NASA World Wind Dynamic 3-Point Problem Solver

The plane solver is an interactive tool that solves a 3 point problem and plots geological symbols in proper dip/dip-azimuth form. This is a desktop based version of the 3-point problem solver. It requires Java and is based off of NASA's Globe Viewer SDK called World Wind (WW).

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Virtual globe  Delaware Water Gap 

This tool uses the WW three-dimensional (3D) virtual globe for calculating the 3D orientation of inclined (dipping) geological planes that intersect the Earth’s surface and are visible, or not masked by infrastructure, foliage, or surficial cover. Using this tool, a user interactively picks three points on the trace of a bed form, or other visually identifiable geological plane, and the tool extracts the 3D coordinates from the WW spatial reference frame, computes the dip angle and dip direction of the plane based on the input points, then places either a two-dimensional (2D) map symbol or flat, 3D disks at the second point of input along with dip (0-90) and dip azimuth (0-360) notation. The scale of the symbol is determined automatically by the spacing of the input points. The user can generate multiple symbols during a single session that can be exported in a KML/KMZ format. Details of the incorporated mathematics are covered in the Help Docs.

To begin using this tool you must download the ZIP file containing the executable and a library folder containing associated files. Extract the ZIP. The executable .jar file must reside in the same folder as the library folder in order to work. Upon downloading, double click the .jar to begin using it.

Help Docs Download Files(34.4 MB)