Tutorial: Measure Distances on the Map

Estimated time: 2 minutes.

In this section, you will use the Measure | Distance tool to record the distances between several boreholes on the combined, annotated map. This can be helpful if you need to get an idea of your hole-to-hole distances prior to modeling, to better determine optimal grid/solid model node spacing (density).

! It is necessary that you have completed the previous lessons before continuing. Click here to return to the beginning of this section.

1. Enlarge the map: Maximize the RockPlot2D window that contains the combined, annotated map image, by clicking in the windows-maximize button.
   
2. Measure the distance:
   1. Click on the Measure menu and choose the Distance option. Or, click the Measure | Distance toolbar button   The program will display a bright message in the lower-right data pane, Distance Calculator. Click on Starting Point.
   2. Position the pointer on one of the borehole locations and left-click once. You’ll see a small symbol on top of the map symbol. The instructions in the data pane will now read, Click on Ending Point.
   3. Now position the pointer on another borehole location and left-click once. You’ll see a new symbol placed there, and a line will connect the two marked points.
   4. The program will display the distance computation in the data pane of the plot window.
      
3. Repeat this for a few additional boreholes. Note how the distance measurements are posted in the data pane.
   
4. Terminate the measurement session by clicking on either the button in the lower-left corner of the window, or the main Edit Arrow in the upper-left corner.
   
5. Save these measurements to a text file:
   1. Click on the Options button above the data pane.
   2. Click Export.
   3. Export To: Choose Text File.
   4. Type of Export: Choose All Information.
   5. File Name: Click in the prompt to the right and type in the name for the text file: distance.txt
   6. Click OK to save the data into this file. The text file will contain all of the text in the data pane, and will be saved to the same folder as the current images. You could later open this text file in Windows Notepad, for example, to view the recorded data.
      
6. Refresh the image: Click on the Best Fit in Window button to redraw the map image. Note that the screen-digitized points and lines are now gone. The Distance measurements will still be displayed in the data pane, however.

   ! This is an important thing to note. The Measure menu items are only temporary in nature. Their markers will disappear from the image any time the screen is refreshed or the window resized unless they are physically appended to the underlying image.

7. If you have a moment, experiment with some of the other Measure menu tools:
   Measure | Bearing: You digitize two points, and the program records the azimuth bearing (0 to 360 degrees) from the starting to the ending point.
   Measure | Perimeter: You digitize a polygon (double-click to close it) and the program records the perimeter length.
   Measure | Area: You digitize a polygon and the program records the area within the enclosed polygon.

Measuring the Distance Between Two Points

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