Posted on February 12, 2023 (Updated on July 10, 2025)

Surface Difference TIN Output in ArcGIS | Python Code

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What is surface difference in Arcgis?

Surface Difference works by performing a geometric comparison between the triangles of both input surfaces. The triangles from the first surface are classified as either completely above, below, or intersecting the second (reference) surface.

How do I create a tin in Arcgis?

Create a TIN

  1. On the Analysis tab, click the Tools button .
  2. The Geoprocessing pane appears.
  3. Type Create TIN in the search box, and press Enter to search for the tool.
  4. Double-click Create TIN to open the tool.
  5. Specify the parameters and click Run to build the TIN surface.


What is a raster tin?

Raster To TIN is frequently used to convert a raster derived from a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) digital elevation model (DEM) to a TIN surface model. Raster To TIN first generates a candidate TIN using sufficient input raster points (cell centers) to fully cover the perimeter of the raster surface.

How do you calculate differences in ArcGIS?

In ArcGIS Pro, open the attribute table containing the two date fields. Create a new integer field in the attribute table using the Add Field tool. In the attribute table, right-click the new field, and click Calculate Field to calculate the difference between the two date fields.
 

What is the difference between tin surface data and raster surface data?

TIN models are less widely available than raster surface models and tend to be more expensive to build and process. The cost of obtaining good source data can be high, and processing TINs tends to be less efficient than processing raster data because of the complex data structure.

How do you make a TIN surface from points?

To Create a TIN Surface

  1. Click Home tab Create Ground Data panel Surfaces drop-down Create Surface Find.
  2. Click to select a layer.
  3. In the properties grid, click the Value column for the Name property and enter a name for the surface.

Is TIN a raster or a vector?

vector

TIN structure is a vector-based topological data model that is used to represent terrain data. TIN represents the terrain surface as a set of interconnected triangular facets. TIN structure is a vector-based alternative to the traditional raster representation of terrain surface – Digital Elevation Model (DEM).

What is a surface in ArcGIS?

What are surfaces? Surfaces represent phenomena that have values at every point across their extent. The values at the infinite number of points across the surface are derived from a limited set of sample values.

What is the difference between surfaces and faces?

In geometry, the term ‘face’ refers to a flat surface with only straight edges, as in prisms and pyramids, eg. a cube has six faces. Curved surfaces, such as those found in cylinders, cones, and spheres, are not classified as ‘faces’.
 

What is surface data in GIS?

[modeling] A representation of a geographic feature or phenomenon that can be measured continuously across some part of the earth’s surface (for example, elevation). A surface model is an approximation of a surface, generalized from sample data. Surface models are stored and displayed as rasters, TINs, or terrains.