters
The contour labels are placed parallel to the contour lines as normal text objects. If the contour plan
and labels are then viewed at a different scale to that specified in this dialog, the Z value labels appear
at a proportionately different size.
The distance between labels along each contour line is controlled via the Place Annotation every
option. The number of labels on any individual polyline can also be capped to a maximum number.
Polyline Label Positioner

DISCOVER>Output>Polyline Label Positioner
Position contour labels where the contours lines intersect custom path lines.
Contour labels can be custom positioned using a discrete number of intersecting polylines (generally
perpendicular to the contour lines). Contour labels are placed at the intersection of these label path
lines and the contour lines.

Discover tab
The Contour Label Positioner dialog, configured to only create labels for the 5m and 10m contour levels.
Using the Contour Label Positioner. The left hand image displays the source contour lines (coloured) and 3 intersecting label
path lines (blue), the intersection of which will control label placement. The right hand image shows the resulting labels. Note
that only specified contours were labelled, using the Minor and Major Label Intervals (illustrated in the dialog image)
This tool requires two tables to be specified: the Contour Lines table (created using the
Surfaces>Contour Grid option) and a Label Path Lines table. The Label Path Lines table must be a
separate table to the contour lines table and contain one or more lines or polylines that intersect the
contours. Label path lines drawn in the Cosmetic Layer cannot be used (use Map>Save Cosmetic
Objects to save them to a new table).

Discover tab
• Label path lines should generally be drawn at a high angle to the contour lines; this will create
labels that are approximately parallel to the contour lines.
• The output labels will be orientated perpendicular to the label path line: a vertical line will result in
horizontal labels). The label path line start point is used as the label ‘up’ direction. Drawing label
path lines from left to right, and from top to bottom of the mapper window, will therefore generally
result in logically orientated labels (i.e. upright). Note that line directions can be reversed using
the Discover>Object Editing>Change Line Direction tool.
• To orientate all labels horizontally (i.e. ignore label path line directions), select all labels, and
select the Discover>Map Making>Format Text menu option. Tick Alter text labels, and set the
New Angle to 0. All labels will be rotated so that they are horizontal.
• A small number of label path lines can be quite effective, particularly when placed along major
features such as ridge lines and gullies.
The Contour Label Positioner will label all intersecting contour lines by default. This option can be
disabled, allowing only specific contour levels to be labelled (the examples pictured label only the 5m
and 10m contours). These labels can be saved to a new or existing table. If a new table is created, it
will include a Cont_Label field attributed with the appropriate contour value.
Note: As with all MapInfo Discover labelling tools, it is recommended to first create labels in the cosmetic
layer in order to refine their size (using the font size and scale controls). These can be easily
cleared using Map>Clear Cosmetic Layer. Once a satisfactory label size has found, either specify
a new table to create the labels into (from within the tool), or save the cosmetic layer to a new table.
Note however that labels saved to the cosmetic layer do not store the contour value as an attribute.
Format Text
DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Format Text
Sets the current font style or, if objects are selected, reformats text for a specified output scale.
Use this tool to reset text size when you change the scale of the map window.
Displays the Format Text dialog box.
Related tasks: Formatting text
Format Text dialog box

Related tasks: Formatting text
Font size
Map scale
Aa (text style)
Set the text style. Displays the MapInfo Pro Text Style dialog box.

Discover tab
Change text angle

Select to change the text angle.
Angle
Type the text angle in degrees anticlockwise from horizontal. An angle of 90 is vertically up and
270 is vertically down.
Label Angles
DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Label Angles
Changes the angle of labels of all objects in a map layer.
Displays the Label Angles dialog box.

Related tasks: Modifying label angles
Label Angles dialog box

Related tasks: Modifying label angles
Layer
Select a layer from the active map window.
Angle
Type an angle in degrees anticlockwise from horizontal. An angle of 90 is vertically up and 270 is
vertically down.
If the labels for this layer are not displayed, they are displayed. To store the labels for later use,
you must save a workspace for the map.
Colour Labels
DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Colour Labels
Recolour text labels with colour patterns defined in the drillhole display module. You can use
any colour pattern that has been defined in the drillhole display module, and colour the text
objects based on the text string or on the value in a column.
Displays the Colour Objects dialog box.
Related tasks: Colouring text labels with a legend

Discover tab
Colour Objects dialog box

Related tasks: Colouring text labels with a legend
Colour labels in table
The table containing the text column.
Column
The column containing the text that you want to colour.
Colour pattern
Colour pattern (defined in drillhole display module).
Labels from Table

DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Labels from Table
Update the text in text objects with text from the same table or a different table. When updating
text from a different table, the two tables are joined by record number. If the record order in the
two tables is not appropriate, then join the two tables using SQL.
Displays the Labels from Table dialog box.
Related tasks: Updating text labels from a table
Labels from Table dialog box

Related tasks: Updating text labels from a table
Update labels in table
The table containing the text column that you want to update.
Column
The column containing the text that you want to update.
Using text from table
The table containing the update text column.
Column
The column containing the update text.
Table from Labels

DISCOVER>Output>Labels>Table from Labels
Adds text labels to a column in the browser window. This feature is especially useful when
labelling files.
Displays the Table from Labels dialog box.
Related tasks: Updating a table from text labels

Discover tab
Table from Labels dialog box

Related tasks: Updating a table from text labels
Add labels from table
The table containing the text column.
Column
The column containing the text that you want to add.
Window Animator
DISCOVER>Output>Window Animator
Captures a series of map window views which can be then be viewed as a continuous animation
sequence within MapInfo Pro. Alternatively, the animation sequence can be exported as a
movie file, which can be replayed through standard video software such as Microsoft Media
Player. The tool can be used to enhance presentations by adding new data layers to a map window to
show the exploration history of a project area or to show the relationship between local and regional
exploration features.
Related tasks: Making movies and animations from a map window
Displays the Window Animator dialog box.
Follow these guidelines to get the best results when creating animations:
• Make sure that the map window containing the data to be used in the animation is not maximized.
If the map window is maximized, click the Restore Down button to float the window.
• An animation file can only be created from within a single mapper window.
• Do not adjust the extents or size of the mapper window at anytime during the animation creation.
For instructions on creating, editing and viewing animations, see Making movies and animations from
a map window.
Window Animator dialog box

The Windows Animator has two dialog tabs:
• Create/Edit tab: Create new and edit existing animation files.
• Play tab: Load a saved animation file or play the animation file through a mapper window in
MapInfo Pro.
Create/Edit tab
Frames
Lists the created frame records (captured window layers).

Discover tab
Frames list
Name
To rename the frame, click the frame record to edit.
Timing
The time interval the frame is displayed in an animation. Click the controls to increase or decrease.
New
Captures the active mapper window and adds the frame to the Frame list.
Note: Do not adjust the mapper window dimensions using the cursor while creating the frame views as
this will adversely affect the animation or movie file generation.
Update
Replaces the selected frame from the active map window.
Delete
Deletes the selected frame.
Frame order controls
Click a frame and then use the controls to change the frame order.
Save
Saves the frames in the defined order and with the defined timings as an animation (.ANI) file.
Create Movie
Saves the animation in AVI movie file format, which you can replay in most Windows movie
players. Displays the Video Compression dialog box, from which you can choose a video
compression option.
Preview
Displays a preview of the captured mapper window
Lock window size
Select after creating the first frame so that all subsequent frames are the same size.
Preview Selected Frames
Click to display the selected frame.
Note: The animation file is similar to a MapInfo Pro Workspace. The animation file stores information
such as the map window dimensions, full file paths for all layers open in the map window, zoom
parameters, amount of time each view is displayed along with details relating to thematic map
layers, labels, style overrides, and such. When the animation file is first loaded, MapInfo Discover
opens each of the tables from the file path listed when the animation was created. Therefore, if any
of the tables referenced in the animation file are moved or delete, the animation will not load
correctly.

Discover tab
Play tab
Loads and plays an animation file. Use this tab to review the animation sequence.
Load animation file
File
Click the Open button to locate and select the animation (.ANI) file.
Playback controls
Use the playback controls to review the loaded animation file.
Play
Plays the animation file starting from the frame selected on the Create/Edit tab.
Stop
Stops the animation playback.
Pause
Suspends the animation playback. Click Play to resume.
Hide dialog during playback
Hides the Window Animator dialog box during the playback.
Note: If the Hide dialog during playback box is enabled, the Stop and Pause buttons are not available
during the playback.
Video Compression dialog box

Select a compression option when saving a movie file. Even simple animations can have an
uncompressed size of ten to hundreds of MB.
PROJECTION
Projection Info
DISCOVER>Projection>Projection Info
Displays coordinate system details for the active map window. You can use the information in
this window, together with the MapInfo Pro Help and User Guide documentation on Working with
Coordinate systems to understand more about how MapInfo Pro uses coordinate systems and
to create your own custom coordinate systems.
Related tasks: Displaying mapper projection details

Discover tab
Favourite Projection
DISCOVER>Projection>Favourite Projection
Maintains a list of frequently used map projections, which you can apply to the active map
window. Projections in this list are displayed whenever a MapInfo Discover tool requires a
projection to be assigned.
Displays the Favourite Projections dialog box.
Related tasks: Saving and applying map projections
Favourite Projections dialog box

Projections
Displays the list of favourite projections.
Up and Down
Use the up and down buttons to reorder the projections in the list.
Add
Adds a new projection to the favourites list. Displays the Choose Projection dialog box, from which
you can select the projection category and member.
Remove
Removes the selected projection from the favourites list.
Apply
Applies the selected projection to the active map window.
Choose Projection dialog box

Category
Select a projection category.
Category members
Select a member from the selected category.
Update Coordinates
DISCOVER>Projection>Update Coordinates
Adds or updates map object coordinates in either a browser or a map window using coordinates
from either a map window or a browser. For example, you can place the coordinate positions of
sample points or collar locations into X and Y data columns in the same MapInfo Pro table.
Alternatively, if new survey data has become available, update the position of existing map objects with
new coordinates from X and Y data columns in the browser.

Discover tab
Displays the Update Coordinates dialog box.

Related tasks: Updating coordinates
Update Coordinates dialog box

Related tasks: Updating coordinates
Table to update
Select the table that you want to update.
Projection
• Auto: Calculate coordinates using the native projection of the table, that is, the projection in
which the original map objects were created.
• Other: Calculate coordinates in a projection that is different from the table. The Choose
Projection dialog box is displayed, from which you can select a projection category and
member. For example, you can use this option to add Lat/Lon coordinates to points in AMG
coordinates, or to update points using data recorded in a different coordinate system.
Update mode
• Mapper -> Browser: Update coordinates in a table from map object positions in the map
window.
• Browser -> Mapper: Update object locations in the map window with new coordinates from a
table.
Field assignment
X Coordinate
Select the column in the table that contains the X-coordinate. If this column does not exist, select
<New Column> to display the New Column Name dialog box.
Y Coordinate
Select the column in the table that contains the Y-coordinate. If this column does not exist, select
<New Column> to display the New Column Name dialog box.
Note: This tool is best suited to updating point data, but coordinates for polyline and polygon map objects
can also be calculated using the centroid X and Y coordinates.
New Column Name dialog box

Related tasks: Update Coordinates dialog box
Type the name for the new column. Names must not contain spaces.
Custom Transform
DISCOVER>Projection>Custom Transform

Discover tab
Converts coordinates from one coordinate system to another based on various coordinate
transformation parameters. The transformed data is stored in a new table with a suffix “_trans”.
and displayed in map or browser window.
Displays the Custom Transform dialog box.
Related tasks: Coordinate transformations
Custom Transform dialog box

Note: This tool does not support transforming to or from a lat-long projection.
Note: Raster images and grid surfaces cannot be transformed with the Custom Transform tool. For image
reprojection, use IMAGES>Image Tools>Reproject Image.
Transformation table
Select a table from the list of all open tables. Only native MapInfo Pro or TAB files connected to an
editable source table can be transformed. TAB files connected to read-only files (Excel or text files,
for example) will not be displayed and must be first saved to a native MapInfo Pro table.
Transformation target
• E, N data columns: Transform X and Y coordinate columns into new columns in the same
table.
Note: The new X and Y columns must be created before the transformation is performed. To add new
data columns to the table use TABLE>Maintenance>Table Structure before running Transform
Coordinates.
• Map objects: Transform map objects (including complex regions and polylines) from one
coordinate system to another. Transformed map objects are saved to an output table with a
“_trans” suffix.
Transformation type
• Plane – A simple, linear transformation defined by a scaling factor and two pairs of common
coordinates or one pair of coordinates and a bearing difference. The plane transformation can
provide only rotation and shift.
• Affine – A linear transformation with separate scaling, rotation and shift along the X and Y
axes. This is an extremely useful transformation and can be used where you need to adjust
from an unknown coordinate system such as a local mine grid to UTM. For example,
transform a non-earth local grid to MGA94 (GDA94) Zone 54.
• Projective – Projective transformations map lines to lines. Straight lines remain straight but
parallelism may not be preserved. A minimum of four control points are required for a
projective transformation.
• Conformal – Conformal transformations preserve shapes and angles and may include a
rotation, a scaling and a translation. Straight lines and parallel lines remain straight and
parallel in the transformed image. A minimum of three control points are required for a
conformal transformation.

Discover tab
• Polynomial Transformations – Polynomial transformations are higher-order, non-linear

transformations which can handle more complex local distortions. Polynomial transformations
are smooth and are also known as ‘rubber-sheet’ transformations as they enable parts of an
image to be stretched or warped to fit the control points. A minimum of six control points for
2nd order polynomial and ten control points for 3rd order polynomial transformations is
required.
Control Point Table
Click to load the control point table.
Simple affine projection
The control point table for a simple affine data transformation must contain four columns, which
read from left to right are Local_Easting, Local_Northing, UTM_Easting and UTM_Northing.
Custom affine projection
The control point table for a custom affine projection transformation must contain four columns,
which read from left to right are UTM_Easting, UTM_Northing, Local_Easting and
Local_Northing.
The naming convention of the column headings is not important, but the order of the columns is
critical.
The control table must contain at least 3 points located in both local non-earth grid and real-earth
projected coordinates. The greater the number of control points provided, the more accurate the
final transformation (depending on the precision of the control points).
The affine transformation method is based on using a Ground Control Point table with a set of
known points in both the non-earth and a known projection space. The method will use these to
determine a set of affine transformation parameters which are the best fit for the given control
points, using a least squares method to minimize the misfit.
Calculate parameters only
Select to display the calculated transformation coefficients without transforming the data.
Show transform parameters
Select to display the transformation coefficients, residuals and standard deviation information.
These parameters are saved to a text file named MAPTRAN.LOG in the Discover temporary
directory.
Make affine coord. system
Create a custom affine projection, which is available for selection when creating and saving tables
or setting the projection of a map window.
The custom projection transformation parameters relate the local grid to real-world coordinates,
enabling MapInfo Pro to overlay UTM or lat-long data with data collected in the local grid system.
To create a custom affine projection, make sure that the following options have been selected:
• Under Transformation Target, select Map Objects.
• Select a control point table suitable for a custom affine projection (see above).

Discover tab
MapInfo Discover will create the affine transformation and add the custom coordinate system
description to the MAPTRAN.LOG file.
For information on adding an affine projection to the MAPINFOW.PRJ file, see Affine
transformation. For information on applying the projection in MapInfo Pro, see Using a custom
affine projection in MapInfo Pro. For more information on creating custom projections, refer to the
MapInfo Pro User Guide.
Transform Coordinates dialog box

Choose a grid transform
Click to select an existing transform, or select <Add new transform>. Existing transform settings
cannot be edited.
Transform coords now
In addition to transforming coordinates from table columns or map objects, single sets of
coordinates can be entered for immediate transformation. Check the Transform coords now box.
Enter the current X and Y coordinate to transform into the appropriate windows. Click the
Calculate button to run the transform calculation. The new coordinates are displayed in the dialog
box.
Define transformation by
• Origin, bearing: Specify the coordinates of the origin in the current and new coordinate
systems and a rotation angle.
• Two sets of coords: Specify the coordinates of two points in both coordinate systems.
Transform coordinates
(Available when the Transform coords now option is selected)
Type the current X and Y coordinates that you want to transform.
Calculate
Click to calculate the transformed coordinates.
To
Displays the transformed X and Y coordinate values.
Transform columns
(Available when the E, N data columns option was selected in the Custom Transform dialog box)
Select the X and Y data columns containing the current coordinates.
Into columns
(Available when the E, N data columns option was selected in the Custom Transform dialog box)
Select the X and Y data columns in which the new coordinates will be stored.
Note: To add new data columns to the table use Table>Maintenance>Table Structure before running
Transform Coordinates.

Discover tab
Origin and bearing method

Scale factor
Type the scale factor. The scale factor is typically used to correct for curvature or a change in the
units of measurement. To convert feet to metres type a scale factor of 0.3048.
Common coords of point
Type the current origin coordinates in the Current coords boxes and the new origin in the New
coords boxes.
Bearing offset
Type the rotation angle between the two coordinate systems. Angle is positive clockwise from the
current coordinate system.
Two point method
Point 1
Type the current coordinates of the first point in the Current coords boxes and the new
coordinates in the New coords boxes.
Point 2
Type the current coordinates of the first point in the Current coords boxes and the new
coordinates in the New coords boxes.
Add
Click to name and save the transformation settings, which you can load from the Choose a grid
transform box. Plane transformation settings are saved to the LGTRANS table (located in the
Discover configuration folder). Transformations can also be modified from the LGTRANS browser
window.
Note: Saved transformation settings can also be used with the DISCOVER>Map Grid and
DISCOVER>Scaled Output tools to display a local (non-earth) grid and a map (projected real-
world) grid in the same map window.
Delete
Click to delete the transformation settings selected in the Choose a grid transform box.
Reproject Coordinates
DISCOVER>Projection>Reproject>Reproject Coordinates
Reprojects data captured in one coordinate system in a new coordinate system. For example,
vector data captured in Australian AGD84 coordinates can be reprojected into GDA94
coordinates. Vector data can be reprojected between projected (e.g. UTM), geographic (e.g. lat-
long) and custom coordinate systems. The tool works in the same way as the MapInfo Pro Save Copy
As tool but has been designed specifically to incorporate the NTv2 grid shift transformation parameters
for selected Canadian and Australian projections.
Displays the Reproject Coordinates dialog box.
Related tasks: Reprojecting coordinates

Discover tab
Reproject Coordinates dialog box

Related tasks: Reprojecting coordinates
Input file
Filename
Select the table from the list of open tables.
Projection
Displays the native projection of the selected input table.
Note: If the projection is not recognized, copy the projection from the MapInfow.prj to the Encom.prj file,
which is located in the C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Common\Projections
folder.
Output file
Filename
By default, the reprojected table is named by adding “_reprojected” to the input table name. Click
the box to edit, or click the Open button and select a new name and location for the reprojected
table.
Projection
Click Choose to display the Choose Projection dialog box, from which you can choose a projection
category and member.
Use NTv2 grid shift
Select when reprojecting images between NAD27 and NAD83 Canadian coordinate systems or
AGD66 and AGD84 Australian systems. If you are not familiar with this method see NTv2
transformation for more information about this option.
Multi-Table Reproject
DISCOVER>Projection>Reproject>Multi-Table Reproject
Reproject multiple tables to a new coordinate system.
Related tasks: Reprojecting multiple vector tables
Reproject Image
DISCOVER>Projection>Reproject>Reproject Image
Reproject raster images into a new coordinate system.
Also available from IMAGES tab.
Related tasks: Reprojecting an image

Discover tab
WINDOWS
Mapper State
DISCOVER>Windows>Mapper State
Saves the position, size, centre point and zoom width of the active map window and restores
saved states. Use to restore a map window that is used in a layout window after you have
zoomed or panned across the map window.
Related tasks: Saving and restoring the mapper state
Standard Views
DISCOVER>Windows>Standard Views
Saves the current map window geographic extents and window dimensions and restores saved
views to the current map window. By storing the geographical extents over a project area or area
of interest the current map window view can be quickly re-positioned over the location defined
by the selected view. Standard Views can be used with any open datasets and are independent of the
current map window projection.
Displays the Standard Views dialog box.
Related tasks: Saving and applying view settings
Standard Views dialog box

View Description
Displays the list of saved views.
Restore View
Restores the geographical extents of the selected view to the active map window.
Restore View & Size
Restores the geographical extents and amp window dimensions of the selected view to the active
map window.
Up and Down
Use the up and down buttons to reorder the view list.
Add
Adds the view extents in the active map window. Displays the Add View dialog box from which you
can name the view.
Delete
Deletes the selected view.

Discover tab
Add View dialog box

Description
Type a name for the saved view.
Cursor Setup
DISCOVER>Windows>Link>Cursor Setup
Use Cursor Setup to display the same geographic location in separate mapper windows by
placing a symbol at the same position as selected in one linked window. If the cursor position is
not visible in a linked map window the mapper can be panned to show the selected location.
Displays the Cursor Position dialog box.
Related tasks: Linking map windows
Cursor Position dialog box

Select mappers
Select the map windows to display the cursor locator symbol.
Symbol
Click to select the symbol style. Displays the MapInfo Pro Symbol Style dialog box.
Select All
Select all open mapper windows.
Unselect All
Clear all mapper windows.
Pan mapper to show cursor position
When the cursor position selected in one mapper is not currently visible in another mapper, select
the check box to pan the map window view to show the cursor position.
Cursor On
DISCOVER>Windows>Link>Cursor On
Turn on the cursor position display in linked mapper windows.
Related tasks: Show cursor position in linked windows
Cursor Off
DISCOVER>Windows>Link>Cursor Off

Discover tab
Turn off the cursor position display.
Related tasks: Show cursor position in linked windows
Map Linking
DISCOVER>Windows>Link>Map Linking
Geographically links mapper windows so that any pan or zoom applied to one mapper window
is automatically applied to all other map windows included in the linked group.
Displays the Map Linking dialog box.
Map Linking dialog box

Mapper to link
Displays all open mapper windows and their projections. Select a check box to link the mapper
window.
Select All
Links all open mapper windows.
Unselect All
Unlinks all mapper windows. You can also unlink a mapper window by right-clicking inside the
mapper window and clearing the Link this map option on the shortcut menu.
Linking method
Fixed extents
The windows are synchronized so that the window centre point and the X axis extents are always
visible in the map window regardless of either the map scale or the window dimensions.
Fixed scale
Following a pan or zoom, the new map centre and scale are applied to the other linked mappers.
Thus, each linked mapper window has the same centre coordinate and scale but the amount of
data shown in each depends on the individual window size and dimensions.
Map Size
DISCOVER>Windows>Link>Map Size
Resizes and redisplays all map windows that are linked to the current map window. This allows
for easy comparison of the same area between the linked map windows.
Related tasks: Matching the sizes of linked windows

Discover tab
DATA ENTRY
Picklist Manager
DISCOVER>Data Entry>Setup>Picklist Manager
Use this tool to manage picklist styles by either modifying existing picklists or creating new
picklists by importing from external files or creating a brand new picklist.
Related tasks: Creating and managing picklists
Setup Table
DISCOVER>Data Entry>Setup>Setup Table
Configure tables with validation rules and defaults for data entry.
Related tasks: Configure table for data entry
Record Entry
DISCOVER>Data Entry>Capture>Record Entry
Enter valid data into a MapInfo Pro table via a streamlined, dockable single record form.
Related tasks: Single record data entry
Enter Data
DISCOVER>Data Entry>Capture>Enter Data
Digitize spatial or enter non-spatial validated data with attributes.
Related tasks: Enter or digitize table data and map objects
Structural Symbols
DISCOVER>Data Entry>Capture>Structural Symbols
Use this tool to apply structural symbols to a point dataset.
Related tasks: Applying structural styles from a picklist

Discover tab
Apply Picklist
DISCOVER>Data Entry>Apply>Apply Picklist
Use this tool to apply multiple selected picklist styles to map objects in a table either permanently
or as a thematic map.
Related tasks: Applying multiple styles from a picklist
Apply Style
DISCOVER>Data Entry>Apply>Apply Style
Use this tool to apply a single picklist style to either selected map objects or to newly created
map objects.
Related tasks: Applying a single style from a picklist

26 - Images tab
Tools are listed in left-to-right order as they appear on the IMAGES tab in
list of all tools.
In this section
Image Tools
Rectify Image 602
Map to Image 602
Reproject Image 603
Convert Image 603
Modify Image 603
Clip Image 604
Rotate Image 604
Filter Image 604
Enhance Image 604
Properties Image 604
Images tab
IMAGE TOOLS
Rectify Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Rectify Image
Load raster images and perform image transformations (rubber sheeting) to correctly register an
image to a selected coordinate system.
Related tasks: Registering and rectifying raster images
Map to Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Map to Image
Saves the active map window as a raster image (.BMP, .PNG, .JPEG, .TIF, or .GEOTIFF) and
opens the image as a fully registered map in the same coordinate system as the original map
window. The image will be cropped at the current window dimensions. Use to crop large images,
or to convert multiple layers into a single image, or to convert a vector geology map into an image that
can be overlain on a magnetic or gravity image with a set transparency.
Displays the Map to Image dialog box.
Related tasks: Saving a map window as a registered raster image
Map to Image dialog box

Select window to save
Select the map window to be converted to a registered raster image.
Preview
Displays the image from the selected window.
Output options
Image type
Select a raster image type: BMP, PNG, JPEG, TIF, or GEOTIFF. Note that Discover Mobile does
not support PNG.
Detail
1x saves the map at screen resolution (96 dpi). 2x will save the map with the same dimensions but
at twice the resolution. Increasing the detail level increases the display size and file size of the
image.
Transparency
Apply transparency to the entire image. Type 0 for an opaque image.
Set background transparent
Click to set the white background as transparent.

Images tab
Create world file

Creates the georeferenced raster image in a portable world file format that can be read by third-
party application software. A world file is a six-line text header file that contains information relating
to the image pixel size in X and Y direction, rotation of row or columns and the X and Y coordinates
of the centre of the image top left pixel. Depending on the raster type selected for the registered
raster image, a world file may have one of the following file extensions: .PGW, .JEW, .BPW or
.TFW. Third-party software programs can read and use this information along with an entered
projection to view the raster image in the correct geographical location.
Note: You can add a black border around the raster image with the Print border for map window option
under PRO>Options>Devices>Output Settings>Printing.
Note: Problems may be encountered when saving a map to registered raster if the operating system
display adapter DPI settings are customized and specify a scale percentage greater than 100%.
This may result in the raster image being offset some distance from the original map window data.
Setting the display adapter DPI scale percentage back to 100% should correct the problem.
Reproject Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Reproject Image
Reproject raster images into a new coordinate system.
Also available from DISCOVER tab under the Reproject button.
Related tasks: Reprojecting an image
Convert Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Convert Image
Save an existing image in a new image file format.
Related tasks: Converting an image to another format
Modify Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Modify Image
Apply transparency to the image.
Related tasks: Setting image transparency

Images tab
Clip Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Clip Image
Clip a raster image to a region.
Related tasks: Clipping an image
Rotate Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Rotate Image
Rotate image by specified angle.
Related tasks: Rotating an image
Filter Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Filter Image
Apply smoothing and edge detection filters to image.
Related tasks: Applying image filters
Enhance Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Enhance Image
Adjust image contrast and brightness and modify colour and gamma Red, Green, Blue
channels.
Related tasks: Enhancing an image
Properties Image
IMAGES>Image Tools>Properties Image
View image file size, projection, X and Y coordinate extents, number of rows and columns, total
pixels, image type and metadata.
Related tasks: Displaying image properties

27 - Analysis tab
Tools are listed in left-to-right order as they appear on the ANALYSIS tab in
list of all tools.
In this section
Statistics
Data Statistics 606
Data Classification 609
Trivariate Classification 614
Data Normalisation 617
Correlation Matrix 618
Assign Values 619
Raster
Hydrology 621
Geophysical Filters 621
Contour Labels 626
Contour Label Positioner 626
Display
Graphing 626
Graph Overlay 626
Stacked Profiles 626
Traverse Lines 628
Plot Vectors 631
Structural Symbols 633
Tenements
Create Application 633
Create State Grid 633
Tenement Search 633
Manage
Legend Editor 633
Colour Table Editor 633
Analysis tab
STATISTICS
Data Statistics
ANALYSIS>Statistics>Data Statistics
Computes standard statistical results for multiple elements in a geochemical data table.
Statistics can be calculated for a selected group within a mixed sample population.
Displays the Data Statistics dialog box.
Related tasks: Computing summary statistics
Data Statistics dialog box

Related tasks: Computing summary statistics
Select table
Select the data table you want to analyse.
Select fields
Click to select an assay field. To select multiple fields, click the first field and drag to select
consecutive fields, or hold the CTRL key to select non-consecutive fields.
Select group field
To calculate statistics by group, click the box and select a group field. Results are reported for each
unique value in the group field. To calculate statistics for the entire population, click the box and
select <No Grouping>.
Select statistics
Click one or more statistical operations:
• Count: Total number of samples in dataset
• Count valid: Number of samples used in the statistical calculation
• Count invalid: Number of samples not used in the statistical calculation. Any samples set to
null in the Data handling options are invalid samples.
• Min: Minimum assay value
• Max: Maximum assay value
• Sum : Sum of assay values
• Mean: Sum of assay values divided by number of samples
• Median: Middle assay value or 50th percentile of ordered assay values. Median of even
number of samples calculated using mean of two middle assay values.
• Range: Maximum assay value minus minimum assay value
• Mode: Assay value that occurs most frequently
• RMS (root mean square): Square root of the mean of the squares of each assay value.

Analysis tab
• Geometric mean: Used for positively skewed distributions. Nth root of the product of the
assay values.
• Harmonic mean: Sum of the reciprocals of each assay value divided by the number of
samples.
• Trimmed mean: Remove a percentage of the largest and smallest assay values and re-
calculate arithmetic mean on trimmed dataset.
• Median dev. mean: Median deviation from the mean
• Median dev. median: Median deviation from the median
• Variance: Measure of the spread within a dataset. Average squared deviation of set of assay
values from their mean.
• Standard deviation: Measure of the spread within a dataset. Square root of the variance.
• Skewness: Estimate of asymmetry of a distribution compared with a normal distribution.
• Kurtosis: Degree of peakness or flatness of a distribution compared with a normal
distribution.
• Interquartile range: Measure of the spread within a dataset. Difference between the 75th
(3rd) and 25th (1st) quartiles.
• Sum of squares: Sum of the square of each assay value
• Percentile: Division of a dataset into one hundred groups containing equal numbers of
samples. Each percentile represents the proportion of samples that lie below this value; e.g.
60% of data lies below the 60th percentile, 95% of data lies below the 95th percentile, etc.
• Count = 0: Number of samples with zero assay value
• Count < 0: Number of samples with assay values less than zero
• Count of minimum: Number of samples with minimum assay value
• Percent of minimum: Percentage of samples with minimum assay value
• Percent = null: Percentage of invalid samples
Use this option to ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the data table. Opens
Data Handling Options dialog box. For more information, see Pre-processing and cleaning data.
Output table
The default output table is named by adding the extension _Stats to the original table name and
saved to the same directory. To change the output name, type the name in the box. The results
table is created and opened in a new browser window.

Analysis tab
Data Handling Options dialog box

Related tasks: Pre-processing and cleaning data
Numeric Value
Set negative values to
Replaces all negative values in the table. Select the check box and type Null or a numeric value
in the box.
Multiply negative values by
Multiplies all negative values in the table. Select the check box and type a numeric value in the box.
Set non-numeric values to
Replaces all non-numeric values in the table. Select the check box and type Null or a numeric
value in the box.
Set all zero values to
Replaces all zero values in the table. Select the check box and type Null or a numeric value in the
box.
Custom assign values from template table
Apply multiple replacement values from a template. The template must be created and open in
MapInfo Pro before it can be selected. The template must contain three fields: the element name,
the original assay value, and the new replacement assay value. Select the check box, and then
select the template and fields.
Select template table
Select a template table. The table must be open before it can be selected.
Assign element name field
Select the field in the template table that contains the element name.
Replace any occurrence of
Select the field in the template table that contains the original value.
With a new value of
Select the field in the template table that contains the replacement value.
Output
The following options are only available when Data Output Options is selected from the Data
Levelling dialog box.
Include working columns in output table
Add processed data columns to the output table.
Scale output units to input units
Restore transformed data values to the original input units.

Analysis tab
Output null value

Replace all null values with a numeric value. Select the check box and type a numeric value in the
box.
Data Classification
ANALYSIS>Statistics>Data Classification
Point classification of data is used to segregate a dataset into groups defined by a range or
group of values. The point data can then be statistically analysed by group or range, and point
displays can be modulated by colour, size and symbol type. Classifications can be applied to
the same table and field (column) by selecting classifications concurrently on one or more classification
tabs. To modulate colour, size and symbol with separate fields, you must apply each classification
consecutively, saving the classification table between each application.
Displays the Data Classification dialog box.
Related tasks: Classifying data by colour, size, and symbol
Data Classification dialog box

Table
Select the point table you want to classify.
Column
Select the classification field in the input table.
(Classify by)
• Colour tab
• Size tab
• Symbol tab
Output Table
Three output options are available for displaying point classifications:
New
Creates a new table containing the classifications applied to the original data table. The new table
is automatically named with the _Classified extension or can be renamed by clicking Filter. The
new classification table is automatically displayed in a new map window.
Filter
Click the button to select fields in the input data table that you want added to the output table, and
to change the output table name (see Output Table dialog box).

Analysis tab
Source
Modifies the selected table in place. After classification, the table must be saved using
DISCOVER>File>Save Table.
Thematic map
Displays the classified point data as a thematic map layer.
Column
The classification field name.
Symbol
The default symbol applied to thematic points. Click the symbol to change.
Null Handling
Display null values
Select the check box to assign the default Symbol to null value data in the selected field. Click the
Symbol to change. Click Options to ignore or replace negative, zero or non-numeric values in the
data table. See Pre-processing and cleaning data.
Colour tab
Colour
Select the check box to modulate the point symbol colour by values in the selected field.
Save and load ranges
Save and load a classification table. The colour, size and symbol type are recorded in
the saved table.
Colour method
Select an auto-ranging method. The resulting range divisions and colours are displayed in the
classification table.
(Classification table)
Displays the divisions in the classification table including division label (Description). the lower
(>=) and upper (<) limits of each division, and the number of occurences in each division (Count),
which is also expressed as a percentage of the total population (%).
To edit the label, limits or colour of a division, click inside the cell and type or select the new value.
The Count and % fields are automatically updated.

Analysis tab
Values outside the lowest and highest classification divisions will be ignored. Any gaps created by
editing the range limits will be ignored.
Add or remove division
Add or remove the selected divisions in the classification table. Divisions cannot be
changed for discrete value groups, such as for non-numeric data, except for the
<Custom> classification method.
Clear all divisions
Remove all divisions in the classification table.
Colour Table
Displays the colour lookup table currently applied to the classification. Click the box to select a
different Colour Table. For information on editing and creating a Colour Table, see Creating and
editing legends.
Size tab
Size
Select the check box to modulate the point symbol size by values in the selected field.
the saved table.
Size method
Select an auto-ranging method. The resulting range divisions and sizes are displayed in the
(>=) and upper (<) limits of each division, and the number of occurrences in each division (Count),
To edit the label, limits or symbol size of a division, click inside the cell and type the new value. The
Count and % fields are automatically updated.

Analysis tab
Clear all divisions
Min
The minimum symbol size in mm.
Max
The maximum symbol size in mm.
Step
The increment of symbol size between each division.
Symbol tab
Symbol
Select the check box to modulate the point symbol type by values in the selected field.
the saved table.
Symbol method
Select an auto-ranging method. The resulting range divisions and symbols are displayed in the
(>=) and upper (<) limits of each division, and the number of occurences in each division (Count),

Analysis tab
To edit the label, limits or symbol type of a division, click inside the cell and type or select the new
value or symbol. The Count and % fields are automatically updated.
Clear all divisions
Symbol font
The current symbol font. Click the box to edit.
Output Table dialog box

Allows you to select which fields you want included in the output table and to change the name of
the output table.
Table
Click the box to edit the file name or click the browse button to select a new output folder.
Unselected fields
Fields available in the input table that are not included in the output table. To add to the output
table, select the field or fields required in this box, and then click the Add button, or click All.
Selected fields
Fields selected to be added to the output table. To remove, select the field or fields in this box,
and then click the Remove button, or click None.

Analysis tab
Trivariate Classification
ANALYSIS>Statistics>Trivariate Classification
Three elements in the selected table are assigned an RGB channel and a threshold value.
Samples that pass the thresholds for all three selected elements are displayed using the same
symbol style, colour and size. Each sample is assigned a point classification code which is
saved to a new field in the input table or a new table. Classification legends can be displayed as a
thematic legend or as a MapInfo Pro table, which can be edited and scaled. The output classifications
can be displayed as a thematic map overlay or the new point symbols can be saved to the existing
table or new table.
Displays the Trivariate Point Classification dialog box.
Related tasks: Trivariate point classification
Trivariate Point Classification dialog box

Related tasks: Trivariate point classification
Table
Select table to classify
Select the point table you want to classify. The number of records in the data table are displayed.
Channel selection
Red
Select the red channel classification field.
Green
Select the green channel classification field.
Blue
Select the blue channel classification field.
Threholded by
• Value: Type a threshold value for each channel in the adjacent boxes. The data range is
displayed to the right of the box.
• Percent: Type or select a percentage threshold for each channel in the adjacent boxes. The
• Percentile: Type or select a percentile threshold for each channel in the adjacent boxes. The
Use single threshold
Select the check box to use the same threshold (defined for the red channel) on all three channels.

Analysis tab
Output options
Save classification code to field
The classification code field name. Click the box to select a different, existing character field, or
type a new field name. The default field name is _ClassField.
The classification code is a three-digit binary number (stored as a character string) that indicates
if the value passes the threshold on each channel. For example, the code 101 indicates that the
thresholds on the R and B channels have been passed (1) but has failed (0) the threshold on the
G channel.
Set Point Styles
Displays the Set Point Styles dialog box, where you can assign point styles to each of the eight
RGB classification codes.
Display custom legend
Select the check box to display the classification as a thematic legend.
Display MapInfo legend
Select the check box to display the classification as a MapInfo Pro table.
Display/classify points that incorporate null values
Select the check box to classify and display all points in the input table. Clear the check box to
exclude those with null values.
Output type
Three output options are available for displaying point classifications:
Thematic map
Displays the classified point data as a thematic map layer.
Change source
Modifies the selected table in place. After classification, the table must be saved using
DISCOVER>File>Save Table.
Create new table
Creates a new table containing the classifications applied to the original data table. The new table
is automatically named with the _Classified extension or can be renamed by clicking New table
options. The new classification table is automatically displayed in a new map window.
New Table Options
Click the button to select columns in the original data table that you want added to the output
table, and to change the output table name. The Specify Output Table dialog box is displayed.

Analysis tab
Specify Output Table dialog box

Allows you to select which fields you want included in the output table and to change the name pf
the output table.
File name
Click the box to edit the file name or click the browse button to select a new output folder.
Include fields
Select a check box to include the field in the output table or clear to omit.
Set Point Styles dialog box

Assign a point style to each of the eight possible classification codes, that is, each RGB channel
value from 000 through 111.
Legend
Save and load point styles
Click to save point styles as a table and load a saved point styles table.
Symbol legend
Displays the symbol style assigned to each classification code. Click a symbol button to display
the Pick Symbol dialog box, where you can edit the symbol type, colour, and size.
Null symbol shape
The symbol style displayed by a null value data point.
Symbol options
Use single symbol style
Select the check box to use the same symbol type (for example, a circle or a square) for all eight
classification code values. Click the symbol button to modify.
Graduate symbol size from
Select the check box to grade the symbol size automatically. Type the minimum symbol size in the
pts box.
Pick Symbol dialog box

Edit symbol type, size and colour.
Font
Click to select a different symbol font.
Size
Click to change the symbol size.
Colour
Click to select a different colour from the colour palette.

Analysis tab
Symbol
Click a symbol type.
Data Normalisation
ANALYSIS>Statistics>Data Normalisation
Many statistical processes require data to be normally distributed. Because geochemical data
typically exhibits a log-normal distribution or is positively skewed, it must first be transformed or
“levelled” to a normal distribution. The MapInfo Discover levelling tool provides a number of
common levelling functions that can be used to normalize the data.
Displays the Data Normalisation dialog box.
Related tasks: Normalising or levelling data.
Data Normalisation dialog box

Related tasks: Normalising or levelling data
Select table to level
Select the point table you want to level.
Fields to level
Select one or more fields that you want levelled. To select multiple fields, click the first field and
drag to select consecutive fields, or hold the CTRL key to select non-consecutive fields.
Fields to level by
Select the fields that define subgroups of the population in which levelling will occur. Typically, this
will be a geology type, sample type, or analytical method. The number of distinct values in each
field selected is displayed. To select multiple fields, click the first field and drag to select
Levelling operations
• Mean: Divide each variable by the mean of the group it belongs to. This method performs
a linear transform of the data to give a response ratio or times background measure. Suitable
for normally distributed data.
• Log-mean: Log transforms each variable and divides by the mean of the group it belongs to.
This method performs a linear transform of the data to give a response ratio or times
background measure in log space. Suitable for log-normally distributed data.
• Z-score: Converts each variable to a Z-score for the group it belongs to. This method
performs a linear transform of the data into units of standard deviation centred around zero
(the mean value). Suitable for normally distributed data.

Analysis tab
• Log(Z)-score: Log transforms each variable and converts to a Z-score for the group it
belongs to. This method performs a linear transformation of the data into units of standard
deviation centred around zero (the mean value). Suitable for log-normally distributed data.
• Median: Divides each variable by the median of the group it belongs to. This method
performs a linear transform on the data to give a response ratio or times
background measure. It is very similar to the mean method but is more robust to outliers or
extreme data values. Suitable for most distributions.
• Median-MAD: Subtracts the median from each variable and divides by the
median absolute deviation (MAD) from the median for each group. This method performs a
linear transform which gives a ratio or times background measure. More robust than
the median method to outliers or extreme data values. Suitable for most distributions.
• Rank-percentile: Ranks each variable within the group it belongs to and then converts it
to the equivalent percentile value. This method performs a non-linear transform that
is suitable for most distributions.
• Rank-Gauss: Transforms variables in each category using a non-linear scaling method
so the distribution approximates a normal distribution. The results are then rank ordered. This
method performs a non-linear transform that is suitable for most distributions.
• Standard deviation: Divide assay value for each element by the background standard
deviation concentration calculated for each attribute group.
• Variance: Divide assay value for each element by the background variance concentration
calculated for each attribute group.
• Log: Apply base 10 logarithm to each assay value.
Include summary columns
Adds columns to the output table showing when a channel is higher than the threshold value after
levelling and returns the raw assay values in the same format.
Threshold
Type the threshold value used to filter the summary columns in the output table.
Output table
The default output table is named by adding the extension _Levelled to the input table name and
is saved to the same directory. To change the output name, type the name in the box. The levelled
data table is created and opened in a new browser window.
Correlation Matrix
ANALYSIS>Statistics>Correlation Matrix
The correlation matrix is a standardized variance-covariance matrix that emphasizes the relative
variation between two elements. Raw data is standardized by calculating the correlation
coefficient so all elements have a variance of one and a mean of zero. The correlation coefficient
is unit-less and is the ratio of the covariance of two elements to the product of their standard deviations.
A correlation matrix can be calculated for either an entire dataset table or a subset (Query).

Analysis tab
Displays the Correlation Statistics dialog box.

Related tasks: Computing a correlation matrix
Correlation Statistics dialog box

Related tasks: Computing a correlation matrix
Select table
Select the data table you want to analyse.
Select fields
Click to select an assay field. To select multiple fields, click the first field and drag to select
Select group field
To calculate statistics by group, click the box and select a group field. Results are reported for each
unique value in the group field. To calculate statistics for the entire population, click the box and
select <No Grouping>..
Correlation options
Output table
The default output table is named by adding the extension _CorMatrix to the original table name
and saved to the same directory. To change the output name, type the name in the box. The results
table is created and opened in a new browser window.
Assign Values
ANALYSIS>Statistics>Assign Values
This tool operates in two modes: You can either assign aggregated values of map object
attributes in one table to the containing polygon map objects in another table, or you can assign
polygon attributes in one table to contained map objects in another table.
Displays the Assign Values dialog box.
Related tasks: Assigning values to and from polygons

Analysis tab
Assign Values dialog box

Related tasks: Assigning values to and from polygons
Assignment relationship
From table
Select the table that contains the data that you want to assign. If the assign direction is Contents
to Container, this is typically a point or sample data table. If the assign direction is Container to
Contents, select a polygon data table.
From Column
Select the column that contains the data values you want to assign, or select <Expression> to
create an expression from the Expression Construction Dialog Box.
To table
Select the table that you want the attributes assigned to. If the assign direction is Contents to
Container, select a polygon data table. If the assign direction is Container to Contents, this is
typically a point or sample data table.
To column
Select the column that you want to assign the values to, or select <Expression> to create an
expression from the Expression Construction Dialog Box.
Assign direction
• Contents -> Container: Assign aggregated values of map object attributes in one table to
the containing polygon map objects in another table. For example, use this mode to calculate
a weighted mean assay value of samples within a polygon and assign the calculated value to
the polygon.
• Container -> Contents: Assign polygon attributes in one table to contained map objects in
another table. The attribute value can be either a single value (such as the polygon lithology
code), or can be created from an expression (such as the mean elevation of the polygon).
Assignment operation
When Contents to Container mode is selected,
• Frequency
• Minimum
• Maximum
• Sum
• Mean
• Median
• Weighted Mean (mean weighted by the value of another column in the contents table)
• Standard Deviation
• Mean weighted by area (multiplied by a scale factor from 106 to 10-6)

Analysis tab
RASTER
Hydrology
ANALYSIS>Raster>Hydrology
Extract drainage features and generate catchment areas for terrain models/DEM surfaces.
Related tasks: Hydrological surface analysis
Geophysical Filters
ANALYSIS>Raster>Geophysical Filters
Discover's Geophysical Filters extend Raster's powerful and extensive filtering capabilities
(such as Enhancement, Smoothing, Custom and Focal Filters) as found under
RASTER>Operations>Filter. The following functions are available:
• Apply Geophysical FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) filters, including :
• Band Pass
• Continuation
• High Pass
• Low Pass
• Reduction to Equator
• Reduction to Pole &
• Vertical Derivative filters
See Geophysical filter descriptions for more information.
• Apply Padding to grid to remove edge effects.
• Apply Fill Holes to remove internal holes within the grid, based on the surrounding grid values.
To use, ensure a raster grid is open in the current map window, and select Geophysical Filters button:

Analysis tab
The Geophysical Filters dialog with input, raw and filtered grid previews
Additional grids can be loaded from within the dialog using the Browse button. Specify the grid format
from the Files of Type entry in the Open dialog. Once loaded, the grid content is displayed in the three
preview windows.
Note: Grid Filter supports unlimited large grids, except for Grid Utilities>Fill Holes and
Convolution>Advanced filters. These are limited to 50 million cells (including padding).
Preview Windows
The Full Input Grid window displays the entire original input grid. The Raw and Filtered windows may
show either the entire grid or a portion of the input grid. The Filtered preview window displays the
output grid with the selected filters applied.
To examine the effects of the filtering process more closely position the cursor in the Raw or Filtered
preview window. When the cursor is placed in one of these preview windows initially it is displayed as
a ‘magnifying glass’. Click the left-mouse button to zoom the view inside the Raw and Filtered preview
windows. To return to the previous zoom view, click the left-mouse button again. To pan a zoomed
view, click the right-mouse button and when the cursor ‘hand’ is shown, drag the zoomed image to
display a new view.

Analysis tab
Zoom Cursor (left) and Pan Cursor (right)
If the input grid is larger than 400 x 400 rows and columns, a small rectangle is drawn over the original
grid in the Full Input Grid window. This rectangle indicates the portion of the grid that is being
processed in the other preview windows. The rectangle can be selected by the cursor and moved to a
new part of the input grid if required.
Grid Information
Grid information relating to the size, rows/columns and data within each of the three preview windows
is using the Information button. If a preview window is zoomed or has one or more filters applied the
three grids will contain different grid data content as indicated in the Grid Information dialog:
Grid Information for three preview windows with zoom and filter applied
Padding
Padding is a preprocessing step prior to performing the Convolution or Geophysical filters. This is
enabled by ticking Pad Grid before filtering.
The padding process consists of two steps:
1. Fill internal holes in the grid based on interpolating the surrounding cell values by the minimum
curvature algorithm to populate the hole cells.

Analysis tab
2. Subtract from this grid a constant value to normalize the dataset (typically the mean of median is
used).
3. Set the nulls surrounding the grid to 0, adding 0 cells to make the grid square, and a extra buffer
padding margin, as set under the Grid Filter Settings.
Note: It is recommended to always use padding, and padding is required for FFT filters.
Applying Grid Filters

The Convolution, Geophysical, and Utils buttons provide pull-down lists of available filters. Selected
filters are listed in the window beneath these buttons. A full list and description of the available grid
filters is provided in Geophysical filter descriptions. The Grid Filter dialog automatically updates to
display the effect of the selected filters. More than one filter can be applied with a cumulative result.
Note: You cannot mix Geophysical FFT and non-FFT filters in the same filtering run.
As each filter is selected, it is automatically applied to the portion of the grid displayed in the Filtered
window. The area over which the filters are applied is indicated by a square drawn in the Full Input
Grid. The raw content of this area is displayed in the Raw preview window. The combined output of
the processing steps is shown in the Filtered window.
Filters are applied in the order listed. The processing is applied such that the output of one operation
is the input of the next. This means that complex processing can be applied cumulatively. To alter the
order of operation, use the Up and Down button to the right of the operation list. To remove a selected
filter, highlight it in the filter list and click the Delete button.
The Grid Filter dialog automatically updates to display the effect of the selected filters. More than one
filter can be applied with a cumulative result. The Filter Properties area details any controls that apply
to a highlighted filter. These controls may include kernels, required wavelengths and filter
specifications.
Filling Holes
The Fill Holes grid utility is used to replace nulls in a grid by interpolating the surrounding data values.
Saving the Filtered Grid

Once the desired combination of filters has been selected and an acceptable output presented in the
Filtered preview screen, press the Save As button to create an output grid file. By default this will add
a suffix to the input grid file name denoting the filters applied and save it in the source file directory.
All files, including any temporary and optional output grids, will be stored in this output folder. You may
need up to 5 times the input grid size in disk space in this directory, to include the temporary and
optional files. To automatically display the filtered grid in a new MapInfo Pro map window after saving
to the nominated output file, check the Auto open output grid box.
Note: File names greater than 30 characters in length can be ambiguous when used with certain tools in
MapInfo Pro (such as the Layer Control). MapInfo Discover displays a warning of this limitation if
the specified output file name exceeds this limit.

Analysis tab
Grid Filter Settings

Click the Settings button to access preview display, padding options, and Fast Fourier Transform
options.:
The Show preview headings option toggles the text display in the preview screens on or off.
The Zoom level can be specified as default integer value: an entry of 5 will zoom the area to 5 rows/
columns for each one seen in the original, upper preview window.
The Padding Margin is appended to the original grid and can be saved for examination if required by
checking the Save padded grid box.
The Restore nulls in final grid will restore any internal holes from the input grid in the final output,
which is part of the unpad process. If you un-tick this, it will effectively produced a final output grid which
includes the Fill Holes filter result.
The Z offset is a constant number which is subtracted from the input grid during the padding process.
This is necessary as the grid will be padded with 0 cells, and to remove edge effects typically the input
grid needs to be normalized around 0. For certain grids a more appropriate value to normalize to is the
median or minimum or maximum values. These can be used by select Use Specified Value and
manually entering the appropriate value.
When applying a FFT filter, the transformed Frequency domain grids, both Real and Imaginary
components, can be saved by ticking Save FFT grid.

Analysis tab
Contour Labels
ANALYSIS>Raster>Contour Labels
See Polyline Labels.
Contour Label Positioner

ANALYSIS>Raster>Contour Label Positioner
See Polyline Label Positioner.
DISPLAY
Graphing
ANALYSIS>Display>Graphing
Starts the GraphMap tool.
Related tasks: Starting GraphMap

Graph Overlay
ANALYSIS>Display>Graph Overlay
Creates and saves multiple selection polygons for a particular graph.
Related tasks: Creating permanent selection regions.
Stacked Profiles
ANALYSIS>Display>Stacked Profiles
Creates a linegraph of a nominated field displayed along a traverse base line. Features include:
display multiple data channels at different scales; apply line filters; set high and low thresholds;
colour fill above or below a baseline; and linear or logarithmic scaling. The data table must
contain a column with a unique line identifier attribute (e.g. line number) and at least one numeric data
column on which to create the profile.
Displays the Stacked Profile dialog box.
Related tasks: Stacked profiles

Analysis tab
Stacked Profile dialog box

Related tasks: Stacked profiles
Input
Dataset
Displays the selected data table from which the stacked profile is generated. Click to select another
table.
Field
Select the column containing the data values to be graphed.
Line
Select the column containing the unique line identifier.
Draw across nulls
Select to continue the graph line when null values are present. Type the numerical value that
represent a null in the box.
Distance threshold
Terminate the line graph when the distance between points exceeds a threshold. Type the
threshold distance in the box.
Scale
Log/linear
Select Linear or Logarithmic graph scale.
Type
• Scale factor
• Input units per cm
Map scale
(Input units per cm)
Scale
(Input units per cm)
Auto
(Scale factor) Clear the check box and type the graph scale factor in the box.
Baseline
Choose a Minimum, Maximum, Median, Average or User Defined baseline. If selected, type the
user-defined value in the box.
Line style
Show base lines
Select the check box to display the baseline.

Analysis tab
Show field lines

Select the check box to show the graph line for the selected field. Click the style buttons to set the
line colour and line style.
Fill
Above
Select the check box to colour fill the area above the baseline or a user-defined value. Click the
colour button to set the fill colour. If <Value> is selected, type the value in the box.
Below
Select the check box to colour fill the area below the baseline or a user-defined value. Click the
colour button to set the fill colour. If <Value> is selected, type the value in the box.
Clip
Above
Select the check box to clip the graph line above a user-defined value. The maximum field value
is shown in the box.
Below
Select the check box to clip the graph line below a user-defined value. The minimum field value is
shown in the box.
Output
Profiles are saved to a table and added as a layer to the map window. Click to edit the table name
and path, or click the Open button to select a folder and file name.
Traverse Lines
ANALYSIS>Display>Traverse Lines
Interactively design traverse lines over an area of interest. A set of grid points (pegs) and
traverse lines with both map (real-world) and local grid coordinates will be generated; these can
then be used for geochemical sampling, drillhole Section Lines or geophysical surveys.
Displays the Traverse Lines dialog box.
Related tasks: Generating traverse lines and peg coordinates
Traverse Lines dialog box

Note: The Traverse Lines tool does not support Latitude/Longitude projections; ensure that the mapper
window is in a UTM projection system.
• Grid Type tab
• Grid Parameters tab

Analysis tab
Grid Type tab

Define traverse lines by
Define the traverse lines by specifying either:
• Baseline orientation: Define the orientation of the baseline along which equally spaced,
perpendicular traverse lines are generated.
• Traverse/cross line orientation: Define the orientation of a traverse line from which equally
spaced, parallel traverse lines are generated.
Grid Parameters tab

Grid direction
Build grid to [ ] side of baseline/traverse line
Generate the traverse lines left, right, or on both sides of the defined baseline or traverse line.
No. of pegs/lines to the left of baseline/traverse line
If grid is generated <Both> sides, type the no. of pegs/lines to the left of baseline/traverse line.
Define grid parameters using
Start coordinate and bearing
Define the baseline or traverse line by a starting point and line bearing.
Local grid unit
Click to select the unit of the local grid.
Two sets of coordinates
Define the baseline or traverse line by a starting point and a second point.
Grid line parameters
Specify any two of the parameters, and then click the calculator button to calculate the third. Click
the toggle button to move the calculator.
Baseline length
Type or calculate the length of the baseline.
Line spacing
Type or calculate the traverse line spacing along the baseline.
Number of lines
Type or calculate the number of traverse lines.
Grid parameters
Define Interactively on Map
Click and drag in the map window to define a baseline or traverse line. The corresponding grid
parameters are displayed in the X and Y, Baseline/Traverse line angle, Line length and Projection
boxes.

Analysis tab
Map
Displays the map coordinates of the first point of the baseline. Click in the X and Y boxes to edit.
Local
Displays the local grid coordinates of the first point of the baseline. Click in the X and Y boxes to
edit.
Baseline angle
Displays the bearing of the baseline
Projection
The native projection of the map window is displayed.
Grid parameters
Specify any two of the parameters, and then click the calculator button to calculate the third. Click
the toggle button to move the calculator.
Line length
Type or calculate the length of the traverse line.
Peg spacing
Type or calculate the peg spacing along the traverse line.
Number of pegs
Type or calculate the number of pegs. If necessary, move the calculator to the Line length box
and recalculate the line length.
Advanced Options
Displays the Advanced Options dialog box, from which you can specify peg and line numbering
and other options.
Peg symbol style
Click to display the Pick Symbol dialog box.
Output options
Create grid as point file
By default a mappable tablename_Point table will be created containing points for every peg in
both real world and local coordinates. Click the Save button to specify the tablename and location
for the output files. The peg table contains the following columns:
• PegNum: peg number
• Line: line number
• LocalX: non-earth easting coordinate
• LocalY: non-earth northing coordinate
• East: easting coordinate in the specified UTM projection
• North: northing coordinate in the specified UTM projection

Analysis tab
Create grid as line file

Select to create a tablename_Line table comprising a series of attributed grid lines.
Add to current mapper window
Select to add the output tables to the current map window. If a map window other than the original
mapper window is made active, pressing Preview will add the traverse lines to this window. This
can be useful when displaying different datasets of covering the same area in different windows.
Preview
Click to generate a preview of the resulting grid after changing the grid
Advanced Options dialog box

First line no.
Type the initial line number in the output Line field (default 1).
First peg no.
Type the initial peg number in the output PegNum field (default 1).
Peg no. increment
Type the peg number increment (default 1)
Peg no. prefix
Type a prefix to the peg numbers e.g. RH530, RH531, RH532…
Peg no. suffix
Type a suffix to the peg numbers e.g. 34 west, 35 west, 36 west
Peg numbers increase up one line then follow on down the next line
Select to numer pegs zig-zag style.
Offset alternate line by distance
Type an offset of half the peg spacing to create a diamond peg pattern.
Plot Vectors
ANALYSIS>Display>Plot Vectors
Displays velocity and flow data as oriented vectors with either a fixed vector length or with a
length proportional to a magnitude attribute in the point source table. For example, water flow,
soil creep, erosion rate, dune movement or any surface measurement which has a magnitude
and direction component can be represented in this way. The table must contain mapped point
locations, with attribute columns for the position coordinates (Easting and Northing) and the vector
azimuth. An optional column can also be added to control the length of the vector magnitude.
Displays the Plot Vectors dialog box.
Related tasks: Formatting vector objects

Analysis tab
Plot Vectors dialog box

Vector table
Select the table containing the vector data.
Re-create points
When re-running with new settings, select the check box to re-create the vector display.
Output table
Select the cosmetic layer, the input vector table (to overwrite the current table), another vector data
table, or <Create a table> (to write the vectors to a new table).
Columns
Select the vector data columns defining the position, orientation and magnitude of each vector.
Easting
Select the column containing the X coordinate.
Northing
Select the column containing the Y coordinate.
Azimuth
Select the column containing the vector azimuth.
Magnitude
(Optional) Select the column containing the vector magnitude.
Vector type
• Vector: Use the Magnitude column to modulate the length of the vector arrow.
• Scalar: Vector arrows are the same length.
Distance units
Select the distance units of the vector coordinates.
Vector style
Scale
Select the scale factor in distance units per units of magnitude.
Arrow style
Click to select the arrow line style and colour.
Arrow head
Length
Type the length of the arrow head (to suit the map scale).
Width
Type the width of the arrow head.

Analysis tab
Structural Symbols
ANALYSIS>Display>Structural Symbols
See Structural Symbols.
TENEMENTS
Create Application
ANALYSIS>Tenements>Create Application
Creates new or modifies existing applications by interactive sub-block selection, and generates
application reports automatically for entry into standard statutory application forms.
Related tasks: Apply for an Australian mineral tenement
Create State Grid

Create polygonized block and sub-block reference grids.
Related tasks: Displaying graticular state reference grid
Tenement Search
Tenement data can be searched with the Tenement Search tool.
Related tasks: Searching Australian tenements
MANAGE
Legend Editor
ANALYSIS>Manage>Legend Editor
See Legend Editor.
Colour Table Editor

ANALYSIS>Manage>Colour Table Editor
Create and modify colour tables from drillhole data and features.

Analysis tab
Colour look-up tables can be created and modified using the Colour Table Editor. The colour table
tables are stored in the folder specified under the Settings button in the colour table editor.
The format of colour table files varies depending on the saved format type. Supported types are:
• Arc/ESRII CLR (.CLR) (default)
• Surfer CLR (.CLR)
• ER Mapper (.LUT)
• Geosoft Oasis (.TBL)
Colour Table Editor dialog
Note: Some colour table files may display values or percents in additional columns of comments fields.
These are ignored by the Modify Grid Display tool and only the relative index number is used for
any colour mapping
The Colour Table Editor dialog is divided into functional areas. On the left is a scrollable list showing
all the available colour table. Beneath this list are New and Delete buttons for creating and removing
colour table tables. In the centre of the dialog the selected colour table is displayed showing the various
colour settings for each of the rows specified in the colour table with descriptive comments if required.
At the top of the dialog is the selected colour table name, an colour table description and the actual
filename. On the right of the dialog is a preview of the entire colour table as it would be applied. The
buttons at the base of the dialog are used to control the distribution of colours in the colour table.

Analysis tab
A colour table is comprised of a number of rows generally in the order of from 1 to a maximum of 256.
Each row can have a colour individually assigned, or a group of rows can be selected and the colours
distributed through the row range.
Once a colour table has been specified it can be stored using the Save button (into the colour table
directory), or into a different location and with a different format if required using the Save As button.
The above colour table formats are provided as options when the Save As dialog is displayed.
To edit any colour table, Select HSL or RGB from the Colour Interpretation pull-down list. Left-mouse
click any of the Colour cells of a row to select a colour from the standard colour palette. Use the Custom
option to create additional colours. To create a colour spread over a range of cells colour and select
two end member cells in non-adjacent rows by holding down the SHIFT or CTRL key. Click the Interp
Selection button to fill the intermediate blank cells with graduated colour. Use the Clear Cells button
to remove colour from highlighted cells.
To view the Red, Green, Blue values for each row check the Show RGB values box.
Selected cells can be all set to match the FIRST selected cell using the Duplicate button. This always
operates from the top-most selected cell down, irrespective of the order in which the cells were
selected. Extra rows can be added or deleted using the Insert or Delete Rows buttons.
Colour tables are stored and loaded from a specified folder under the Settings button. By default this
is the same folder that Drillhole Legends (.LEGS) are also stored in.

28 - Modify tab
Tools are listed in left-to-right order as they appear on the MODIFY tab in
list of all tools.
In this section
Create
Build Object 637
Object Builder 637
Voronoi Polygons 637
Update
Mulit-Column Update 637
Multi-Append 637
Insert Nodes 638
Extract Nodes 638
Unique Identifier 638
Edit
Smooth Lines 639
Reverse Line 639
Line Join 639
Line Cut 639
Line Annotation 639
Line Annotation Select 641
Thin Node Number 641
Thin Node Position 641
Clone Style 641
Donut Polygons 642
Custom Patterns 642
RGB Colourizer 644
Move
Transform Object 644
Align Objects 644
Offset Object 644
Modify tab
CREATE
Build Object
MODIFY>Create>Build Object
Create map objects with coordinates entered from the keyboard.
Related tasks: Creating and editing objects from the keyboard
Object Builder
MODIFY>Create>Object Builder
Create polyline or polygon map objects from coordinates imported from text files.
Related tasks: Creating objects from a table
Voronoi Polygons
MODIFY>Create>Voronoi Polygons
Create Voronoi regions from point data, optionally bounded by a selected boundary.
Related tasks: Creating Voronoi polygons
UPDATE
Mulit-Column Update
MODIFY>Update>Multi-Column Update
Updates columns in one table with data from columns in another table with a common joining
field, such as a sample number or drillhole name.
Related tasks: Updating multiple columns
Multi-Append
MODIFY>Update>Multi-Append
Append multiple tables with the option to order the appending sequence.
Related tasks: Appending multiple tables

Modify tab
Insert Nodes
MODIFY>Update>Nodes>Insert Nodes
Insert nodes at specified intervals from the beginning of a line or into polylines/polygons at
regular spacings between existing nodes.
Related tasks: Inserting nodes
Extract Nodes
MODIFY>Update>Nodes>Extract Nodes
Extracts nodes or line segments from a polyline or polygon. For example, extract nodes from
contour lines and reprocess the three-dimensional point data to create a new interpolation grid.
Extracted node coordinates are added to a new table as attributes.
Note: Nodes cannot be extracted from map objects in the cosmetic layer.
Displays the Extract Nodes dialog box.
Related tasks: Extracting nodes
Extract Nodes dialog box

Extraction type
Choose to select points or line segments.
Point extraction options
(Available when Extract points is selected under Extraction type.)
Symbol style
Click to set the symbol style.
Extract every N nodes
A value of 1 will extract all nodes. Type a value to sample every Nth node.
Unique Identifier
MODIFY>Update>Unique Identifier
Add a unique incrementing code to each row in a table.
Related tasks: Adding unique identifiers to table records

Modify tab
EDIT
Smooth Lines
MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Smooth Lines
Smooth polylines by applying a spline.
Related tasks: Smoothing
Reverse Line
MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Reverse Line
Reverse the direction of polylines and regions.
Related tasks: Reversing line direction
Line Join
MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Line Join
Join lines within a specified distance and angle of each other.
Related tasks: Joining
Line Cut
MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Line Cut
Cut any line or region object with a crossing line.
Related tasks: Cutting
Line Annotation
MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Line Annotation
Adds geological annotation to the selected linework. Annotation for a variety of styles can be
added at a user-specified spacing and size, and at a specific map scale.
Displays the Line Annotation Dialog Box.
Related tasks: Apply geological line styles and line annotations
Styles and symbol fonts

Modify tab
Line Annotation Dialog Box

Placement
Place every
Adds annotation at the specified spacing to the selected lines.
Place with cursor
The annotation tool will be displayed with which you can place the annotation at any position
on any line.
Annotation type
Non-text
Select a non-text annotation style from the Line annotation box. Includes line styles for faults,
synclines, shear zones, and such.
Text
Select a character from the Character to place box. ASCII codes 32 to 255 from the standard text
font are available.
Symbol
The current symbol is displayed on the Symbol to place button. Click the button to select an
different symbol from the MapInfo Pro Symbol Style dialog box. In addition to the MapInfo Pro
symbols, special symbol fonts supplied with MapInfo Discover, such as ET GeoExplore and ET
Structural, can be selected. For more information on special symbol fonts supplied with MapInfo
Discover, see Geological symbol font, Structural symbol font, Hydrographic symbol font, and
Environmental symbol font.
Annotation style
Symbol size (non-text only)
Select the symbol size in millimetres.
Font size (text and symbol only)
Select the character size in millimetres.
Map scale
Facing left/up
Annotation is placed on the line facing out towards the side or top of the map window.
Use line direction
Annotation is placed on the left or right according to the direction in which the line has been
digitized. Select this option and Facing left/up to always place annotation on the left of the line.

Modify tab
Use selected line style

Clear the check box to change the line and fill styles shown on the adjacent buttons. Click the
buttons to display the MapInfo Pro Line Style and Fill Style dialog boxes. Additional geological and
structural line styles installed with MapInfo Discover can be selected from these dialog boxes.
Save annotation to table
Select the table the annotation is stored in.
Line Annotation Select

MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Line Annotation Select
Manually place line style annotations by selecting the position of the annotation on the line with
the cursor.
Thin Node Number

MODIFY>Edit>Nodes>Thin Node Number
Reduce the number of nodes in polylines or regions by removing every nth node.
Related tasks: Removing every nth node
Thin Node Position

MODIFY>Edit>Nodes>Thin Node Position
Reduce the number of nodes in polylines or regions by removing nodes within tolerance
distance or scale.
Related tasks: Removing nodes in flat segments
Clone Style
MODIFY>Edit>Clone Style
Clone the style from an object in a MapInfo Pro table and apply to selected objects in the same
or a different table.
Related tasks: Cloning object styles

Modify tab
Donut Polygons
MODIFY>Edit>Donut Polygons
Cut-out in-lying polygons for a whole table.
Related tasks: Creating donut polygons
Custom Patterns
MODIFY>Edit>Custom Patterns
Apply transparent shading, as lines or points, to selected polygons. The shading is created as
linework or points and (if the polygon has a transparent fill pattern) does not obscure underlying
map layers, such as rasters. The shading is created in a separate table as a named pattern.
Patterns can be applied at different map scales so that you to use the same pattern on map of different
scales.
Displays the Custom Patterns Dialog Box.
Related tasks: Apply transparent fill patterns
Custom Patterns Dialog Box

Related tasks: Apply transparent fill patterns
Select from library
Click the box to select an existing pattern from the pattern library, and then click OK to apply the
pattern to the selected polygons.
Add
Define a new pattern and add it to the pattern library
Edit
Edit the selected pattern.
Delete
Delete the selected pattern from the library.
From this box, you can also:
• Choose a new pattern table
Displays the open table dialog box from which you can select a different pattern table. The
default table STPatts.TAB is stored in the Discover Config folder.
• Apply patterns by attribute
When applied, displays Apply Patterns to Selection dialog box from which you can select the
column in the selected table which contains the pattern name. Matching patterns from the
pattern library are applied to the objects in the table.

Modify tab
Specify pattern
Select this option to create and apply a new pattern. Define the pattern and then click OK to apply
to the selected polygons.
Pattern type
Select a Line, Point or Stripe pattern type. A line, brush or point style can be selected from the
normal MapInfo Pro range of line, brush and point types and colours.
You can select symbol styles from any of those available, including custom bitmaps. If you have
used a custom bitmap to fill a region, then note that the bitmaps are placed as the bottom layer in
the map and may be obscured by other non-transparent region fill styles.
Stripe patterns are made up of equal width stripes in alternating brush styles. Choose the stripe
brush styles from the full range of MapInfo Pro brush colours and fill patterns.
Note: If you combine stripes with other pattern types, the appearance of the pattern is unpredictable
because MapInfo Discover cannot control the order in which MapInfo Pro draws the different
elements in the pattern. To display these patterns together, select two pattern layers, the lower one
containing stripes, and the upper containing the other pattern.
Display polygon border
Select to show border.
Pattern density and orientation
Angle
For line and stripe patterns, type an orientation between 0 and 180 degrees (0 is vertical, and 90
is horizontal).
Spacing
The pattern spacing in map units.
Map scale
The map scale at which the pattern density is correct. If you zoom in or out, the pattern spacing
remains the same in map units, so that the pattern appears more or less dense.
Options
Append to existing SeeThru layer
By default, the shading is stored in the SeeThru layer, which is stored in the Discover Temp folder.
When you run Custom Patterns, the existing SeeThru table is overwritten. If a table named
SEETHRU is in the front map window, you can append the new shading to it.
Save As
Save the shading to a table that can be used later with a workspace.

Modify tab
RGB Colourizer
MODIFY>Edit>RGB Colourizer
Colours map objects on RGB colour schemes entered as attributes in a table or extracts RGB
values from point, line, or polygon map objects and saves them in a table.
Related tasks: Colouring map objects by RGB values
MOVE
Transform Object
MODIFY>Move>Transform Object
Apply shifting, scaling and rotation to one or more objects.
Related tasks: Moving, scaling and rotating objects
Align Objects
MODIFY>Move>Align Objects
Align the top, bottom, left, right or centre of map objects relative to each other.
Related tasks: Aligning objects
Offset Object
MODIFY>Move>Offset Object
Create a matrix of map objects at increments from a seed object.
Related tasks: Offsetting copies of an object

29 - Query tab
Tools are listed in left-to-right order as they appear on the QUERY tab in the
default ribbon layout. If you are using a customized layout, you can locate a
tool name in MapInfo Discover tools, which gives an alphabetical list of all
tools.
In this section
Text
Select by Attribute 646
Split by Attribute 647
Search and Replace 648
Table Sort 649
Map Objects
Select by Style 649
Vector Clip 650
Line Orientation 650
Location Info 651
Distance
Area Change 652
Proximity Search 653
Distance Calculator 655
Zoom
Zoom to Object 656
Window to Object 656
Query tab
TEXT
Select by Attribute
QUERY>Text>Select by Attribute
Automatically displays a list of unique attributes in a selected column, allowing easy record
selection by attribute.
Displays the Select by Attribute dialog box.
Related tasks: Selecting records by attribute
Select by Attribute dialog box

Related tasks: Selecting records by attribute
Select options
Select from table
Click to select a table.
Group on field
Click to select a column in the selected table.
Groups
Lists all unique entries in a selected column. Select values in the Unselected box and the use the
controls to add and remove values from the Selected box. To select multiple values, click and
drag, or hold down the SHIFT or CTRL key.
Any records which match the selected values will be selected.
Output
Name result selection
Select to create and name a result table containing the selected records.
Browse selection
Select to display selected records in browser window.
Map selection
Select to display selected records in a new map window.
Zoom map to selection
Select to zoom to the extents of the selected records in the active map window.

Query tab
Split by Attribute
QUERY>Text>Split by Attribute
Splits a table into multiple tables using unique attribute values in a field. For example, create
separate tables for different geological units covering a project area from a master table, extract
tenement data by holder, or split out open file geochemical data by company.
Displays the Split by Attribute dialog box.
Related tasks: Splitting tables
Split by Attribute dialog box

Related tasks: Splitting tables
Split options
Table to split
Click to select a table.
Split based on field
Click to select a column in the selected table.
Groups
A table can be split by two methods:
• Auto: Create a new table for every unique value in the selected field.
• Custom: Individually select which values are to be split or combine individual attributes into
groups for splitting. A combination of individual and grouped attributes can also be chosen.
Select values in the Selected box and the use the controls to add and remove values from
the Unselected box.
To create groups, first move the values into the Unselected box, and then select the values in
the required group. To select multiple values, click and drag, or hold down the SHIFT or CTRL
key. When you have selected all the values in a group, click the select button to display the Group
Properties dialog box, from which you can name the group. The group name will be displayed in
the Selected box.
Output options
File
The output table name for the split tables uses a stem with the value or group name extension. To
change the default stem name, click on the Save button. The {GROUP} placeholder must be part
of the output table name. Keep output table names as short as possible because MapInfo Pro
truncates table names longer than 30 characters.

Query tab
Group Properties dialog box

Group Name
Click to edit the group name.
Details
Displays the values in this group.
Search and Replace

QUERY>Text>Search and Replace
Search one or more columns in a table for a particular text string with the option to replace each
occurrence with a new string. The search result is held in a temporary table, which can be
displayed in a browser.
Displays the Text Search Dialog Box.
Related tasks: Searching and replacing text in tables
Text Search Dialog Box

Related tasks: Searching and replacing text in tables
Search in columns
Select the columns to search from the list. Click and drag to select consecutive search columns or
use the SHIFT key. Use the CTRL key to select non-consecutive search columns from the list. You
can search for characters in text and numeric columns.
Search options
Select the type of search you want to perform.
• Find text: Find text string in any string.
• Find and replace selected text: Find text string in any string and replace the search string
with the replacement string.
• Find and replace whole string: Find text strings containing the search string and replace the
whole string with the replacement string.
Case sensitive search
Select to make a case-sensitive search.
Browse selection
Select to view the selected records in a browser window. A message is otherwise displayed
showing the number of records found and replaced.

Query tab
Find
Type the characters or word that you want to search for.
Replace with
Type the text string that will replace the search string.
Table Sort
QUERY>Text>Table Sort
Permanently sort a table using one or two sort columns.
Related tasks: Sorting tables
MAP OBJECTS
Select by Style
QUERY>Map Object>Select by Style
Selects all objects in a table that have the same graphical style as the selected object. All object
types are supported including symbol, lines, polygons, and text. An object in the cosmetic layer
can also be selected.
Displays the Select by Style Dialog Box.
Related tasks: Selecting objects by graphical style
Select by Style Dialog Box

Related tasks: Selecting objects by graphical style
Get Selected Object Style
Click to display the style attributes of the selected object.
Match styles
Displays the style attributes of the selected object, which you can edit before making a selection
in the map window. Select or clear the check boxes to refine the selection criteria to select, for
example, symbols of the same colour but of any shape or size, or regions of a particular fill colour
regardless of the fill pattern or line style
Find matching objects in
Select the table that you want to search for matching objects. This can be the same as the selection
table or different table, but not the cosmetic layer.

Query tab
Output
Name result selection
Select the check box to name the selection. By default, the name is the table name plus the
extension "_selection. “ Click the box to edit.
Browse selection
View the selection in a new browser window.
Map selection
View the selection in a new browser window.
Zoom map to selection
Zoom the map window to the extents of the selected objects.
Vector Clip
QUERY>Map Object>Vector Clip
Clip and save all data from multiple tables which are intersected by the selected vector
polygon/s.
Related tasks: Clipping
Line Orientation
QUERY>Map Object>Line Orientation
Calculates the orientation of a line or polyline and adds the direction as an attribute in a selected
column in the table. This is useful when analysing tables containing linear map objects such as
faults, fold axes or creeks where no directional attributes exist.
Displays the Line Orientation dialog box.
Related tasks: Calculating line orientation
Line Orientation dialog box

Related tasks: Calculating line orientation
Add line orientation to column
Click to select the column to add the orientation data to.
Polyline orientation by
Select if you want to average the orientation for each polyline, or use the orientation of the first or
last segment.
Use angles in range
Select 0-360 degrees to use all segments, or restrict the range.

Query tab
Round by
Click to set rounding of angles.
Note: Use the MODIFY>Edit>Lines>Reverse Line tool to reverse the direction of lines if necessary.
Location Info
QUERY>Map Object>Location Info
Displays cursor position, distance and bearing between two map window locations and map
object attributes.
Displays the Location Display dialog box.
Related tasks: Displaying map coordinates, distances and bearings
Location Display dialog box

Related tasks: Displaying map coordinates, distances and bearings
Displays the cursor position coordinates continuously as the cursor moves over the map window.
The cursor position coordinates are displayed in the current map window projection.
To move the window, click and drag the window title bar. To close the window, click on the
window close button.
Select alternate projection for position
Click the button to select an additional projection for the the cursor position display. For example,
the cursor position can be viewed in UTM and lat-long coordinates or UTM and Local Grid
coordinates at the same time.
Note: The coordinates displayed in the Location Display window may appear different to those displayed
by the MapInfo Pro cursor position due to inbuilt rounding in the MapInfo Pro coordinates. MapInfo
Discover reports and displays the coordinates as reported by MapInfo Pro for the screen position.
The precision of the coordinate locations is dependent on the map window zoom level, the higher
the zoom the greater the coordinate precision.
Bearing and distance measurement
The bearing and distance values are taken relative to the last selected cursor position. To start
measuring, click a location in the map window. The measurements are updated continuously as
the cursor is moved within the map window. Click in the map window again to re-start the bearing
and distance measurements.
Note: Map objects cannot be selected using the MapInfo Pro Snap tool when selecting map window
locations for bearing and distance measurements.
Browser information
Click the Details for box to select a table to display the browser information. Move the cursor over
the map objects to view the browser entries from the selected table. To stop displaying browser
entries select <None> from the Details for box.

Query tab
DISTANCE
Area Change
QUERY>Distance>Area Change
Calculates and maps changes in area or linear features between successive tables of data. For
example, you can examine polygon changes between two tables representing data from
different time periods.
Displays the Area Change dialog box.
Related tasks: Calculating area change
Area Change dialog box

Related tasks: Calculating area change
The area change comparison is based on the polygon attributes contained in a column specified
by the user. This column may contain data such as vegetation type, habitat ID, soil class, erosion
level, etc. All the polygons in a table are grouped by this attribute and identifies differences
between polygons of the same code in the different map layers. The area change calculator is
primarily designed for polygon data; however it can also report differences in overall length of linear
data and the number of point objects between two tables.
Check changes between
Table 1
Select the first table containing the polygon or line features.
ID column
Select the polygon attribute column that you want compared. The values in this column must match
the corresponding values in the ID column of the second table.
Table 2
Select the second table containing the polygon or line features.
ID column
Select the polygon attribute column that you want compared. The values in this column must match
the corresponding values in the ID column of the first table.
Report Table
The file name and path name of the report table is displayed next to the button. Click the button to
edit.
Export report to text file
Select to export the report as a tab-delimited text file, which is saved with the same name to the
same folder as the report table.

Query tab
Map Table
The file name and path name of the map table is displayed next to the button. Click the button to
edit.
Show codes lost to/gained from
Select to add a Change column to the report, which reports the areas lost or gained for each code.
Options
Area units
Click to select the reported unit of area.
Distance units
Click to select the reported unit of distance.
(Show changes as)
Choose an option for the display of lost and gained areas.
• Show changes in same colour, new pattern: Retain original colour and apply new patterns
to lost and gained areas.
• Show changes in same pattern, new colour: Retain original pattern and apply a new
colours to lost and gained areas.
• Show changes in new colour, new pattern: Apply new colour and patterns to lost and
gained areas.
Lost area style
Click to change the fill style used to identify lost areas. The colour and pattern applied will depend
on which option is selected to show changes (colour, pattern, or both).
Gained area style
Click to change the fill style used to identify gained areas. The colour and pattern applied will
depend on which option is selected to show changes (colour, pattern, or both).
Proximity Search
QUERY>Distance>Proximity Search
Displays map objects that are located within a specified distance from one or more selected
objects. Apply additional filter criteria to returned map objects to refine proximity search. For
example, identify geochemical samples that are located within 2 km of an old mine site. The
search can be further refined to only identify samples that have a gold grade greater or equal to 2 ppm.
Alternatively, perform search for all significant copper occurrences that fall with 2 km of a selected
faults.
Displays the Proximity Search dialog box.
Related tasks: Selecting objects by proximity

Query tab
Proximity Search dialog box

Related tasks: Selecting objects by proximity
Select objects from
Select the map window layer containing the map objects that you want to select.
Buffer
Width
Type the buffer width within which the search is made. If search buffers around multiple objects
overlap, a merged boudary is created.
Resolution
Type the number of segments in the search boundary. Increase this value to smooth the boundary.
Show buffer
Select to display the search boundary in the map window. The buffer is created in the cosmetic
layer. Buffers for previous searches are retained in the cosmetic layer until either deleted or the
map window is closed.
Selection refinement
Where
Select to refine the search with a conditional expression of the form:
Field Operator Value
For example, Cu_Eq >= 250
(Field)
Click to select a column in the search layer.
(Operator)
Click to select a conditional operator:
(Value)
Type the value for the search criterion.
Output
By default, the search results are saved to the PROXSRCH temporary table.
Save to file
Select to display the Enter Output Table Name dialog box, from which you can name the output
table and select a path name. The output table name is displayed.
Browse results
Click to display search results in a browser window.
Add to mapper
Select to add the output table to the map window.

Query tab
Styles
Click the symbol, line and fill style buttons to set the style of the selected objects.
Distance Calculator
QUERY>Distance>Distance Calculator
Measures the distance and angle between points in two separate MapInfo Pro tables. For
example, determine an error distance and bearing between control points when transforming
point coordinates between two projections. The two tables must share a common field to create
the link or join between them; for example, a control point number. The join must be a one-to-one
relationship. One point in the first table can only be linked to one point in the second table.
Displays the Distance Calculator Dialog Box.
Related tasks: Calculating distances between points in separate tables
Distance Calculator Dialog Box

Related tasks: Calculating distances between points in separate tables
The distance and bearing are calculated by measuring the objects in table 1 to the objects in table
2. Objects are matched by comparing values in the key fields.
Note: This tool supports most standard MapInfo Pro coordinate systems, including geographical, UTM
and local coordinate systems.
Select tables for distance calculation
Select table 1
Select the first table.
Key field
Select the key field in the first table, which is matched to vales in the key field in the second table.
Select table 2
Select the second table.
Key field
Select the key field in the second table, which is matched to vales in the key field in the first table.
Output options
By default, the output table uses the extension “Distances” is added to the Table 1 name.
File
Click the box to edit, or click the Save button to change the output file name and path name.

Query tab
Output distance units

Click to select the units of distance. The distances between points can be calculated in any of the
available units, regardless of the projection.
Note: This tool has been primarily designed to work with point datasets. Region or line objects may be
used, however the distance and angle will be calculated from the object centroid.
ZOOM
Zoom to Object
QUERY>Zoom>Zoom to Object
Zooms the map window to the extents of the selected objects.
Related tasks: Zoom to the extents of the selected object
Window to Object
QUERY>Zoom>Window to Object
Resizes the map window to the aspect ratio of the selected object and to zoom and re-position
the map window to display the minimum bounding rectangle of the selected object.
Related tasks: Fit the map window to the selected object

30 - Drillholes tab
Tools are listed in left-to-right order as they appear on the DRILLHOLES tab
in the default ribbon layout. If you are using a customized layout, you can
list of all tools.
In this section
Manage
Open Project 659
Open Session 659
Import Project 659
New Project 659
Manage Project 659
Subset Project 660
Session Manager 660
Edit Data 660
Section Manager 660
Create
Generate Sections 660
Generate Logs 667
Downhole Data 668
Legend Editor 670
Traverse Lines 670
Output
Print Sections 670
Accept Parameters 670
Modify Parameters 671
Close 671
Section Grid 671
Create Section Legend 671
Collar Plan 671
Analyze
Grade 672
Depth 672
Attribute 672
Max/EOH 672
Alpha/Beta 672
Resource Calculator 673
Downhole Info 673
Downhole Clip 673
Downhole Merge 673
3D Coordinates 673
External data
LAS Viewer 674
LAS Template 674
LAS Import 674
WinLoG Import 674
gINT Import 674
Datamine Studio Export 675
Drillhole DXF Export 675
Section Layer Export 675
Section Image Export 675
Discover 3D
Drillhole Traces 675
Trench Traces 676
Sections 676
Section Layers 676
Logs 676
3D Coordinates 676
Drillholes tab
MANAGE
Open Project
DRILLHOLES>Manage>Open Project
Open an existing drillhole project.
Open Session
DRILLHOLES>Manage>[Open Project]>Open Session
Load drillhole project sessions.
Related tasks: Related tasks: Opening drillhole projects
Import Project
DRILLHOLES>Manage>[Open Project]>Import Project
Import a MapInfo Discover project, either from an older version or a current version project
provided by another user.
New Project
DRILLHOLES>Manage>New Project
Create a new drillhole project
Related tasks: Creating and managing drillhole projects
Manage Project
DRILLHOLES>Manage>Manage Project
Manage, export and delete drillhole projects, including modifying source table and column
assignments.
Related tasks: Creating and managing drillhole projects

Drillholes tab
Subset Project
DRILLHOLES>Manage>[Manage Project]>Subset Project
Create a new drillhole project from a selection of drillholes in an existing project.
Related tasks: Creating a subset of a project
Session Manager
DRILLHOLES>Manage>[Manage Project]>Session Manager
Save and manage drillhole project sessions containing data tables, sections and associated
tables.
Related tasks: Opening drillhole projects
Edit Data
DRILLHOLES>Manage>Edit Data
Edit the source native MapInfo Pro tables of a drillhole project.
Section Manager
DRILLHOLES>Manage>Section Manager
Manage, update and analyse project drillhole sections and plans.
Related tasks: Managing and analysing sections and plans
CREATE
Generate Sections
DRILLHOLES>Create>Generate Sections
Define parameters to create either plan or vertical drillhole section, including trenches or
costeans and polyline or fence sections.
The Generate Sections dialog box is displayed with the following tabs:
• Define tab
• Offset Multiple tab
• Annotate tab
• Downhole Data tab

Drillholes tab
• Surfaces tab
Related tasks: Creating sections and plans
Define tab
The Define tab displays controls to define the section parameters.
Display Type
Select the style of drillhole section to create. Types of sections in include plan and vertical.
Section
Setup and create a vertical drillhole section.
Plan
Setup and create a horizontal (flitch) drillhole plan.
Load Parameters
Load settings for section creation from an existing section within the
currently loaded project. Select either an open or closed existing section
from the current project to populate the section parameters.
Define Section
Select the style of section creation. Types of definitions include envelope and long.
Envelope Section
Use an envelope of a predetermined width to define which drillholes are displayed on a vertical
section.
Long Section
Display all drillholes from the current project for a defined section length.
Output
Define the section name. A section can be named with either freehand text or sourced from a field
from the selected definition line.
Section Envelope/Plane
Define vertical section parameters with an envelope. All parameters can be defined either
manually by parameter entry or line selection in the map window, or automatically via selecting
sections from the defined section line table.
Populate from Selected Line(s)
Capture vertical section parameters from a selected straight line/s in the collar map window.
Envelope width (±m)
Define an envelope width with either freehand text or sourced from a field from the selected
definition line.

Drillholes tab
Section start mE
Define easting coordinate for the start point of a definition line.
Section start mN
Define northing coordinate for the start point of a definition line.
Section orientation
Bearing/orientation of the definition line.
Section length (m)
Length of section definition line.
View direction towards
Direction the section will be viewed relative to the direction the line is drawn. If selecting multiple
lines, the direction of each section depends on the direction each line is drawn.
Plan Options
Include all downhole data
Subset all downhole data tables in plan section to enable the display of downhole data. If this
option is disabled downhole data cannot be displayed in a plan, however, the drawing time of the
plan will improve.
Central elevation (m)
Define the elevation or RL for the center point of the plan section
Envelope height (±m)
Enable this option to define the envelope dimensions around the defined central elevation height.
Select Collars to Display (Envelope section)
Refine which collars will be displayed on the envelope defined vertical section. Collars can be
selected or deselected for display on a section.
Filter available holes
Filter collars you wish to display defined in an envelope section. Select either manually or
interactively which collars to display on the section. For example, you may choose to show only
reverse circulation (RC) and diamond (DDH) holes on a section, removing rotary air blast (RAB)
and other drilling types.
Load MapInfo Selection
Filter and display only the collars selected in the collar map window.
Edit Filter
Refine the currently filtered collars.
Display complete hole traces
Display the entire drillhole trace, if this option is not checked the drillhole trace will terminate at the
envelope boundary.

Drillholes tab
Show holes intersecting at depth

Display drillhole traces which are not collared in the section envelope, but intersect the envelope
boundary at depth.
Select Collars to Display (Long section)
Define which collars will be displayed on the vertical long section. Collars can be selected or
deselected for display on a section. For example, you may choose to show diamond (DDH)
drillholes on a long section for resource work, removing all other drilling types.
Holes to Show in Plan
Define which collars will be displayed on the plan section. Collars can be selected or deselected
for display on a section.
Offset Multiple tab

The Offset Multiple tab enables multiple sections to be created from a single definition section line. This
option is only available for vertical sections defined using an envelope.
Create multiple offsetted sections
Enable to create multiple vertical sections from a single section plane.
Number of sections
Number of sections to create.
Offset distance
Distance offset between each section, the default will be double the Envelope width specified on
the Define tab.
Offset towards
Bearing/orientation the sections lines will be created. The offset bearing will be perpendicular to
the section plane.
Section name suffix
Suffix required to create individual section names. Suffix options include:
• Northing - Section name from the northing coordinate of the section.
• Easting - Section name from the easting coordinate of the section.
• A...Z - Section name generated from A to Z.
• 1...20 - Section name generated from a running number series.

Drillholes tab
Section name prefix

Optional prefix for naming multiple sections. Alternatively, it is recommended to utilize the
Traverse Lines tool to precisely generate a series of section lines, and then add these to the
drillhole project's Section Line Table for easy section creation and regeneration.
Annotate tab
The Annotate tab displays controls for scaling, labelling and depth ticks on sections.
Scaling
Scale 1:
Define a numerical scale value for defining a section. The section label sizes are dependent on the
initial scale of the section. When creating a section you need to be mindful of the final page size or
zoom level you will view the section.
Text style
Define enhanced text style attributes.
Label font size
Font size that the sections label will appear at the defined map scale.
Labels
Configure settings for section labels. Drillholes and trenches are annotated separately.
Collar Label
Enable this option to display a label at the collar intersection point on the section. Default is
[Hole_Name]
EOH Label
Enable this option to display a label at the end of hole (EOH) termination point. Default is
[Hole_Name]
Top Intersect Label
Enable this option to display a label where a drillhole enters a drillhole envelope. Default is
[Hole_Name] [Depth] [Depth_Units] (i.e. the depth of the holes entry intersection with the section
envelope in downhole units)
Bottom Intersect label
Enable this option to display a label where a drillhole exits a drillhole envelope. Default is [Depth]
[Depth_Units] (i.e. the depth of the hole's exit intersection with the section envelope in downhole
units)
Show EOH and Intersections depths labels and symbols
Display symbols for EOH terminations and envelope intersections at depth.

Drillholes tab
Ticks
Show depth ticks
Enable this option to display depth intervals and interval ticks.
Depth interval
Specify the numerical interval to display a depth tick down the drill trace.
Show labels
Enable option to display depth tick labels.
Show every nth label
Option to display depth labels between every one and tenth label.
Label offset
Specify in millimetres the label offset from the right of the drillhole trace.
Show distance infront/behind of section plane
Display label at the depth interval a distance the drill trace is either infront or behind the section
plane on a vertical section.
Label Editor dialog box

Expression
Syntax for defining the collar label. Either freehand text or predefined expressions under the
Universal Items or Project Collar Columns can be used.
Universal Items : [ ]
Label collar with key fields from the drillhole project. Default label expressions include:
[HOLE_NAME]
[HOLE_COLLAR_EAST]
[HOLE_COLLAR_NORTH]
[HOLE_COLLAR_RL]
[HOLE_BOTTOM_DEPTH]
[HOLE_AZIMUTH]
[DEPTH_UNITS]
[UNITS]
Project Collar Columns : { }
Label collar using selected fields from the project collar table, these will include an listed under the
Universal Items plus any additional fields defined in the project collar table.
Auto complete
Enable this option to pre-empt the expression being written.

Drillholes tab
Downhole Data tab

The Downhole Data tab displays controls for downhole data schemes and which downhole datasets
are used for section creation.
Use downhole data display setting
Select from the available list of downhole data display settings, created using the Downhole Data
tool, to apply to a section.
Surfaces tab
The Surface tab displays controls for displaying additional surface profiles and sections surface trace.
Topographic Profile
Display topographic/DEM surface profile
Enable this option to display a surface trace line at the collar intersection points.
Line Style
Define enhanced line style attributes for the surface line.
Additional Profiles
Enable additional surfaces to display
Absolute Position
Display additional surface in the absolute or true profile height position. This option should be
selected when the surface units can be correlated to the section height units e.g. water table,
weathering horizon, open cut pit profile.
Relative Position
Display additional surface in relative units by scaling or offsetting from the original values. This
option should be selected when the surface units are not elevation or require correcting e.g.
geochemical and geophysical grids.
Auto Vertical Offset
Select this option to use the Absolute offset value.
Specify Offset
Manually specify an offset value to display a surface on a section. Can only be used when Relative
Position is selected.
Auto Vertical Scale
Select this option to use the Absolute scale value.
Specify Scale 1:
Manually specify a scale to display a surface on a section. Can only be used when Relative
Position is selected.

Drillholes tab
Line Style
Define enhanced line style attributes for the surface line.
Options dialog box

Sections
Vertical exaggeration
By default this is 1:1. Enter a the desired exaggeration value for all sections being created. The
exaggeration is applied as:
Zvalue = ((RealZ - SectionTopZ) * Scale) + SectionTopZ
Where Zvalue is the Section window's Y value, the RealZ the raw elevation, the SectionTopZ
is the maximum collar elevation in the particular section window, and Scale the exaggeration
value entered.
Show polyline inflections
Vertical dashed lines will appear in a polyline section window indicating the node points where the
polyline bends.
Show polyline overlaps
Draws a square grid pattern over areas around a polyline node inflection point, where the buffer/
envelope is distorted.
Preview
Show envelope
Enables the red box preview in the collar map window while the Section and Plan creator is open.
Show center line
Enables the center line in the collar map window while the Section and Plan creator is open.
Generate Logs
DRILLHOLES>Create>[Generate Sections]>Generate Logs
Display downhole data in log style for individual drillholes.
Displays the Drillhole Log Display dialog box.

Related tasks: Displaying downhole logs
Drillhole Log Display dialog box

Related tasks: Define log display
Columns to Display in Log dialog box

Related tasks: Define log display

Drillholes tab
Log Display Parameters

Choose a Display Type for each data attribute column. Click the Settings button in either the
Columns to Display in Log or Drillhole Log Display dialog. The following Log Types are
available:
• Text – Numeric and non-numeric data. By default the Text Style scale box is checked to
autoscale text within drillhole log intervals. To modify text size and colour click on the Text
Style button. Display text using a Legend or check the Replace numbers with alias from
table d_abbrev box if required.
• Trace Shade - Numeric and non-numeric data. Trace shades must be displayed using an
associated Legend.
• Bargraph – Numeric data only. Bargraphs may be displayed using a Legend or select a Pen
style and Brush style to apply to all bargraph bars.
• Linegraph – Numeric data only. Linegraphs may be filled with plain colour using the Brush
style colour or from a Trace Shade Legend displayed in another drillhole log column.
Drillhole Log Display (Global Settings) dialog box

Related tasks: Global settings
Drillhole Log Display (Default Style) dialog box

Related tasks: Log display parameters
Advanced Column Log Display Settings dialog box

Change Log Display Order dialog box

Downhole Data
DRILLHOLES>Create>Downhole Data
Display downhole data variables on sections and plans as text, bargraphs, linegraphs, trace
shade or structure ticks and save as permanent display settings.
Displays the Downhole Data Display dialog box.
Related tasks: Displaying downhole data

Drillholes tab
Downhole Data Display dialog box

Related tasks: Displaying downhole data
Text
The Text display option displays data in numeric or character attribute fields as labels
for each sample or interval down the drillhole. The Text Labels Settings dialog
contains options to modify the data range displayed, text styling, positioning, orientation
and formatting of the labels on the drillhole section or plan.
Linegraphs
A Linegraph represents numeric data (such as assays) graphically as a continuous (or
discontinuous) line profile down the drillhole trace, with 'spikes' representing higher
numeric values.
Linegraph finds the mid-point of each interval, and assigns this location the interval's data value.
The size of the linegraph at this position is then a function of both the data value and a user-defined
scale (below). A linegraph / profile is then created by joining these mid-point size locations.
Linegraphs are therefore very effective for high density downhole datasets such as decimetre- or
even centimetre-scale geophysical measurements. They work best with regular/homogenous
downhole interval sizes, however if there is a large variation in downhole interval sizes (e.g. 1m vs.
10m), linegraphs can misrepresent the data as the actual interval thickness is not represented
graphically.
The Data Handling Options dialog provides a range of options for dealing with null values,
missing intervals, extreme values, and dense data.
Bargraph
Bargraph presents each downhole interval as a separate bar with the same size as
used in the linegraph, but with the bar 'thickness' correlating with the interval length. As
each bar is a polygon, bargraphs can also be colour and/or pattern modulated using a
legend. Thus bargraphs can be very useful for datasets with variable interval lengths,
but can get cluttered for very small interval lengths. Bargraphs are also slower to render than
linegraphs.
The Data Handling Options dialog box enables the capping of values and sample decimation.
Linegraphs and Bargraphs have a number of options for source data handling:
Trace Shade
The Trace Shade display type is designed for displaying downhole data such as
lithology or regolith attributes. This is achieved by displaying a polygon of set width for
each downhole interval shaded by a specified colour legend.
Structure
The Structure Tick display type enables downhole structural data measurements to
be displayed on a drillhole section. MapInfo Discover generates a line that crosses the
drill trace at the appropriate dip angle. The structure measurement may be displayed
with either true or apparent dips.

Drillholes tab

The Data Handling Options dialog enables the capping of values and sample decimation.
Legend Editor
DRILLHOLES>Create>Legend Editor
Create and modify colour tables from drillhole data and features.
Related tasks: Creating and editing legends
Traverse Lines
DRILLHOLES>Create>Traverse Lines
Interactively design traverse lines over an area of interest. A set of grid points (pegs) and
traverse lines with both map (real-world) and local grid coordinates will be generated; these can
then be used for geochemical sampling, drillhole Section Lines or geophysical surveys.
Displays the Traverse Lines dialog box.
OUTPUT
Print Sections
DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Print Sections
Create drillhole section layout ready for printing.
Related tasks: Adding sections to a layout
Accept Parameters
DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Accept Parameters
Accept the section scale and page size parameters to create scaled map.

Drillholes tab
Modify Parameters
DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Modify Parameters
Modify the section scale and page size parameters.
Close
DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Close
Close the session of section output.
Section Grid
DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Section Grid
Overlay map grid on section.
Related tasks: Adding a map grid to sections
Create Section Legend

DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Create Section Legend
The Create Section Legend tool allows a legend to be created on demand for any existing
section, polyline section or plan for both trenches and drillholes.
Related tasks: Creating section legends
Collar Plan
DRILLHOLES>Output>[Section Output]>Collar Plan
Create a plan of drillhole collars for specified section.
Related tasks: Creating a section collar plan

Drillholes tab
ANALYZE
Grade
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>[Composite]>Grade
Composite downhole data by grade, including optional high cut, distance, internal dilution and
edge grade options.
Related tasks: Downhole compositing
Depth
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>[Composite]>Depth
Composite downhole data by elevation or downhole depth.
Attribute
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>[Composite]>Attribute
Composite downhole data by attribute.
Max/EOH
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Max/EOH
Calculate maximum drillhole value for assay and EOH assay values.
Related tasks: Calculating maximum and EOH values
Alpha/Beta
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Alpha/Beta
Convert structural alpha-beta core angles to dip and dip direction.
Related tasks: Converting alpha-beta core angles

Drillholes tab
Resource Calculator
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Resource Calculator
Calculate sectional resource estimates.
Related tasks: Calculating sectional resources
Downhole Info
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Downhole Info
Select the Downhole Info tool from the Drillhole toolbar and click on a drillhole collar. The
Downhole Info dialog displays all the data in the collar table along with downhole survey data.
To view information from any downhole tables select the table from the downhole data pull-down
list.
Downhole Clip
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Downhole Clip
Intersect and clip downhole data tables with 3D solids, such as volumes and surfaces.
Related tasks: Clipping drillholes by 3D solids or surfaces
Downhole Merge
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>Downhole Merge
Merge multiple downhole tables to smallest sample interval.
Related tasks: Merging downhole tables
3D Coordinates
DRILLHOLES>Analyze>3D Coordinates
Calculate and map 3D map coordinates for a downhole data table.
Related tasks: Generating 3D coordinates

Drillholes tab
EXTERNAL DATA
LAS Viewer
DRILLHOLES>External Data>[Import]>LAS Viewer
View LAS 1.2 and 2.0 files in tabbed display.
Related tasks: LAS
LAS Template
DRILLHOLES>External Data>[Import]>LAS Template
Create and manage templates to import and append LAS files.
Related tasks: LAS
LAS Import
DRILLHOLES>External Data>[Import]>LAS Import
Import LAS 1.2 and 2.0 files into a drillhole project.
Related tasks: LAS
WinLoG Import
DRILLHOLES>External Data>[Import]>WinLoG Import
Import WinLoG drillhole database into a project.
Related tasks: WinLoG
gINT Import
DRILLHOLES>External Data>[Import]>gINT Import
Import gINT drillhole database into a project.
Related tasks: gINT

Drillholes tab

DRILLHOLES>External Data>[Export]>Datamine Studio Export
Export drillhole project as dynamic drillhole dataset.
Related tasks: Datamine Studio
Drillhole DXF Export

DRILLHOLES>External Data>[Export]>Drillhole DXF Export
Export interpolated drillhole traces to a 3D DXF file.
Related tasks: MapInfo Discover Drillhole Projects
Section Layer Export

DRILLHOLES>External Data>[Export]>Section Layer Export
Export layers from a section to registered 3D DXF file.
Related tasks: Export section layers to 3D DXF
Section Image Export

DRILLHOLES>External Data>[Export]>Section Layer Export
Export geo-referenced image to 3D.
Related tasks: EGB
DISCOVER 3D
Drillhole Traces
DRILLHOLES>Discover 3D>Drillhole Traces
Displays selected drillholes from an open MapInfo Discover drillhole project in 3D.

Drillholes tab
Trench Traces
DRILLHOLES>Discover 3D>Trench Traces
Display trenches/costeans in a open drillhole project in 3D.
Sections
DRILLHOLES>Discover 3D>Sections
Display drillhole sections created in a MapInfo Discover drillhole project as georeferenced
bitmap images in 3D.
Section Layers
DRILLHOLES>Discover 3D>Section Layers
Display drillhole section and plan boundaries created in a MapInfo Discover drillhole project as
either 3D vectors or as 3D features in 3D.
Logs
DRILLHOLES>Discover 3D>Logs
Display drillhole logs created in a MapInfo Discover drillhole project as georeferenced bitmap
images in 3D.
3D Coordinates
DRILLHOLES>Discover 3D>3D Coordinates
Calculate 3D point coordinates and displays in 2D or 3D as points.

31 - Discover 3D tab
Tools are listed in left-to-right order as they appear on the DISCOVER 3D
tab in the default ribbon layout. If you are using a customized layout, you
can locate a tool name in MapInfo Discover tools, which gives an
alphabetical list of all tools.
In this section
Manage
Open 3D Window 678
Open 3D Workspace 678
Save 3D Workspace 678
Refresh 3D Data 678
3D Selection Toggle 678
Display
Map Window 679
Vectors 679
Surfaces 679
3D Points 679
3D Lines 679
Seismic Sections 680
Drillholes
Drillhole Traces 680
Sections 680
Section Layer 680
3D Coordinates 680
Trench Traces 681
Logs 681
Utilities
Extrusion Wizard 681
Display Wizard 681
Drape Image 681
Multi-Section 682
Object Manager 682
Discover 3D tab
MANAGE
Open 3D Window
DISCOVER 3D>Manage>Open 3D Window
Opens the MapInfo Discover 3D Window.
Related tasks: Viewing data in 3D
Open 3D Workspace
DISCOVER 3D>Manage>3D Workspace>Open 3D Workspace
Opens a saved 3D session including data in the 3D window and associated tables and map
windows in MapInfo Pro.
Save 3D Workspace
DISCOVER 3D>Manage>3D Workspace>Save 3D Workspace
Saves the current workspace in both MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover 3D.
Refresh 3D Data
DISCOVER 3D>Manage>3D Workspace>Refresh 3D Data
Updates the 3D Window with changes made to associated tables that are open in MapInfo Pro/
MapInfo Discover (a drillhole project, for example).
3D Selection Toggle
DISCOVER 3D>Manage>3D Workspace>3D Selection Toggle
Turn the Auto 3D selection option On or Off. This allows the interactive selection of objects
between MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover 3D.

Discover 3D tab
DISPLAY
Map Window
DISCOVER 3D>Display>Map Window
Displays data visible in a MapInfo Pro map window as a georeferenced bitmap image in MapInfo
Discover 3D.
Related tasks: See “View MapInfo Pro/Mapinfo Discover Data in 3D” topic in 3D Help
Vectors
DISCOVER 3D>Display>Vectors
Displays point, line or polygon map objects in a MapInfo Discover 3D as 3D vectors.
Surfaces
DISCOVER 3D>Display>Surfaces
Displays selected grid files in MapInfo Discover 3D. Only grid files that are currently open in
MapInfo Pro can be displayed.
3D Points
DISCOVER 3D>Display>3D Points
Displays point data tables and drillhole pierce points in MapInfo Discover 3D.
3D Lines
DISCOVER 3D>Display>3D Lines
Displays line data tables in MapInfo Discover 3D.

Discover 3D tab
Seismic Sections
DISCOVER 3D>Display>Seismic Sections
Interpret velocity profiles on seismic SEGY sections, then generate depth profiles from these for
viewing in MapInfo Discover 3D.
DRILLHOLES
Drillhole Traces
DISCOVER 3D>Drillholes>Drillhole Traces
Displays selected drillholes from an open MapInfo Discover drillhole project in MapInfo Discover
3D.
Sections
DISCOVER 3D>Drillholes>Sections
Displays drillhole sections created in a MapInfo Discover drillhole project as georeferenced
bitmap images in MapInfo Discover 3D.
Section Layer
DISCOVER 3D>Drillholes>Section Layer
Displays drillhole section and plan boundaries created in a MapInfo Discover drillhole project as
either 3D vectors or as 3D features in MapInfo Discover 3D.
3D Coordinates
DISCOVER 3D>Drillholes>3D Coordinates
Calculates 3D point coordinates and displays in 2D or 3D as points.

Discover 3D tab
Trench Traces
DISCOVER 3D>Drillholes>Trench Traces
Trenches/Costeans in a open drillhole project can be migrated into 3D.
Logs
DISCOVER 3D>Drillholes>Logs
Displays drillhole logs created in a MapInfo Discover drillhole project as georeferenced bitmap
images in MapInfo Discover 3D.
UTILITIES
Extrusion Wizard
DISCOVER 3D>Utilities>Extrusion Wizard
The Extrusion Wizard provides a user-friendly step-by-step guide to displaying vector objects as
extrude solids in 3D.
Display Wizard
DISCOVER 3D>Utilities>Display Wizard
The Display Wizard provides a user-friendly step-by-step guide to displaying either the entire
current map view or individual map objects in MapInfo Discover 3D.
Drape Image
DISCOVER 3D>Utilities>Drape Image
Drape a raster image over a gridded surface to the original raster resolution.

Discover 3D tab
Multi-Section
DISCOVER 3D>Utilities>Multi-Section
Register multiple images as vertical sections.
Object Manager
DISCOVER 3D>Utilities>Object Manager
Display images as geolocated images such as trees, building etc.

REFERENCE
INFORMATION
32 - Geophysical filter
descriptions
MapInfo Discover provides a range of Geophysical Fast Fourier Transform
(FFT) filters found under ANALYSIS>Raster>Geophysical Filters, which
supplement the extensive Raster Filtering capabilities found under
RASTER>Operations>Filter.
In this section
Filter process 685

Geophysical FFT Derivative Filters 685
Geophysical filter descriptions
Filter process
Grids are comprised of equi-spaced data values located along rows and columns. The intersection of
these rows and columns is called a mesh point or node. When filtering a grid, each grid node of the
output grid is calculated as a function of the corresponding node and its neighbours. The size of the
neighbourhood used in the filtering process is defined by the size and shape of the filter (or kernel).
Filters are generally defined as a rectangular sub-array of nodes, which are assigned a set of filter
weights. Because the filter neighbourhood needs to be centered on a grid node during the filtering
process, filters are generally defined by an odd number of rows and columns. For example, if the width
and the height of the filter neighbourhood are both three, then the neighbourhood of the output grid
node centred at (Row 40, Column 32) is the following rectangular sub-array is:
(39,33) (40,33) (41,32)
(39,32) (40,32) (41,32)
(39,31) (40,31) (41,31)
Shifting the filter neighbourhood across the grid and computing a new value for each grid node
produces the filtered output of the image. If the heights of the neighbourhood nodes are represented
by H and the width by W, the number of nodes in the neighbourhood equals H × W. Therefore, any
nodes in the neighbourhood can be defined as:
Filter Weight (Row+i,Col+j) where:
H  H  W  W 
i    ,......,   and j    ,......,   (1)
2 2 2 2
where each array is the largest integer less than or equal to its neighbour array.
The filter neighbourhood is shifted across the grid and a new value for each grid node is calculated in
the output image according to the filter method selected.
The Rows and Columns in the Grid Filter dialog box specify the neighbourhood size for the selected
filter. The weights for each grid node in the neighbourhood are displayed below. Each element of the
matrix is used to weight the grid node that lies below it. The products are computed and then summed,
normalized and assigned to the value below the centre node. The filter is then shifted to the next node
and the process is repeated until all nodes of the input grid have been processed.
The following filtering tools are provided with MapInfo Discover: The filters are located in subfolders
under .\Program Files\MapInfo\Encom\Discover\Plug-Ins\Filters. The kernel files used are
identical in format to those specified for use by ER Mapper.
Geophysical FFT Derivative Filters
FFT Vertical Derivative Filters

The transfer function Gzdd(k) for the vertical derivative operator of order p>0 acting upon a grid of
scalar potential field data in the 2D wave number domain is:
Gzdd(k) = |k|p ; for p > 0 (2)

where |k| is the modulus of the 1D wave number vector k. Whence the expression for the first
vertical derivative operator (i.e. for p = 1) is:
G1vd(k) = |k| (3)
FFT Reduction to Pole Filter

The reduction to the pole (RTP) filter is used to transform a grid of total magnetic field intensity
measurements to a grid of magnetic intensity measurements that would be observed at the north
magnetic pole. The expression for the RTP transform operator Grtp(k) at a point k = (kx,ky) in the
2D in the wave number domain is given by Gibert and Guillamin (1985) and Blakely (1995) as follows :
Grtp(k) = |k|2/[(gf)(gm)] (4)
where
g = (ikx,iky,|k|) is the complex gradient vector in the 2D wave number domain
f = (fx,fy,fz) is the unit vector of direction cosines for the local geomagnetic field vector
m = (mx,my,mz) is the unit vector of direction cosines for the resultant magnetization vector.
Here it is noted that the direction cosines are measured using the International Geomagnetic
Reference Field (IGRF) coordinate system, namely, X-North; Y-East, Z – vertically down.
Furthermore, it is possible to express the RTP transfer function in terms of the transformed 2D Hilbert
operators Hx(k),Hy(k) (Nabighian, 1983) in the k = (kx,ky) wave number domain, namely,
Hx(k) = ikx /|k| ; Hy(k) = iky /|k| (5)
After puting H = g/|k| = Hx,Hy,1), then:
Grtp(k) = [(Hf)(Hm)]-1 (6)
Or, after putting f = Hf and m = Hm, in the notation of Blakely (1995, Ch 12), then:
Grtp(k) = 1/[f m] (7)
Whence for the induced magnetization case in which the direction cosines m of the resultant
magnetization vector is identical to the direction cosines f of the ambient geomagnetic field, then
equation (7) becomes:
Grtp(k) = 1/f2 (8)
FFT Reduction to Pole (Low Latitude) Filter

In addition to the standard RTP filter provided for Reduction-To-the-Pole processing (see above), an
additional filter specifically for use with magnetic data acquired at low magnetic latitudes is provided.
This FFT filter uses analytic signal computation to calculate simplified responses from magnetic data
acquired at magnetic latitudes less than approximately 30o of inclination. As the analytic signal
computation produces response maxima over magnetic contacts irrespective of the direction of
magnetization, this can be used to assist the processing of observed magnetic data acquired near the
magnetic equator.

Operation of the filter computes both a phase and an amplitude component. A compensation applied
to the phase component can be used to prevent the amplitude increasing and causing the equation to
become unstable. This instability is primarily due to any anomalies oriented north-south within the
observed data.
Use the IGRF calculator to automatically assign the Declination and Inclination. A default Minimum
angle of 20o is assigned.
The effect of changing the Minimum angle factor alters the relative sizes of the phase and amplitude.
If the factor is increased (to a maximum of 90o), the phase component increases and amplitude
adjustment is reduced (to be zero at 90o). If the correction factor is reduced, the phase and amplitude
components become evenly applied.
The Minimum angle factor defaults to a value of 20o but in the filter’s implementation, if it specified less
than the data’s inclination (I), then the Minimum angle correction is reset to the value of 20o to maintain
stability.
FFT Reduction to Equator Filter

The reduction to the equator (RTE) filter is used to transform a grid of total magnetic field intensity
measurements to a grid of magnetic intensity measurements that would be observed at the magnetic
equator, i.e. where the inclination of the geomagnetic field is zero degrees. The expression for the RTE
transform operator Grte(k) in the wave number domain is given by Gibert and Guillamin (1985) and
Blakely (1995) as follows :
Grte(k) = (gHn)2/[(gf)(gm)] (9)
where
g = (ikx,iky,|k|) is the complex gradient vector in the 2D wave number domain
gH = (ikx, iky) is the horizontal gradient vector in the 2D wave number domain
f = (fx,fy,fz) is the unit vector of direction cosines for the local geomagnetic field vector
m = (mx,my,mz) is the unit vector of direction cosines for the resultant magnetization vector
n = (nx,ny,0) is the unit vector of direction cosines for the specified true north or magnetic
north direction
As noted previously the direction cosines are measured using the International Geomagnetic
Reference Field (IGRF) coordinate system. From equations (44) above it is possible to express the
RTE transfer function in terms of the transformed 2D Hilbert operators Hx(k),Hy(k) in the k =
(kx,ky) wave number domain, namely,
After puting H = g/|k| = (Hx,Hy,1), and H2D = gH/|k| = (Hx,Hy), then:
Grte(k) = (H2Dn)2/[(Hf)(Hm)] (10)
Or, after puting f = Hf and m = Hm and n = H2Dn , then:
Grte(k) = n2/[f m] (11)

Whence for the induced magnetization case in which the direction cosines m of the resultant
magnetization vector is identical to the direction cosines f of the ambient geomagnetic field, then
equation (11 becomes
Grte(k) = n2/f2 (12)
Two Dimensional FFT Filter Descriptions

Frequencies of filters are specified in terms of wavelengths (distance in metres). Cut-off rates
determine the sharpness of the filter and the tapering of the energy spectrum. A high value of the cut-
off has the effect of removing high frequencies, but causes ringing on the edges of large amplitude
changes.
A theoretical description of the filters available in the Grid Filter option is provided below.
A 2D grid of scalar potential field data representing a harmonic scalar potential field function F1(k,z0)
may be transformed to another scalar potential field function F2(k,z0) in the 2D wave-number
domain via use of the convolution theorem, namely, if the transfer function is G(k) then:
F2(k;z0) = G(k)F1(k,z0) (13)
Here it is noted that F1(k,z0) is the two-dimensional Fourier transform of the input scalar potential
field function, namely,

F 1  k z 0  = F 1  k x k y ;z 0  =   f  x y z  exp  –i  k x + k y   dx dy
1 0 x y (14)
–
Whence for measurements of a scalar potential field function f1(xi,yj;z=z0) defined over the 2D grid 1
£ i £ Nx , 1 £ j £ Ny , the 2D discrete Fourier transform is defined as a complex Hermitian function
F1(k1,k2;z0) defined over the same size (Nx*Ny) grid, namely,
where xi=(i -1)x and yj=(j -1)y and the discrete kx,ky wave-numbers are given by the
relations:
kx = 2(k1-1)/Nxx ; 1  k1  Nx and
ky = 2(k2-1)/Nyy ; 1  k2  Ny
FFT Continuation Filter

The vertical continuation filter is used to transform a 2D grid of scalar potential field (magnetic or
gravity) measurements from one datum level at z=z0 to another datum level at z=z1 in either an
upward or downward direction. The expression for the vertical continuation operator GUDC(k) at a point
k = (kx,ky) in the 2D wave number domain is given by the following relation (see for example,
Blakely, 1995):
GUDC(k) = exp{|k|z} z<0 for upward continuation to z1 (15)

GUDC(k) = exp{|k|z} z>0 for downward continuation to z1 (16)
where z = (z1-z0) is the change in vertical datum from z0 to z1 for the 2D grid and |k| is the
modulus of the 2D wavenumber vector k as defined in equation (38). Here it is noted that z is
measured positive downwards which is in keeping with both the IGRF and the Encom grid coordinate
systems.
FFT Low Pass Filter

The FFT Low Pass Filter applies an operator to remove high frequency content with wavelengths
above (that is, smaller than the defined wavelength cut-off). The cut-off rate specifies the severity of
the filter at its wavelength margins. The higher the cut-off, the greater and the sharper the cut-off effect
of removing a particular wavelength cut-off.
FFT High Pass Filter

This FFT filter is the converse of the Low Pass filter. The High Pass filters pass frequencies that are
higher than the specified cut-off.
FFT Band Pass Filter

Band Pass filters remove wavelengths that lie between two specified wavelength limits.
A common cut-off is applied for both the high and low ranges of the wavelengths. Applying a simple
cutoff filter to an energy spectrum (such as a Band Pass filter) almost invariably introduces a significant
amount of ringing (referred to as the Gibbs' Phenomena).

33 - Customizing title
blocks
Organizations often need to produce a customized title block that is set out
in a particular way and includes specific information and details. Title blocks
can incorporate company logos or other imagery to enhance final map
presentation.
In this section
About title blocks 691

Company logo 691
Title block parameters 694
Placeholders 695
Scale bar 696
About title blocks

Title Block
Rectify Image
MapInfo Discover is shipped with a standard title block that can be populated with information
automatically or a user can manually enter details such as map title, author, drawing number, etc. The
title block can then be selected with the Scaled Output tool or opened independently with the Title Block
tool.
The MapInfo Discover customizable title block is a normal MapInfo Pro map table stored in a
centimetre non-earth projection. It is designed to be inserted into a layout window at close to true scale.
The MapInfo Discover Scaled Output displays the title block at full size (1:1) when the map frame width
is greater than 50cm and at half size (1:2) for a map frame width of less than 50 cm.
A custom title block can be created by making a copy of the default MapInfo Discover TITLEBLK file,
located in the Discover Configuration directory (see Configuring MapInfo Discover) using
HOME>File>Save Copy As and edit the existing linework and detail placeholders.
Company logo
To insert a company logo into a title block, create a raster image of the logo by scanning or copying
the logo into an imaging software program. Note the shape of the logo and determine how you wish
the logo to appear in the title block (i.e. top left hand corner, extending entire width of title block, etc.)
The image may be in any raster format recognized by MapInfo Pro such as .BMP, .JPG, .PNG, .GIF,
etc. Alternatively you can use a custom symbol for the logo, inserted directly into the title block table.
Make sure that the image is sized to the same scale it will be displayed in the title block. In the default
title block, the log cannot be more than 10 cm wide or 1.6 cm high. For example, if your company logo
is square and you wish to display it in the top left hand corner of a 10 cm wide title block, then the image
should be re-sized to the area it will occupy, e.g. 1.6 cm x 1.6 cm. Also make note of the number of
pixels for the image width and height.
The reason for the 1:1 scaling is that the image is to be registered in relation to the title block linework
in the same way that other images are registered in MapInfo Pro. The only difference in this instance
is that the image will be registered using a Non-Earth (centimetres) projection. Like other registered
images in MapInfo Pro, if the image is not registered correctly or the image is stretched or shortened
in any way the overlying title block linework will be distorted and the image will not display correctly.
To register a logo image:
1. Open a map window containing the custom title block linework and placeholder information.
2. On the Images tab, click Rectify Image.
3. Click the Open button and select the image. When prompted to load the control points, click Yes.
4. Click the Projection button and change the projection to Non-Earth (centimetres).
5. Select the first control point row (ID=1). Note that the Image_X and Image_Y coordinates are 0, 0.

6. Press S on the keyboard to change to snap mode. Snap mode will change the cursor to a circle
and display a large cross-hair whenever it is placed over a node. Snap mode enables map
objects to be joined together seamlessly or for exact coordinates for a point or node to be
recorded.
7. Click the Map button. In snap mode, click the corresponding point in the title block linework
mapper for the first control point location. If there is no intersecting linework or node to snap to at
the corresponding control point location in the map window, then click the corresponding point in
the map window.
8. In the Rectify Options dialog box, the relevant Map_X and Map_Y coordinates are updated. Edit
the coordinates if necessary to make sure both the map and image coordinates are correct. The
Image_X and Image_Y coordinates are the number of pixels which make up the image in the X
and Y direction. Make sure that the pixel numbers entered here correspond to the minimum and
maximum image pixel extents to prevent image distortion.
Note: Map X and Map Y coordinates increase up and to the right from the bottom left-hand corner of the
map window. Image X and Image Y coordinates increase down and to the right from the top left-
hand corner of the Image Registration dialog.
9. Repeat the above steps to assign the Map_X and Map_Y coordinates for each of the remaining
three control points at the image corners.
10. When all four control points have had their Map_X and Map_Y coordinates assigned and the
RMS (Root Mean Square) error calculation is between 0 and 1, under Control Points, click the
Save button and save the control points.
11. Click the Rectify button. A new image and associated TAB file will be generated.
Add this registered image to the title block map window and see how the title block and image display
together. If the title block linework is distorted, then there is a problem with the image registration. In
this case, open the Rectify Image tool, load the saved control points, and then check the map and
image registration coordinates. Make the necessary changes and rectify the image again.

The final step is to add a new record to the custom title block browser window specifying the logo name,
so that when the title block is selected, MapInfo Discover will open the title block and display the correct
logo.
Note: Logo tables should be stored in the same directory as the customized title block TAB file. If the
Logo TAB file is called LOGO.TAB is will be automatically added to the corresponding custom title
block, and does not require a Placeholder to be created—that is, you can store the custom title
block and log files on a shared network folder.
To add a logo placeholder:
1. Open the custom title block browser and click the field header cell. The cursor will change to a
hand.
2. Right-click and choose New Row from the shortcut menu.
3. Type the new placeholder Logo [logo_tablename].
Title block with logo inserted and browser reference

Title block parameters
The TITLEBLK.TAB located in C:\ProgramData\Encom\Discover\Config is the standard MapInfo

Discover title block. The above dialog shows the TITLEBLK table opened in a map window and a
browser window view. Note that the TITLEBLK table is comprised of linework and text.
There must be a closed polyline forming the boundary of the title block, so that MapInfo Discover knows
how big the title block is. You can easily create a closed rectangular polyline by creating a rectangle,
then using the SPATIAL>Edit>Convert to Polylines tool.
The linework in the TITLEBLK table corresponds to the blank browser records and the Text labels may
have an identical entry in the textfield column or the column may contain different text altogether. The
text in the browser is called a detail placeholder. A detail placeholder is used to denote where in the
title block specific text or items are to be displayed when the title block is created.
When MapInfo Discover is creating a title block the detail placeholders are read and the required
information is inserted. Some of this information is inserted automatically while other detail
placeholders require the user to manually enter data into the corresponding blank field in the Title Block
and Scale Bar Options dialog box.
Save custom title blocks (and scale bar) to the desired folder.
Custom title blocks can be added to the list of available title blocks in MapInfo Discover through the
Scaled Output tool. To add the title block to the list, select the Scaled Output tool and, under Maintain
Titleblock, click Configure. Then click Add button and browse to select the new title block. Use the
Remove button to delete custom title blocks from the list.

Placeholders
The title block shipped with MapInfo Discover contains six detail placeholder fields: Author, Date,
Office, Drawing, Scale and Projection. The date field is automatically recognized by MapInfo Discover
and the current date inserted, so it cannot be changed in the dialog box. If detail fields Scale and
Projection are present, these are also recognized by MapInfo Discover and the current scale and map
projection inserted so that it cannot be changed in the dialog box.
Scaled Output can use up to 12 detail placeholders including specifically named fields as follows:
• Company Name
The company name specified in PRO>Options>MapInfo Discover>Configuration is inserted
into the title block in place of the Company Name placeholder. Set the position and font of the
Company placeholder.
• Title Line 1
Set the position and font of the Title Line placeholder. The five lines of title text entered in the title
block dialog in Scaled Output is concatenated, centre justified and inserted in the location of the
placeholder.
If the text appears off centre in the created title block, make the layer editable and manually
centre the text within the title block bounds. Use the HOME>Document Windows>Redraw
Window tool to refresh the map window if necessary.
• Date
Formatted (as set up in control panel options)
• Scale
Formatted e.g. 1:50,000
• CoordSys Name
e.g. AMG Zone 54 (AGD 66)
• CoordSys Clause
e.g. 8,12,7,141,0,0.9996,500000,10000000
• Projection
e.g. Transverse Mercator (Gauss-Kruger)
• Datum
e.g. Australian Geodetic 1966 (AGD 66)
• Ellipsoid
e.g. Australian National
• Origin Longitude
• Origin Latitude
• Standard Parallel 1
• Standard Parallel 2
• False Easting
• False Northing

• Logo [logo_tablename]
e.g. Logo [PitneyBowes_logo.tab]
• User-Defined Placeholders
The browser text for each of the detail placeholders is what appears in the Titleblock dialog box
(for example, Author:, Office:, Drawing:). The text that you enter in the dialog for each detail is
then appended to the text object in the Map Window for each user-defined detail.
Scale bar
• ScaleHolder
The title block shipped with MapInfo Discover includes a placeholder for a scale bar called
ScaleHolder. MapInfo Discover constructs a scale bar inside this placeholder if it is present. The
ScaleHolder detail is a region and must be large enough to display the created scale bar.
If the title block contains the ScaleHolder record and a detail field called “Scale”, MapInfo
Discover does not place text for “Scale 1:nnnnnn” in the ScaleHolder placeholder. The text will be
placed in the Scale placeholder.
If the ScaleHolder placeholder is not present in the title block, then MapInfo Discover looks for a
table called ScaleBar (in the MapInfo Discover Program Files Directory), which does contain the
placeholder and constructs the scale bar in this table.
The first record in the ScaleBar table is a record called ScaleHolder. If the ScaleBar table
contains a second record called “NoText”, then MapInfo Discover does not place text for “Scale
1:nnnnnn” next to the scale bar.

34 - Projections and
transformations
In this section
Encom reprojections 698

NTv2 transformation 698
Projections and transformations
Encom reprojections
The MapInfo Discover reprojection utilities (and MapInfo Discover 3D reprojection) use a custom
(“Encom”) reprojection engine, which is separate and slightly different to the MapInfo Pro projection
engine (as used by other tools).
This Encom reprojection engine uses an independent projection list to the MapInfow.prj projection
file. To utilise a custom coordinate system with these Discover tools which has previously been added
to the MapInfow.prj file:
1. Copy the custom projection line from the MapInfow.prj file in the .\MapInfo\Professional
folder.
2. Add this custom projection line into the Encom.prj file located in the
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Common\Projections folder.
The formatting of the coordinate system string and behavior of this Encom.prj projection file is
otherwise identical to the MapInfow.prj file.
NTv2 transformation
The MapInfo Discover reprojection utilities also support NTv2 transformation between selected
coordinate systems in Canada and Australia. To automatically use the NTv2 transformation
parameters when transforming between the following datums, check the Use NTv2 grid-shift method if
available box in each of the Reproject tool dialogs.
The National Transformation ver. 2 (NTv2) algorithm and grid shift file format, developed by the
Geodetic Survey Division of Geomatics Canada, enables you to convert data between the NAD 27
reference system and the NAD 83 reference system; that is, this algorithm allows you to convert these
two reference systems between each other. Grid shift files used with the algorithm contain one or more
rectangular grids that indicate the coordinate differences between NAD 27 and NAD 83.
The National Transformation was originally designed to convert Canadian data from NAD 27 to NAD
83. The NTv2 grid was an enhancement to compensate for the primary and secondary points that were
based on the GRS80 ellipsoid. This format was later adopted for datum conversion in Australia, New
Zealand, and Germany etc.
The NTv2 transformation supports a number of countries and areas. The data used by NTv2 is stored
in grid shift (.GSB) files stored in the folder:
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Encom\Common\NTv2
The countries and datums that include NTv2 support for the specified datums are:
Canada - NAD 1927 to NAD 1983 (NAD27_Canada.gsb)
Australia - AGD66 to GDA94 (AGD66_Australia.gsb)
Australia - AGD66 (7 param, ACT) to GDA94 (AGD66_Australia.gsb)
Australia - AGD66 (7 param, TAS) to GDA94 (AGD66_Australia.gsb)
Australia - AGD66 (7 param, VIC/NSW) to GDA94 (AGD66_Australia.gsb)

Projections and transformations
Australia - AGD84 to GDA94 (AGD84_Australia.gsb)

New Zealand - NZGD49 to NZGD2000 (nzgd2kgrid0005.gsb)
New Zealand - NZGD49 to NZGD2000 (7 param) (nzgd2kgrid0005.gsb)
Germany - DHDN to ETRS89 (BETA2007.gsb)
Britain - OSGB36 to WGS84 (england-wales.gsb, scotland.gsb)
Spain - ED50 to WGS84 (BALEARES.gsb,PENINSULA.gsb)
Brazil - Corrego Alegre to SIRGAS2000 (CA61_003.gsb)
South America - SAD69 to SIRGAS2000 (SAD69_003.gsb)

35 - Styles and symbol
fonts
In this section
Line styles 701

Style library 701
Geological symbol font 702
Structural symbol font 705
Hydrographic symbol font 712
Environmental symbol font 714
Line styles
When MapInfo Discover is installed, a number of custom line styles are automatically added to the
existing MapInfo Pro pen file.
Style library

Geological symbol font

MapInfo Discover includes a geological TrueType font (ET GeoExplore) that contains non-rotatable
geological symbols. These symbols can be used with the Discover Styles Library or from the MapInfo
Pro symbol style picker (see Managing and applying object styles).
Name Symbol ASCII

Petroleum exploration well, proposed site ! 33
Petroleum exploration well, dry, abandoned " 34
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil # 35
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil, abandoned $ 36
Petroleum exploration well with show of gas % 37
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil and gas, abandoned & 38
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil ' 39
Petroleum exploration well with show of oil and gas ( 40
Stratigraphic hole for petroleum exploration ) 41
Oil well, shut in or suspended * 42
Oil well, abandoned + 43
Gas well , 44
Gas well, shut in or suspended - 45
Gas well, abandoned . 46
Oil and gas well / 47
Oil and gas well, shut in or suspended 0 48
Oil and gas well, abandoned 1 49
Gas and condensate well 2 50
Gas and condensate well, shut in or suspended 3 51
Gas and condensate well, abandoned 4 52
Fossil locality 5 53
Macrofossil locality 6 54
Microfossil locality 7 55
Trace fossil locality 8 56
Fossil wood locality 9 57
Oncolite locality : 58
Palynomorph locality ; 59
Plant fossil locality < 60
Stromatolite locality = 61
Vertebrate fossil locality > 62
Sample location for isotopic age determination ? 63
Type locality @ 64

Name Symbol ASCII

Drillhole A 65
Unworked deposit B 66
Prospect or mine with little production C 67
Abandoned prospect or mine with little production D 68
Mine; may be abandoned E 69
Major mine F 70
Mine abandoned or not being worked G 71
Minor open cut or quarry H 72
Major open cut or quarry I 73
Abandoned open cut or quarry, or not being worked J 74
Minor alluvial workings K 75
Major alluvial workings L 76
Abandoned alluvial workings, or not being worked M 77
Treatment plant N 78
Treatment plant not operating, or abandoned, or former site O 79
Main shaft showing number of compartments P 80
Shaft extending above and below plan level Q 81
Accessible shaft extending below plan level R 82
Accessible shaft extending above plan level S 83
Head of rise or winze T T 84
Foot of rise or winze U 85
Rise or winze extending through level V 86
Inclined accessible shaft extending below plan level (small scale) W 87
Inclined accessible shaft extending below plan level (large scale) X 88
Cross-section of cross-cut or drive; same side of plane of section as Y 89
observer
Cross-section of cross-cut or drive; opposite side of plane of section Z 90
Cross-section of cross-cut or drive extending across plane of section [ 91
Ore chute \ 92
Filled workings ] 93
Portal and approach of tunnel or adit ^ 94
Natural surface _ 95
Grab-sample locality ` 96
Costean or trench a 97
Oil seep b 98
Gas seep c 99
Oil and gas seep or show d 100

Name Symbol ASCII

Oil seep reported (by geoscientist) but not relocated e 101
Gas seep reported (by geoscientist) but not relocated f 102
Oil and gas seep reported (by geoscientist) but not relocated g 103
Mud volcano or mud volcano without with hydrocarbons h 104
Mud volcano with hydrocarbons i 105
Relative gravity high k 107
Relative gravity low l 108
Proterozoic symbol m 109
Cambrian symbol n 110
Photo point o 111
Drillhole p 112
Registration cross q 113
Scarp r 114
Inclined drillhole s 115
Inclined drillhole t 116
Inclined drillhole u 117
Inclined drillhole v 118
Major eruptive centre with recorded eruption w 119
Major eruptive centre with no recorded eruption x 120
Minor eruptive centre with recorded eruption y 121
Minor eruptive centre with no recorded eruption z 122
Astrobleme or impact structure or cryptoexplosive structure { 123
Trigometrical | 124
Astronomical station } 125
Major volcanic centre ~ 126
Volcanic plug residual  127
Basalt capped residual hill  129
Residual hill  130
Crater wall  131
Pediment  132
Landslips  133

Structural symbol font

The structural TrueType symbol fonts should be installed on your system via the Fonts folder in
Control Panel. They are then available for use with any software that uses true type fonts, including
MapInfo Pro, Corel Draw and MS Word.
• Structural symbols ordered by Discover code
• Structure symbols ordered by name
The symbols can be referred to in a number of ways:
• Name - Used when placing individual structural symbols (see Applying structural styles from a
picklist). There are three separate structural symbol fonts that are available.
• Australian – ET Structural Australia
• Canadian – ET Structural Canada
• USA – ET Structural USA
• ASCII - The ASCII character code.
• Discover code - Used when entering data into a spreadsheet for display with Discover's
Structural Picklists (see Structural picklists).
Structural symbols ordered by Discover code

Name Discover ASCII Australia Canada USA
Code Code
Bedding 1 33 ! ! !
Bedding Horizontal 1 34 " " "
Bedding Vertical 1 35 # # #
Bedding Overturned 2 36 $ $ $
Bedding Overturned Horizontal 2 37 % % %
Bedding Facing 3 38 & & &
Bedding Facing Vertical 3 39 ' ' '
Cleavage (S1) 4 41 ) ) )
Cleavage (S1) Vertical 4 42 * * *
Cleavage (S1) Horizontal 4 43 + + +
Cleavage (S2) 5 44 , , ,
Cleavage (S2) Vertical 5 45 - - -
Cleavage (S2) Horizontal 5 46 . . .
Cleavage (S3) 6 47 / / /
Cleavage (S3) Vertical 6 48 0 0 0
Cleavage (S3) Horizontal 6 49 1 1 1
Younging 7 132   
Lineation 8 50 2 2 2


Code Code
Lineation Vertical 8 51 3 3 3
Lineation Horizontal 8 52 4 4 4
Lineation (L1) 9 53 5 5 5
Lineation (L2) 10 54 6 6 6
Lineation (L3) 11 55 7 7 7
Bedding-Cleavage 12 56 8 8 8
Bedding-Cleavage Horizontal 12 57 9 9 9
Crenulation 13 58 : : :
Crenulation Horizontal 13 59 ; ; ;
Mineral Alignment 14 60 < < <
Mineral Alignment Horizontal 14 61 = = =
Banding/Platy Alignment 15 62 > > >
Banding/Platy Alignment Vertical 15 63 ? ? ?
Banding/Platy Alignment Horizontal 15 64 @ @ @
Joint 16 65 A A A
Joint Vertical 16 66 B B B
Joint Horizontal 16 67 C C C
Foliation 17 68 D D D
Foliation Vertical 17 69 E E E
Foliation Horizontal 17 70 F F F
Anticline (F1) 18 80 P P P
Anticline (F1) Horizontal 18 81 Q Q Q
Anticline (F2) 19 82 R R R
Anticline (F2) Horizontal 19 83 S S S
Anticline (F3) 20 84 T T T
Anticline (F3) Horizontal 20 85 U U U
Anticline Overturned 21 86 V V V
Anticline Recumbent 22 87 W W W
Syncline (F1) 23 90 Z Z Z
Syncline (F1) Horizontal 23 91 [ [ [
Syncline (F2) 24 92 \ \ \
Syncline (F2) Horizontal 24 93 ] ] ]
Syncline (F3) 25 94 ^ ^ ^
Syncline (F3) Horizontal 25 95 _ _ _
Syncline Overturned 26 96 ` ` `
Syncline Recumbent 27 97 a a a


Code Code
Normal Fault 28 101 e e e
Normal Fault-Low Angle 29 102 f f f
Normal Fault-High Angle 30 103 g g g
Thrust Fault 31 104 h h h
Shear Zone 32 105 i i i
Shear Zone-Wide 33 106 j j j
Fault Zone Breccia 34 107 k k k
Trend Line 35 108 l l l
Parallel Lines 36 109 m m m
Vein/Dyke No Dip 37 110 n n n
Vein/Sill No Dip 38 111 o o o
Vein/Dyke With Dip 37 112 p p p
Vein/Sill With Dip 38 113 q q q
Oriented Drill Collar 1 39 121 y y y
Oriented Drill Collar 2 40 122 z z z
Oriented Drill Collar 3 41 123 { { {
Dipping Fault Gouge 42 115 s s s
Sinistral Fault Wrench 43 99 c c c
Dextral Fault Wrench 44 100 d d d
Columnar Joint 45 71 G G G
Bedding Facing Unknown 46 130   
Bedding Facing Unknown Vertical 46 131   
Undulating Bedding Dip 47 133   
Deformed Bedding Dip 48 134   
Foliation D1 49 163 £ £ £
Foliation D2 50 164 ¤ ¤ ¤
Foliation D3 51 165 ¥ ¥ ¥
Bedding/Cleavage (S1) Parallel 52 72 H H H
Bedding/Cleavage (S2) Parallel 53 73 I I I
Bedding/Cleavage (S3) Parallel 54 74 J J J
Plunge Bedding/Cleavage (S2) 55 75 K K K
Intersection
Plunge Bedding/Cleavage (S3) 56 76 L L L
Intersection
Plunge Bedding/Vein Intersection 57 77 M M M
Monocline 58 79 O O O


Code Code
Minor Anticline 59 140   
Minor Anticline And Plunge 60 141   
Minor Syncline 61 142   
Minor Syncline And Plunge 62 143   
Minor Fold With Dip 63 144   
Minor Fold With Plunge 64 145   
Kink Fold With Plunge 65 146   
Asymmetric Fold Verge Left 66 147   
Asymmetric Fold Verge Right 67 148   
Fold Verge Left 68 149   
Fold Verge Right 69 150   
Recumbent Fold Verge Left 70 151   
Recumbent Fold Verge Right 71 152   
Minor Fold S Vergence 72 153   
Minor Fold Z Vergence 73 154   
Minor Fold M Vergence 74 155   
Boudin Plunge 75 156   
Chert Contortion Plunge 76 157   
Mylonitic Foliation 77 158   
Mylonitic Foliation Vertical 77 159   
Eutaxitic Foliation 78 161 ¡ ¡ ¡
Eutaxitic Foliation Vertical 78 162 ¢ ¢ ¢
Glacial Striae-Sense Known 79 116 t t t
Glacial Striae-Sense Unknown 80 117 u u u
Dipping Shear Zone 81 114 r r
Bedding Facing Overturned 82 40 ( ( (
Structure symbols ordered by name

Code Code
Anticline (F1) 18 80 P P P
Anticline (F1) Horizontal 18 81 Q Q Q
Anticline (F2) 19 82 R R R
Anticline (F2) Horizontal 19 83 S S S
Anticline (F3) 20 84 T T T
Anticline (F3) Horizontal 20 85 U U U


Code Code
Anticline Overturned 21 86 V V V
Anticline Recumbent 22 87 W W W
Asymmetric Fold Verge Left 66 147   
Asymmetric Fold Verge Right 67 148   
Banding/Platy Alignment 15 62 > > >
Banding/Platy Alignment Horizontal 15 64 @ @ @
Banding/Platy Alignment Vertical 15 63 ? ? ?
Bedding 1 33 ! ! !
Bedding Facing 3 38 & & &
Bedding Facing Overturned 82 40 ( ( (
Bedding Facing Unknown 46 130   
Bedding Facing Unknown Vertical 46 131   
Bedding Facing Vertical 3 39 ' ' '
Bedding Horizontal 1 34 " " "
Bedding Overturned 2 36 $ $ $
Bedding Overturned Horizontal 2 37 % % %
Bedding Vertical 1 35 # # #
Bedding-Cleavage 12 56 8 8 8
Bedding-Cleavage Horizontal 12 57 9 9 9
Bedding/Cleavage (S1) Parallel 52 72 H H H
Bedding/Cleavage (S2) Parallel 53 73 I I I
Bedding/Cleavage (S3) Parallel 54 74 J J J
Boudin Plunge 75 156   
Chert Contortion Plunge 76 157   
Cleavage (S1) 4 41 ) ) )
Cleavage (S1) Horizontal 4 43 + + +
Cleavage (S1) Vertical 4 42 * * *
Cleavage (S2) 5 44 , , ,
Cleavage (S2) Horizontal 5 46 . . .
Cleavage (S2) Vertical 5 45 - - -
Cleavage (S3) 6 47 / / /
Cleavage (S3) Horizontal 6 49 1 1 1
Cleavage (S3) Vertical 6 48 0 0 0
Columnar Joint 45 71 G G G
Crenulation 13 58 : : :
Crenulation Horizontal 13 59 ; ; ;


Code Code
Deformed Bedding Dip 48 134   
Dextral Fault Wrench 44 100 d d d
Dipping Fault Gouge 42 115 s s s
Dipping Shear Zone 81 114 r r
Eutaxitic Foliation 78 161 ¡ ¡ ¡
Eutaxitic Foliation Vertical 78 162 ¢ ¢ ¢
Fault Zone Breccia 34 107 k k k
Fold Verge Left 68 149   
Fold Verge Right 69 150   
Foliation 17 68 D D D
Foliation D1 49 163 £ £ £
Foliation D2 50 164 ¤ ¤ ¤
Foliation D3 51 165 ¥ ¥ ¥
Foliation Horizontal 17 70 F F F
Foliation Vertical 17 69 E E E
Glacial Striae-Sense Known 79 116 t t t
Glacial Striae-Sense Unknown 80 117 u u u
Joint 16 65 A A A
Joint Horizontal 16 67 C C C
Joint Vertical 16 66 B B B
Kink Fold With Plunge 65 146   
Lineation 8 50 2 2 2
Lineation (L1) 9 53 5 5 5
Lineation (L2) 10 54 6 6 6
Lineation (L3) 11 55 7 7 7
Lineation Horizontal 8 52 4 4 4
Lineation Vertical 8 51 3 3 3
Mineral Alignment 14 60 < < <
Mineral Alignment Horizontal 14 61 = = =
Minor Anticline 59 140   
Minor Anticline And Plunge 60 141   
Minor Fold M Vergence 74 155   
Minor Fold S Vergence 72 153   
Minor Fold With Dip 63 144   
Minor Fold With Plunge 64 145   
Minor Fold Z Vergence 73 154   


Code Code
Minor Syncline 61 142   
Minor Syncline And Plunge 62 143   
Monocline 58 79 O O O
Mylonitic Foliation 77 158   
Mylonitic Foliation Vertical 77 159   
Normal Fault 28 101 e e e
Normal Fault-High Angle 30 103 g g g
Normal Fault-Low Angle 29 102 f f f
Oriented Drill Collar 1 39 121 y y y
Oriented Drill Collar 2 40 122 z z z
Oriented Drill Collar 3 41 123 { { {
Parallel Lines 36 109 m m m
Plunge Bedding/Cleavage (S2) 55 75 K K K
Intersection
Plunge Bedding/Cleavage (S3) 56 76 L L L
Intersection
Plunge Bedding/Vein Intersection 57 77 M M M
Recumbent Fold Verge Left 70 151   
Recumbent Fold Verge Right 71 152   
Shear Zone 32 105 i i i
Shear Zone-Wide 33 106 j j j
Sinistral Fault Wrench 43 99 c c c
Syncline (F1) 23 90 Z Z Z
Syncline (F1) Horizontal 23 91 [ [ [
Syncline (F2) 24 92 \ \ \
Syncline (F2) Horizontal 24 93 ] ] ]
Syncline (F3) 25 94 ^ ^ ^
Syncline (F3) Horizontal 25 95 _ _ _
Syncline Overturned 26 96 ` ` `
Syncline Recumbent 27 97 a a a
Thrust Fault 31 104 h h h
Trend Line 35 108 l l l
Undulating Bedding Dip 47 133   
Vein/Dyke No Dip 37 110 n n n
Vein/Dyke With Dip 37 112 p p p
Vein/Sill No Dip 38 111 o o o


Code Code
Vein/Sill With Dip 38 113 q q q
Younging 7 132   
Hydrographic symbol font

MapInfo Discover includes a hydrographical TrueType font (ET Water) that contains non-rotatable
hydrographic symbols. These symbols are accessible from the MapInfo Pro symbol style picker. The
available hydrographic symbols are listed along with their equivalent ASCII code.
Name Symbol ASCII

Waterhole or soak  49
Swamp, marsh  50
Mangroves  51
Stream arrow  52
Spring/thermal area  53
Salt spring, salinity not measured  54
Salt spring, salinity <1,500 ppm  55
Salt spring, salinity 1,500–10,000 ppm  56
Salt spring, salinity >10,000 ppm  57
Wind pump  65
Bore with wind pump  66
Bore  67
Abandoned bore  68
Artesian bore, flowing  69
Abandoned artesian bore, flowing  70
Artesian bore, ceased to flow  71
Abandoned artesian bore, ceased to flow  72
Subartesian bore  73
Abandoned sub-artesian bore  74
Well  75
Abandoned well  76
Well, salinity <1,500 ppm  77
Abandoned well, salinity <1,500 ppm  78
Well, salinity 1,500–10,000 ppm  79
Abandoned well, salinity 1,500–10,000 ppm  80
Well, salinity >10,000 ppm  81
Abandoned well, salinity >10,000 ppm  82

Name Symbol ASCII

Water tank  83
Dam on stream  84
Salty bore, salinity not measured  85
Abandoned salty bore, salinity not measured  86
Bore, salinity <1,500 ppm  87
Abandoned bore, salinity <1,500ppm  88
Bore, salinity 1,500–10,000 ppm  89
Abandoned bore, salinity 1,500–10,000 ppm  90
Bore, salinity >10,000 ppm  97
Abandoned bore, salinity > 10000 ppm  98
Salinity bore, 0–500 mg/L  99
Salinity bore, 500–1,500 mg/L  100
Salinity bore, 1,500–3,000 mg/L  101
Salinity bore, >3,000 mg/L  102
Capped artesian bore  103
Artesian bore, salinity <1,500 ppm, ceased to flow  104
Abandoned subartesian bore, salinity <1,500 ppm  105
Well with wind pump  106
Palaeocurrent  107
Minor group of springs  108
Major group of springs  109
Flow arrow  110
Groundwater/surface water divide  111
Group of springs  112
Recharge site  113
Desalination plant  114
Liquid waste site  115
Rising water table  116
Palaeodrainage direction  117
Palaeodrainage trend  118
Sink hole  119

Environmental symbol font

MapInfo Discover includes an environmental TrueType font (ET Other) that contains non-rotatable
environmental symbols. These symbols are accessible from the MapInfo Pro symbol style picker. The
available environmental symbols are listed along with their equivalent ASCII code.
Name Symbol ASCII

Major eruptive centre with recorded eruption  65
Major eruptive centre with no recorded eruption  66
Minor eruptive centre with recorded eruption  67
Minor eruptive centre with no recorded eruption  68
Survey station  69
 70
 71
 72
 73
 74
Astrobleme or impact structure or cryptoexplosive  75
Trigonometrical station  76
Astronomical station  77
Major volcanic centre  78
Volcanic plug residual  79
Volcanic centre  80
Basalt capped residual hill  81
Residual hill  82
Slope  83
Pediment  84
Landslip  85
Harmful/irritant  86
Toxic  87
Radioactive  88
Flammable  89
Corrosive  90
Oxidizing/supports fire  97
Explosive  98
Significant aquatic habitat  99
Significant fauna habitat  100
Significant flora habitat  101
Registration point  102


36 - Supported file
formats
MapInfo Discover/MapInfo Pro Advanced supported data types.
In this section
Tabular and vector data 717

Images 719
Raster (grid) data 720
Drillhole data 721
Tabular and vector data

Format Extension Tool Note
3D Studio files .3DS DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
Access database .MDB HOME>Open>Database Table a
Access database .MDB HOME>Open>Database Table b
Access 2007 .ACCDB HOME>Open>Database Table c
acQuire database DISCOVER>Import>acQuire Import
AMIRA .TEM DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import d
AutoCAD .DWG HOME>Open>Universal Data
AutoCAD .DXF HOME>Open>Universal Data
AutoCAD .DXF DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import d
AutoCAD .DXF HOME>Open>Import e
Bentley MicroStation Design .DGN HOME>Open>Universal Data
Bentley MicroStation Design .FC1 HOME>Open>Universal Data
Bentley MicroStation Design .POS HOME>Open>Universal Data
Comma separated ASCII .CSV HOME>Open>Table
Comma separated ASCII .CSV DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
Datamine .DM DISCOVER>Export>Datamine Studio
Export
Datamine wireframe .DM DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
DataSight database DISCOVER>Import>DataSight Import
dBase .DBF HOME>Open>Database Table
Delimited ASCII .TXT HOME>Open>Table
ERMapper .ASC DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
ERMapper vector .ERV DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
ESRI ArcInfo Export .E00 HOME>Open>Universal Data
ESRI ArcSDE HOME>Open>Universal Data b, g
ESRI GeoDatabase .MDB HOME>Open>Universal Data b, g
ESRI shapefiles .SHP HOME>Open>Table b
ESRI TIN .ADF DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
Excel .XLS HOME>Open>Table b
Excel 2007 .XLSX HOME>Open>Table c
Gemcom binary triangulation .BT2 DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
GemSys .TXT DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
Geographic Markup Language .GML HOME>Open>Table
Geographic Markup Language .XML HOME>Open>Table
Geosoft Database .GDB DISCOVER>Import>Geosoft Import


Geosoft XYZ .XYZ DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
GOCAD vector .TS DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
GOCAD vector .VS DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
GOCAD vector .PL DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
GPS eXchange .GPX DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
ioGAS .GAS DISCOVER>Import>ioGAS Import
Keyhole Markup Language (Google) .KML DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
Leapfrog Geo DISCOVER>Export>Leapfrog Export
LIDAR LAS (ASPRS) .LAS DISCOVER>Import>LIDAR LAS Import
LizardTech MrSID .SID DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
Located Data .LDT DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
Log ASCII Standard .LAS DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet .WK* HOME>Open>Table
MapInfo Pro DOS .MBI HOME>Open>Import
MapInfo Pro DOS .MMI HOME>Open>Import
MapInfo Pro DOS Image .IMG HOME>Open>Import
MapInfo Interchange .MIF HOME>Open>Import
MicroMine data .DAT DISCOVER>Import>Micromine Import
MicroMine strings .STR DISCOVER>Import>Micromine Import
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Spatial HOME>Open>Universal Data h
MineSight string .SRG DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import
ModelVision Hole files .HOL DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
ModelVision Line files .LIN DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
ModelVision Point files .PTS DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
OS MasterMap .GML HOME>Open>Import
Oracle spatial database HOME>Open>Database Table
PostGIS spatial database HOME>Open>Database Table
Spatial Data Transfer Standard *CATD.DDF HOME>Open>Universal Data
SQL Server HOME>Open>Database Table
Surpac String .STR DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
Surpac Vector .DTM DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import
Text .TXT HOME>Open>Table
Text .TXT DISCOVER>Import>ASCII Import f
Vector Product Format (VPF) .*FT HOME>Open>Universal Data
Vulcan Archive .ARCH_D DISCOVER>Import>Vulcan Import
Vulcan triangulation .00T DISCOVER>Import>Vector Import

a For the creation of live or refreshable database links

b Read-only
c Read-only in MapInfo Pro 10.0
d Automatically stores attribute elevation data
e Works with most DXF formats, but least flexible
f Import templates, projection assigment, native file creation
g Requires ArcGIS/ArcInfo to be installed
h In MapInfo Pro 10.0
Images
Adobe Photoshop Version 3.0 .PSD HOME>Open>Table
Bitmap .BMP HOME>Open>Table
Bitmap .BMP IMAGES>Rectify Image i
Discover PA Located Images .EGB IMAGES>EGB Import
Windows Enhanced Metafile (+ and +dual) .EMF HOME>Open>Table
ERMapper Enhanced Compression Wavelet .ECW IMAGES>ECW/JP2 import j
ERDAS Image Web Server .ECWP IMAGES>ECW/JP2 import j
GeoTIFF .TIFF HOME>Open>Table k
Graphics Interchange Format .GIF HOME>Open>Table
Graphics Interchange Format .GIF IMAGES>Rectify Image i
Joint Photographic Experts Group .JPG HOME>Open>Table
Joint Photographic Experts Group .JPG IMAGES>Rectify Image i
JPEG 2000 .JP2 .J2K IMAGES>ECW/JP2 import j
MrSID .SID HOME>Open>Table
National Imagery Transmission Format .NTF HOME>Open>Table
PC Paintbrush Exchange .PCX HOME>Open>Table
Portable Networks Graphics .PNG HOME>Open>Table
Portable Networks Graphics .PNG IMAGES>Rectify Image i
SPOT satellite .BIL HOME>Open>Table
Tagged Image File Format .TIFF .TFW HOME>Open>Table l
Tagged Image File Format .TIFF IMAGES>Rectify Image i
Targa .TGA HOME>Open>Table m
Vertical Mapper .GRC HOME>Open>Table
Vertical Mapper .GRD HOME>Open>Table n
Windows Media Format .WMF HOME>Open>Table
i Accurate 'rubber-sheet' rectification i.e. image is stretched, skemed and warped to accommodate control points
j Automatic image registration
k Imports embedded coordiante registration information
l Support for automatic coordinate registration via .TFW world file
m Truevision File Format Specification 2.0
n GRD files can be treated as either a grid or raster image. If the associated .TAB file contains a RasterStyle 6 entry, the

file will be treated as a grid
Raster (grid) data

MapInfo Pro Advanced supports a range of formats via the following process:
1. Select the RASTER>File>Open tool.
2. Change the filter for Files of type to <Raster Image>.
3. Select the raster file you wish to open and click OK. You may be warned that an existing table
definition exists. Click OK to overwrite it.
4. The raster is loaded into the Map window.
The following formats are supported:
Format Extensions
Band Interleaved Image by line .BIL .BIP .BSQ
Encom Float Grid .GRD
ERMapper ERS Grid .ERS
ESRI ASCII and Float grids .ASC .FLT
ESRI ADF formats .ADF
GDAL default formats .IMG .DEM .DAT .VRT .DT0 .PIX
GDAL ENVI Raster .DAT
Geosoft Oasis Montaj™ Grid .GRD
GeoTiff Images .TIF .TIFF
Multi-Resolution Raster .MRR
Surfer ASCII and Binary Grids .GRD
Vertical Mapper Classified Grid .GRC
Vertical Mapper Grid .GRD
MapInfo Pro Raster multi-resolution raster (.MRR) format is now supported by the following MapInfo
Discover capabilities:
• Drillholes
• Hydrology
• Datamine CAE export
• Leapfrog Geo export
• Discover 3D > Map Window
• Discover 3D > Vectors
• Discover 3D > Surfaces*
• Discover 3D > Drape Image
• Discover 3D > Extrusion Wizard **

These tools all also support multi-band MRR rasters, either via:
• pop-up field-band selector within the tool, or
• using the band set under RASTER>[Display]>Band.
Multi-band MRR exceptions:
* Discover 3D > Surfaces uses by default the first band in a multi-band MRR for initial 3D display. To
change, in 3D open the Surface Properties dialog, and use the Field Selector in the 3D Surface layer
to change the Band.
** Discover 3D > Extrusion Wizard can only utilize the first band in a multi-band MRR.
For more information, see the MapInfo Pro Advanced Help.
Drillhole data
Datamine .DM DISCOVER>Export>Datamine Studio Export
gINT .GPJ DRILLHOLES>Import>gINT Import
LAS (well logs) .LAS DRILLHOLES>Import>LAS Import
WinLog .MDB DRILLHOLES>Import>WinLoG Import

37 - Product
Improvement Initiative
The Product Improvement Initiative (PII) has been implemented to better
understand user workflow and interaction with MapInfo Discover, assisting
Pitney Bowes Software to improve future releases. The PII works by
recording menu clicks while MapInfo Discover is operational; a summary of
this information is sent anonymously on a monthly basis to Pitney Bowes
Software for analysis.
In this section
Configuring PII for enterprise deployment. 723

Frequently asked questions 723
Configuring PII for enterprise deployment.

MapInfo Discover contains the optional Product Improvement Initiative (PII) tool. This tool
records how MapInfo Discover users interact with the software, as well as the user’s MapInfo
Discover version, operating system, etc. All the PII information recorded is anonymous, and is
automatically sent back to Pitney Bowes Software (PBS) via a web service on a monthly basis. This
data is then collated and analysed to assist with development for future releases.
The PII tool can be configured with a registry value specifically for the purpose of implementing a group
policy in a enterprise environment. To do this:
1. Install MapInfo Discover.
2. Prior to initial start up, create a registry value (string value) with the name ShowUsageOptIn in the
location HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Encom\Discover\.
3. Populate the registry value with the following value data depending on the desired
implementation of the PII:
• 0 – PII is Off (not recording) and no PII activation dialog will be shown at start up.
• 1 – PII is On (recording) and no PII activation dialog will shown at start up.
• null (no reg key added) – Operates as normal: PII Is Off, and a PII activation dialog will be
shown at start-up.
Frequently asked questions
What information is collected?

• Product name and version (MapInfo Discover 2015.2)
• Operating system version (e.g. Microsoft Windows 7)
• Product license type (bundle, server, etc.)
• Menu click frequency (e.g. Drillhole Project, 16 times )
• Utility uptime (e.g. Drillhole Project, 4.15 hours)
• UniqueID - MapInfo Discover collects a unique ID number to help Pitney Bowes Software
determine how many and what percentage of users are using a specific tool. The Product
Improvement Initiative generates a Global Unique Identifier (GUID) that is stored on your
computer to uniquely identify it. The GUID is a randomly generated number: it does not contain
any personal information and cannot be used to identify the individual. The GUID is stored on the
individual computer and sent with every PII report.
How will Pitney Bowes Software use the information?

The information collected will be used to support, develop new features, and improve Pitney Bowes
Software products. This information is not shared with third parties.

How is my privacy protected?

Pitney Bowes Software takes many precautions in protecting the information that is collected and
transmitted. You can learn more about how we handle user information by reviewing the Pitney Bowes
Privacy Policy.
Since no personally identifiable information is collected, the anonymous data will not be meaningful to
anyone outside of Pitney Bowes Software.
How does it work?

Pitney Bowes Software keeps a file on the computer that stores the above information. Periodically
Pitney Bowes Software sends that data to a server over an internet connection. After a two month
period any unsent data is automatically deleted on the individual computer.
How do I participate?
The first time MapInfo Discover is started, you will be presented with a dialog asking if you would like
to participate in the initiative. Click 'Yes' if you would like to participate or 'No' if you do not want to
participate.
What if I change my mind?

In MapInfo Discover, select PRO>Add Ins>MapInfo Discover>Product Improvement.
• To stop participating, select “No, I do not want to participate.” and click OK.
• To join the program, select “Yes, I would like to participate.” and click OK.
Will I receive spam if I participate in the program?

You will not receive any e-mail correspondence from Pitney Bowes Software regarding this program,
regardless of whether you participate. We do not collect personally identifiable information as part of
this program.
Do I need an Internet connection?

An Internet connection is required to participate in this program. However, you do not need to be
connected all the time. When an Internet connection becomes available, the information is
automatically transmitted with negligible impact to your connection.
Can I see the data that is collected before it is sent to Pitney Bowes Software?
No, the information cannot be viewed.
How long does the program last?

Information is collected as long as you use the product version for which you have agreed to participate
or until you decide to stop participating in the program.

38 - Datamine Studio
In this section
Properties of .DM files 726

Standard file types 727
Datamine Studio
Properties of .DM files
Single- and extended-precision files and projects

Binary .DM files can be single or extended precision. Both single- and extended-precision files have
the file name extension .DM. Fields are either all single precision or all extended precision in the same
file. The width (page size) of a .DM file is fixed, and so the number of fields and the length of
alphanumeric fields are restricted.
Datamine Studio projects (databases) can be either single or extended precision. Single-precision files
are smaller and are quicker to load and process. Extended-precision projects can contain single-
precision files, but single-precision projects cannot contain extended-precision files.
Field types
Fields in a .DM file can be either alphanumeric or numeric (real, float), and implicit or explicit. There is
no integer field type.
Implicit and explicit fields

An implicit field is a header field, with the same value implied to each record. Whereas, an explicit field
has a different value for each record. For example, in a block model, XMORIG, YMORIG and ZMORIG
fields (coordinates of the model origin) are implicit and XC, YC, ZC (coordinates of cell centroids) are
explicit.
File size
Other than practicality, there are no limits on the number of records in a file. Files of several million
records are common.
Number and length of fields

The length of an alphanumeric field must be multiples of 4 characters.
The number of numeric and length of alphanumeric fields in a single-precision file are constrained by:
N + C ⁄ 4 ≤ 64
where N is the number of explicit numeric fields and C is the total number of characters in all explicit
alphanumeric fields. Hence, a single-precision file can contain 64 explicit numeric fields or a total of
256 characters in one or more explicit alphanumeric fields or any combination thereof.
Similarly, the number of numeric and length of alphanumeric fields in an extended-precision file are
constrained by:
N + C ⁄ 4 ≤ 256
Hence, an extended-precision file can contain 256 explicit numeric fields or a total of 1024 characters
in one or more explicit alphanumeric fields or any combination thereof.
Implicit fields are not counted in the record width, and so do not restrict the length or number of explicit
fields.

Datamine Studio
Field names
The following restrictions apply to field names:
• Cannot be duplicated in the same file.
• Cannot be blank.
• Can be up to 8 characters in length. If truncating longer field names, ensure the truncated name is
unique.
• Cannot begin with a space, a number, or the characters . , ! : * & = ( ) @ ?
• Cannot contain spaces or the characters , ! : * & = ( ). The underscore character can be used
instead of a space.
Specific file types are defined by their field names and structure—see Standard file types.
Standard file types

Datamine Studio uses standard file structures, with reserved field names, for each data type. When
exporting a file from MapInfo Pro to Datamine Studio, choose the appropriate file type.
String file (line and polyline vectors)
Field Numeric or Implicit or Description

Alphanumeric Explicit
XP N E String vertex coordinates
YP N E
ZP N E
PTN N E String vertex number
PVALUE N E String number
attributes N or A E or I String and point attribute fields
Point file (point vectors)

XPT N E X coordinate of data point
YPT N E Y coordinate of data point
ZPT N E Z coordinate of data point
attributes N or A E or I Point attribute fields

Datamine Studio
Desurveyed drillhole file (static drillhole file)

BHID N/A E Drillhole ID
FROM N E Distance down the hole to the top of the sample
TO N E Distance down the hole to the bottom of the sample
LENGTH N E Length of the sample
X N E Sample centre coordinates
Y N E
Z N E
A0 N E Azimuth of the sample in degrees measured
clockwise from north
B0 N E Dip of the sample in degrees measured positive
down from horizontal
attributes N or A E or I Sample attribute fields
Drillhole collar file

BHID N or A E Drillhole ID
XCOLLAR N E X coordinate of collar location
YCOLLAR N E Y coordinate of collar location
ZCOLLAR N E Z coordinate of collar location
Drillhole downhole survey file

BHID N or A E Drillhole ID
AT N E Distance down the hole to the survey
measurement.
BRG N E Bearing of the survey measurement in degrees
measured clockwise from north.
DIP N E Dip of the survey measurement in degrees
measured positive down from horizontal

Datamine Studio
Drillhole sample file

BHID N/A E Drillhole ID
FROM N E The distance down the hole to the top of the
sample
TO N E The distance down the hole to the bottom of the
sample
attributes N or A E or I Sample attribute fields
Wireframe triangle file

TRIANGLE N E Triangle number
PID1 N E Point IDs from the wireframe point file that define
PID2 N E the triangle
PID3 N E
attributes N or A E or I Triangle attribute fields
Wireframe point file

PID N E Sequential point identifier, starting from 1 (equal to
the file record number)
XP N E X Y and Z coordinates of the point
YP N E
ZP N E
attributes N or A E or I Point attribute fields

Index
Numerics Apply
Grid Filter 624
ASCII
3D displays 278 advanced import 47
3D Scatter plot supported formats 49
GraphMap 302 Assign
A Values 219
Auto open after save option 624
AUTOGRID 575
Absolute path name 24 Autogrid
Accept 239 Map 39
acknowledgments 29 Mask 247
acquire Table 247
Database Import 46 Autoload 11
Actual Automatic Legend Generation
Map Size 236 described 252, 570
add prerequisites 251
line and point labels 261 specifying the order within a legend 253
scaled frame 248 AutoSave
section to layout 453 restore workspace 14, 27
text labels 255 workspace 14
Add Derived Column Autosave interval 14
GraphMap 307 Auto-Shade 224
Additional Text Label Options 259 AVI
Adobe Reader 17 movie file format 277
Affine Azimuth 364, 365
Custom Projection 184
Transformation 183 B
aggregates
assigning aggregates from points to enclosing
background image
polygons See Assign Values
GraphMap 315
Align
Bar chart
Objects 209
GraphMap 302
Alpha-beta core angles 479 Bearing and Distance
Alter trench survey table 373
Map Bounds 105
boolean field
analytic signal computation 686 GraphMap 300, 317
angles Box Border 253
dip and plunge 503
Box plot
Animation 270 GraphMap 303
Create 271, 586 browser window
Movie File 277 GraphMap 310
Annotation Build
Line 264 Objects from Table 195
Apical plane 479 Build Objects 195
append
multi-table 138
C Container 220
Contents 220
Contents 220
calculate Container 220
maximum and EOH values 475
Context sensitive help 16
Change Direction
contour
reversing the direction of polylines and
grid surfaces 367
polygons 216
convert
Change Line Direction 216 image 357, 359
Child table
cookie-cutting polygons See Processing Inlying
GraphMap 321
Polygons
Clear assignments Coordinate
GraphMap 300 reproject 186
clip Transform 179
image 350
coordinate systems 37
Clip to 218 Coordinate Transformation
Polygon 218 transforming data between two coordinate
Clipping Data Tables 218 systems 179, 591
clipping objects Coordinates 178
at a polygon boundary 218 Node Edit Node 201
Clipping Options 218 Nodes 200
Close storing/updating current object coordinates 198
All 99
Update 178
Collar
Copying workspace to CD-ROM 24
trench/costean 371
Copyright 7, 535
collar
table 364 correlation coefficient
geochemistry 175
colour
edit pattems 446 correlation matrix
geochemistry 175, 618
Colour code sample assay labels 260
Create
Column
A Scalebar 249
Multiple Update 135
Additional Scaled Outputs 241
Column Delimited 196
Animation 271, 586
Column parameter
GraphMap 309 Drillhole Sections 362
Map Legend 251
Column Update 135
Scaled Output Map 236
company name 695
compositing Stack Profiles 286
downhole 458, 468 World file 603
Compute create
Area Change 222 custom title block 690
Compute Area Change 222 New Legend 448
Computer section collar plan 457
license transfer 9 Create License File dialog box 9
Configuration Create tab
Configuration File 12 GraphMap 298
Configuration menu option 12, 13, 14, 19 Current Mapper Projection 37
Configure 236 Cursor Position
Configure button on the Scaled Output dialog 236 Position 42
Configuring MapInfo Discover 12 cusstom projections
Drillhole section plans 455
Contacting PBS 17
Custom
Re-Order Mode 253 direction
Custom coordinate system 575, 578 changing direction of a line See Change
Custom scheme Direction Direction
GraphMap 330 storing direction of a line See Line Direction
cutting objects Discover structure codes 503
with a selected line See Line Cut DISCOVER.Prj 37
DISCOVER.WOR 14, 27
D display
log 441
Data log parameters 444, 668
Digitizing 108 Distance and Bearing 37
data Location Display 38, 651
handling 165 Distance Calculator 177
data handling 165 Distance, Bearing 200
Data handling options Document
GraphMap 306 Link Setup 230
data handling options Link to Map Object 230
GraphMap 306 Linking 228
data levelling Open Linked 232
Geochem 171 Documentation
data selection Getting Started 2
GraphMap 316 donutting polygons See Processing Inlying
Data tab Polygons
GraphMap 316 downhole
data window compositing 458
GraphMap 304 info tool 457
Datamine 725 survey table 364
Datamine Studio 3 725 downhole data tables 365
DataSight downhole survey table 364
import 56 downhole table
DBMS 100 trench/costean 375
Auto Refresh 100 download
decimal degrees data table 365
grid spacing 246 Draw
Default map window Status Bar Line 199
overriding 13 Object 198
define Polyline/Polygon 200
log display 443 Pont 199
new section or plan 401 draw
Density and Orientation 263 section grid 456
Depth 365 Draw Arc, Ellipse and Rectangle 201
Depth From and Depth To 365, 366 draw grid labels 246
Dervied Columns, creating Draw Grid option 236, 238
GraphMap 307 drillhole
DeviationSurvey collar table 364
WinLoG Import 94 create new project 380
Digitizing Create Sections 362
Data 108 data format 363
Dip 364, 365 merging 468
dip and plunge project setup 377, 395, 398
angles 503
drillhole collar 364
Drillhole Display Favourite
collar location 364 MapBasics 21
drillhole project Workspaces 22
create new 380 Favourite Mapbasics 21
Drillholes 9, 31, 361, 517, 534, 541, 601, 605, 636, Favourite Projections 35
645, 677, 683 Favourite Workspaces 22
Subset Project 399 FFT Filter
Drillholes subsystem band pass 689
and resource computation 483 continuation 688
Drillholes>Add section to layout tool 244 high pass 689
DXF 59 low pass 689
field
E add 139
comparison 139
Easting and Northing 364 delete 139
ECW rename 139
import 74 reorder 139
edge ticks 246 type 139
Edit field assignments
Node Coordinates 201 GraphMap 298
edit Files of Type entry 622
colour pattems 446 filter
Edit Node Coordinates 201 GraphMap 300
Editor image 354
Workspace 23 Filter field assignment
Elevation 364 GraphMap 300
ellipse Filter Properties 624
and resource calculation 486 filter, saved selection
enhance GraphMap 317
image 352 Filtered Grid
Environmental Symbol Font 714 Save 624
Equal Angle See Stereogram Fit Map Window to Selected Object 40
Equal Area See Stereogram Fixed extents 41, 598
ET Str font 264, 640 in map linking 41, 598
Exit 244 Fixed scale 41, 598
Exponential scheme in map linking 41, 598
GraphMap 331 flow accumulation 497
export flow direction 495
colours pattems 451 Folder locations
graph as MapInfo table 290 changing 12
graph as raster image 290 Font Size defaults 259
MineSight SRG 67 Format 258
multiple MID/MIF 139 Text 258
Profile Analyst Located Image 78 format
section layers 60 drillhole data 363
Vulcan archive 68 Frame
Extract Nodes 221 Configure 236
Settings 236
F Setup 236
Frame Setup 236
F1 key 16 frame setup 236
G preconditioning data 306
quick access toolbar 290
Regression Line 315
Geochem remove selection 318
data levelling 171
Reset Layout 337
point classification 169
Residuals Graph 316
statistics 173
Save Data 290
Geological Symbol Font 702 Save Workspace 290
geological symbols 702, 712, 714 selection in MapInfo 317
geology
Selection Statistics 327
surface 368
size by group 331
geophysical point data
trench downhole data 365, 375 statistics 327
Geosoft database Value parameter 308
import 61 window tools 311
Getting started 2 Grid
global Line Intersection 246
settings 445 grid
Graph Builder contour Surfaces 367
GraphMap 298 draw section 456
graph types Grid Filter
GraphMap 301 Apply 624
GraphMap 289, 318 Information 623
Advanced Colour Options 329 Settings 625
Advanced Size Options 332 Grid Spacing 246
altering symbol display 328 Grid spacing 575, 578
colour by group 329 Grid style 575, 578
colour by RGB value 335 grid style 246
Column parameter 309 Group field
Create tab 298 GraphMap 300
Data Handling Options 306 Group field assignment
GraphMap 300
data selection 316
Group field use
Data tab 316
GraphMap 300
data window 304
Group scheme
Dervied Columns, creating 307 GraphMap 331
export 290 Group, saved selection
filter 300 GraphMap 317
Global Properties 335
graph window tools 291 H
Group field 300
Legend Window 334 handling
Load Workspace 290 data 165
MapInfo polygons, importing 319 Hatching
Modify tab 328 transparent hatching See See-Thru Shading
Multi-Table Relationships 320 Help 2, 16
navigation 314 sources available 15
Open dataset 290 Help buttons 16
overlay 318 Hints 242
Permanent Selection Region, creating 318 Histogram
Permanent Selection Region, importing 319 GraphMap 302
precondition data 306 Hole ID 365, 366
HoleID 364, 365 Grid Filter 623
horizontal plan in GridProcessor 623
section 402 inlying polygons
Hydrographic Symbol Font 712 processing See Processing Inlying Polygons
hydrology 487 Insert Nodes 215
extract drainage features 489 ioGAS
fill unnatural pits 493 import 61
generate catchments 500
workflow 488
J
I JPEG2000
import 74
IGRF calculator 687 K
image
clip 350
convert 357, 359 Key in shapes 198
enhance 352 keying in
filter 354 object coordinates 198
properties 351 object descriptions by distance bearing 198
rectify 341 Knowledge Base 16
reproject 348 L
rotate 356
save control points 345
selection 342 Label Creator 255
image tool Labels
rectify 343 creating at an angle 259
Images 338 Line and Point 261
imperial labels
scale bars 573 Add Text 255
scalebars 249 on grids 246
Import LAS 65
ASCII File 48 Layout
import Add Scaled Frame 248
Acquire database 46 Local Grid 188
advanced ASCII 47 layout
Geosoft database 61 section options 455
MicroMine 66 Layout, use existing as title block template 574
MineSight SRG 66 Layout>Align 243
multiple MID/MIF 139 Legend
Profile Analyst Located Image 77 Box Boarder 253
Vulcan archive 68 Create Map 251
Import and Export 44 Order 253, 571
Importing Style 253
lines from coordinates on one row 197 Tables and Columns 251
Polylines delimited by row or column 195 legend
importing create new 448
tables from multiple directories 98 properties 449, 451
inclination 687 reordering 571
info tool legend border style 571
downhole 457 legend creation 252
Information Legend from objects within map window only option
253 Fixed extents 41, 598
Legend Order 253, 571 Fixed Scale 41, 598
Legend Style 253 Map 41
Legend style 571 Local Grid
legend text style 571 converting from See Coordinate
Legend Window Transformation
GraphMap 334 generating 188, 628, 670
Library Layout 188
Styles 203 Local Grid Layout 188
library Location Display 38, 651
SeeThru Shde 264 log
License define display 443
new 8 display 441
transferring 9 display parameters 444, 668
upgrading 8 log display
License information define 443
displaying 10 parameters 444, 668
Licensing 7 Log scheme
new installation 8 GraphMap 331
upgrade 8 logo tablename 693
LIDAR LAS low magnetic latitudes 686
import 65
Line 199 M
Annotation 264
Change direction 216 Make Affine Custom Projection 184
Concatinate 214 Make Custom TitleBlock 248
Orientation 221 manager
Line and Point 261 secton 410
Line Annotation 264 Manual start 11
Line Concat 214 Map
Line Cut 213 Accept Position 239
cutting objects with a selected line 213 Actual Size 236
Line Direction Alter Bounds 105
storing as an attribute 221, 650 Autogrid 39
Line graph Position 238
GraphMap 302 Position Scaled 238
Line on One Row 197 Scale 236
Linear scheme Map Autogrid 39
GraphMap 330 Map Frame Position offsets 237
Lineations Map graph
plotting See Stereogram GraphMap 301
Lines graph Map Grid 245, 246
GraphMap 302 on printed maps See scaled hardcopy output
Link saving 247
Document 228
Map Linking 41
Document Setup 230
Map Making Tools 233
Document to Map Object 230
Map Making>Add scaled frame to layout tool 243,
Open Document 232
244
Link Document 230 Map Position 238
Linking 228 Map projection 575, 577
Document 228
Map Scale and Size 236 Multiple
Map Styles 701 Column Update 135
Map Window Tools 18, 32 multiple line plots See Lines graph
map with no map grid 236, 238 multiple MID/MIF
Map>Previous View menu option 243 export 139
MapBasics 21 import 139
Favourite 21 multiple scatter plots See Scatter Matrix
MapInfo Discover multi-segment pie chart See Pie chart
configuring 12 multi-table
Getting Started guide 2 append 138, 139
help 16 comparison 139
introduction 1 field editing 139
map Status Bar 13 open 98
start manually 11 pack 138
starting 11 reproject 139, 187
workspace AutoSave 14 Structure Manager 139
Multi-Table Relationships
MAPINFOW.PRJ 37
GraphMap 320
Mapper State 33
mappers linked 41, 598 N
MapSize rectangle 238
Margins
negative values
Non-Printing 237
display as hole logs 444
mask
new section or plan
around grid 247
define 401
Match Window Sizes 43
No List option 251
maximum and EOH values
calculate 475 Nodes 200
Coordinates 200
MBX 21
Distance, Bearing 200
Mean scheme
GraphMap 331 Insert 215
merge drillholes 468 Node Edit Coordinates 201
Methods nodes
transformation 347 editing object nodes 201
metric keying in object nodes 198
scale bars 573 Non-Printing Margins 237
scalebars 249 normal probability plot See Probability plot
MI Label Angles 259 normalize
geochemical data 171, 617
MicroMine
import 66 O
MineSight
import 66
MineSight SRG Object
import 66 Align 209
Minesight SRG Colouring 224
export 67 Cut 213
Minimum angle factor 687 Offset 206
Modfy tab Transform 207
GraphMap 328 Object Editing>Key In Shapes 40
Modify Object Information
MI Label Angles 259 GraphMap 318
Movie File 277 Object Offset function 241
objects Pattern Type 263
keying in object nodes 198 SeeThru Shadding 263
Offset Object 206 Pattern Width 263
Offset Objects patternsfor see-thru 263, 643
creating copies of objects at a specified offset PDF
206, 227, 641, 644 viewing and printing 17
Online Knowledge Base 16 Percentile scheme
Open 232 GraphMap 331
Linked Document 232 Pie chart
open GraphMap 303
multi-table 98 PII 11, 536, 722
Open Layout Template from workspace 251 Plane Transformation 182
opening Plot
tables from multiple directories 98 Vectors 225
options Plot Vectors 225
output 169 Point 199
section layout 455 point classification
Oriented core 479 Geochem 169
output point style legend
options 169 output options 171
output options Poles to Planes
output type 170 plotting See Stereogram
point styles legend 171 PolyClip
set point styles 170 clipping objects at a polygon boundary 218
output type Polygons
output options 170 Clip to 218
Overlay Clipping Data Tables 218
Map Grid 247 Clipping Options 218
overlay Donut 217
GraphMap 318 Polyline
Overriding default map Status Bar 13 Smoother- 639
Thin 212
P Polyline Smoother 639
Polyline/Polygon 200
pack Polylines
multi-table 138 Column Delimited 196
Packaging workspaces 24 Line on One Row 197
panning Row Delimited 195
GraphMap 314 Position Scaled 238
parameters Map 238
log display 444, 668 precondition data
Title block 694 GraphMap 306
Parent table Print PDF document 17
GraphMap 320 Printer Setup 236
pattems Printing 240
edit colours 446 Scaled Output Layout 240
export 451 Probability plot
Pattern 260 GraphMap 303
Colour Text Labels 260 Processing Inlying Polygons
Pattern Density 263 and geological maps 217
Pattern Library 264 cutting polygons from surrounding polygons
217 Text 102
Product Improvement Initiative 11, 536, 722 reproject
Profile Analyst Located Image coordinates 186
export 78 image 348
import 77 NTv2 method 698
profile information tables 139, 187
and drillholes 367 Requirements
Profiles hardware 5
Create Stack 286 Residuals Graph
Proimity GraphMap 316
Search 203 resource grid 483
Projections resource parameters
display details 37 setup 484
favourite 35 resources from cross-sections 482
Make Affine custom 184 Restore
Map Grid 246 Mapper State 33
Properties Restore Autosave workspace 14, 27
GraphMap 292 RGB
properties formula 335
image 351 RGB Colourizer 224
legend 449, 451 RGB values
Proximity Search GraphMap 335
selecting objects based on distance from other Rose diagram
objects 203, 653 GraphMap 303
rotate
Q image 356
rotation
Querying GraphMap 315
based on proximity to selected objects See rounded grid spacing 246
Proximity Search Row Delimited 195
Querying tables Rows and Columns
searching for particular text See Text Search of filters 685
and Replace RTP filter 686
R S
Rank scheme Save
GraphMap 330 Filtered Grid 624
Raster Map Grids 247
multi-resolution raster (MRR) 720 Mapper State 33
rectify save
image 341 graoh data as MapInfo table 290
image tool 343 graph data as CSV file 290
Reduction-To-the-Pole 686 graph legend as MapInfo table 290
Registered Raster 269 image control points 345
Convert Map 269 Save and Overlay Map Grids 247
Create World File 603 Save Mapper State tool 33
Regression Line Save Plane 183
GraphMap 315
Save tables to workspace folder 24
Relative path name 24
scale bar style 573
Replace
Scale Factor 183
scalebar applying to selected regions 262
Title Block 696 SeeThru Shading 262
scalebar format 249 Density and Orientation 263
scaled hardcopy output Pattern Library 264
configuring frame settings 236 Pattern Type 263
determining coverage 238 SEETHRU table 263, 643
hints 243 Select
scalebar format 249 Group 103
using an existing workspace as a template 251 Select by Graphical Styles 205
with standard map sheets 241 Select by Group 103
Scaled Output 234, 245, 248 Select by Style dialog 205
Creating Additional 241 Select Object to Draw 198
Exit 244 selection
Hints 242 image 342
Printing 240 selection region
TitleBlock 240 GraphMap 318
Scaled Output>Quit Scaled Output 244 Selection Statistics
Scaled Output>Respecify Parameters 239 GraphMap 327
Scaled Output>Restore Map Window 243 Send TitleBlock to Back checkbox 250
Scatter matrix Set Clip Region 243
GraphMap 303 Set default table view 33
Scatter plot setting 33, 563
GraphMap 301 set point styles
Search output options 170
Proimity 203 Set Selection Overlay
Text 102 GraphMap 315
Search all holes Settings
required 483 Grid Filter 625
search ellipse 486 settings
in Grid Tool 485 global 445
search orientation Setup
for sectional resources 486 Frame 236
Section setup
draw grid 456 drillhole project 377, 398
horizontal plan 402 resource parameters 484
layout options 455 Shading
vertical 405 See Thru 262
section Sharing workspaces 24
manager 410 smooth curved grid lines 576
section collar plan Sort
create 457 Tables 104
section to layout Sort Table 104
add 453 special symbol fonts 264, 640
Sectional Resource Calculator 482, 483 Specify Order option 252
sections Stacked Profile
Create Drillhole 362 Create 286
SeeThru Standard Deviation
Shading 262 GraphMap 331
See-Thru Pattern Library 264 Standard Map Sheets 241
See-Thru patterns 262 Standard Views 33
See-Thru Shading Starting MapInfo Discover 11
statistics comparison 139
Geochem 173 download data 365
GraphMap 327 download survey 364
Stereogram editing 139
GraphMap 303 open 98
Store Resource in column 485 pack 138
stream analysis 487, 498 reproject 139, 187
Structural data 479 structure 139
structural data Table Split 107
displaying as symbols See Structural Data Table window
Mapper GraphMap 302
Structural Data Mapper table window
Overview 504 GraphMap 310
symbol codes 503 Tables
structural measurements absolute and relative path names 24
plotting See Stereogram Build Objects 195
Structural True Type symbol fonts 705 Columns 251
structure Legend 251
symbols 501 remove unused 23
Structure Symbol Font 705 resolve missing 24
Style save to workspace folder 24
Legend 253 tables
Style button sort 104
for legends 253
Tables and Columns 251
Styles
Technical support 17
Library 203
Tenements 505
Styles Library 203 Ternary diagram
surface GraphMap 303
geology 368
Text
grid and contour 367 Add Labels 255
Surfaces See grids Additional Label Options 259
survey table
Colour Labels from Pattern 260
download 364
Format 258
trench/costean 371
Replace 102
symbol fonts 640
Search 102
symbol picker 504
sizing for a given map scale 258
symbology
GraphMap 328 text label string into a column 260, 585
symbols Text Labels 255
structure 501 Text Search and Replace 102
searching for and/or replacing particular text
T 102
Thin
Table Polyline 212
Multiple Utilities 137 Thin Polyline
Set Default 33 Node Number 212
Split 107 Node Position 212
Transformation 179 Thin Polyline by Node Number 212
table Thin Polyline by Node Position 212
append 138, 139 Thin Polylines 212
collar 364 thinning polylines and regions
by node position 212
Title Block True Type fonts 705
insert Company Logo 691 TrueType symbol fonts 504
Make Custom 248
placeholders 695 U
scalebar 696
Title block 240 Update 260
add scale bar 574 Coordinates 178
create 690 Table from Text Labels 260
parameters 694 Text Labels from Table 260
position 574 Update Coordinates
saving 574 storing coordinates from multiple projections
scale 574 179
send to back 574 update coordinate columns from objects 178
Title Line placeholder 695 update object position from coordinate columns
Title Lines 249 178
TITLEBLK.TAB 250, 574 update the text in text objects 260, 585
TitleBlock List 237 Updates 17
Titleblock Position 250 updating text labels 259
Tool Search Upper Tail scheme
settings 20 GraphMap 331
using 20 User Guide described 16
Tools Utilities
Distance and Bearing 37 Multiple Table 137
topographic grid Utils 624
trench/costean 376
Total Depth 364
V
Transfer license 9
Transform 179, 207 Value parameter
Coordinate 179 GraphMap 308
Coordinates now 183 Values
Object 207 Assign 219
Transformation Vectors
Affine 183 Plot 225
NTv2 698 vertical section 405
Plane 182 View PDF document 17
Save Plane 183 viewing individual records
Scale Factor 183 GraphMap 318
Table 179 viewing multiple records
transformation GraphMap 310
Methods 347 Views
Transformation Table 179 Set Default Table 33
trench Standard 33
Bearing and Distance survey table 373 Vulcan archive
collar table 371 export 68
downhole data table 375 import 68
setup 396 W
survey table 371
topography grid 376
triangular irregular network 202 watershed 487
weight power
Troubleshooting 10
in Grid Tool 485
weight the grid node 685
whiskers (box plot)
GraphMap 303
Windows 7 or 8 4
Workspace
AutoSave 14
autosaving and restoring 14
Editor 23
make table path names absolute or relative 24
packaging and sharing 24
resolve missing tables 24
restore AutoSave 14, 27
Workspace Editor 23
Workspaces
Favourite 22
Worspace
remove unused tables 23
X
X axis asssignment
GraphMap 300
X-axis label 577
XY point plot See Scatter plot
Y
Y axis assignment
GraphMap 300
Y-axis label 577
Z
Z axis assignment
GraphMap 300
Zoom to Extents of Selected Object 40
zooming
GraphMap 315

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MapInfo Discover User Guide

About this guide.................................................... 2 Map view settings ............................................... 33

Calculating distances between points in separate 16 - Graphs and profiles

TOOLS Refresh Off ....................................................... 565

About title blocks .............................................. 691

Encom reprojections......................................... 698

Line styles......................................................... 701

Tabular and vector data.................................... 717

Configuring PII for enterprise deployment. ....... 723

Properties of .DM files ...................................... 726

About this guide 2

About this guide

Conventions used in this guide

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 2

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 3

MapInfo Pro Advanced

Minimum hardware requirements

Recommended hardware requirements

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 5

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package (x64)

What the MapInfo Discover Bundle includes

Installing MapInfo Discover

Installing from a downloaded installation file

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 6

Uninstalling MapInfo Discover

Licensing MapInfo Discover

Display information about PBS software installed on your computer

Reinstalling MapInfo Discover

MapInfo Discover has not been previously licensed on the computer

The license is being transferred from another computer

A later version of the software has been installed

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 7

Installing a new license

Upgrading an existing license

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 8

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 9

Displaying license information

Troubleshooting license issues

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 10

Product Improvement Initiative

What if I change my mind?

Starting MapInfo Discover

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 11

Running multiple instances of MapInfo Pro and MapInfo Discover

Configuring MapInfo Discover

Viewing and changing Mapinfo Discover directory locations

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 12

Overriding the default map status bar display

To override the MapInfo Pro Status Bar display default:

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 13

Autosaving and restoring the workspace

Disabling MapInfo Pro's automatic tab switching

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 14

MapInfo Discover User Guide

MapInfo Discover Tutorials

Online Knowledge Base

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 16

Checking for MapInfo Discover updates

Viewing and printing the electronic manuals

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 17

Controlling the interface 19

Controlling the interface

MapInfo Discover 2016 User Guide 19