Geotouch: software for three and four dimensional GIS in the earth sciences

A new program for exploratory data analysis in three and four dimensions is presented and described. Interactive communication between diverse datasets is stressed as the main gestalt of the Geotouch program. The primary kinds of data include point, vector, raster and wireframe data sets, in addition to specialized forms such as focal mechanisms and ellipsoidal information. The software includes methods for cutting cross-sections at arbitrary angles, spinning objects in three space and animating time series of punctual data, such as hypocenter series and Volcano eruptions. The program is written in POSIX compliant C using X-windows for Unix systems and has been ported to Linux. Free access, via the Internet, to executable binary, source code and documentation make this package an attractive alternative to expensive or unwieldy commercial options. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.