Information-Theoretic Surface Modeling

The problem of estimating the form of a surface, given a set of points lying on that surface, is a fundamental concern in automated cartography. A good deal of effort has been spent investigating the problem by using particular terrain modeling schemes, but no general approach has previously been developed. In this paper, we examine the problem of terrain estimation from an information-theoretic viewpoint. Geometric analysis shows that there is an essentially unique criterion for the optimal choice of an estimated terrain surface given limited knowledge of that surface. We briefly review this theory, and then turn to the practical question of developing versatile and efficient software for manipulating terrain elevation data based on the information-theoretic analysis. The contour to grid estimation system CONTOGES was implemented at the U.S. Army Engineer Topographic Laboratories (USAETL) as a preliminary check of the theoretical work. We discuss the particular algorithm and the results of a test of the software system. (Author) Presented at 1983 ACSM-ASP Convention, Washington, DC, 13-18 Mar 83.