How to smooth Grid Overlay results

Some calculation results, although accurate and/or validated by expert parties, may present coarse results. A notable example is the Heat Overlay, which depending on the circumstances can create hard breaks in what would otherwise be expected to be relatively analog results. For some audiences or impressions, it is therefor desirable to smooth out the results somewhat, striking a balance between accuracy in numbers and in spatial sense.

To do this, an Average Overlay is used. This Average Overlay will present the actual results, while the original coarse results will remain available from the Grid Overlay which provided them.

Editor → Current Situation (Ribbon tab) → Overlays (Ribbon bar)

How to smooth Grid Overlay results:

1. In the left panel, select the Grid Overlay which needs to be smoothed so that its details appear in the right panel.
2. Switch to the "Legend" tab, and use the clipboard icon to copy the legend.
3. Add an Average Overlay to the Project.
4. Ensure the added Average Overlay is selected in the left panel, so that its details appear in the right panel.
5. Set the Input type to "Grid Input".
6. Set the Grid Input to the Grid Overlay which needs to be smoothed.
7. Set the averaging distance to approximately 10 times the grid cell size (e.g. if the grid cell size is 2m, set the averaging distance to 20m).
8. Switch to the "Legend" tab.
9. Use the clipboard icon to paste the copied legend information.
10. If necessary, recalculate the Grid Overlays.

Notes

• The greater the averaging distance, the smoother the results. However, the smoother the results, the less detailed the results will be.

See also

• Average Overlay
• Grid Overlay