Want a program to enhance your environmental reports? Try Surfer!
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
My company uses Surfer to create 2D and 3D images to represent the data we collect in the field. It is a small company so most employees use it for data processing and reports. It has been excellent for us to produce better images and improve the quality of our reports and assessments sent to clients.
Pros
- 3D surface maps are easy with Surfer and take a report to a whole new level.
- It's an easy to learn program with accessible tech support when needed.
- Data input is made simple as long as you stick to their (simple) guidelines.
Cons
- The user interface can be tricky at first. It's a little rough around the edges and takes a little time to get the hang of.
- Not an ideal application for older employees. There are too many things with the interface that make it not worthwhile to train employees with less computer experience.
- Manipulating data within Surfer is difficult because you have to do things in a certain order. Not terrible if you get the hang of it but certainly frustrating at first.
Likelihood to Recommend
Surfer has been excellent for us, a small company, to process the electrical resistivity, refraction microtremor, and MASW data collected in the field. There are an increasing number of programs capable of assisting in this geophysical analysis but Surfer is the most advanced. The ability to create both 2D and 3D figures in the program while managing data is a huge help. It also greatly improved report quality and helped clients better understand what the results were for a study.
