004] How to Create Terrain Cross-Sections with Path Profile in Global Mapper

Extract precise elevation data along a specific path to visualize terrain cross-sections.

This tutorial covers the essential steps for generating a Path Profile in Global Mapper. You will learn how to use the Digitizer Tool to define a section line, organize layers for clarity, and troubleshoot common display issues caused by contour intersections to achieve a clean elevation graph.

Today, we'll take a quick look at how the Path Profile tool works in Global Mapper. Since we are continuing from the previous lesson, you can open the same project file.

Global Mapper main screen with layer list showing terrain analysis layers
img 1 : Global Mapper main screen with layer list showing terrain analysis layers

Drawing the Terrain Section Line

First, we need to draw the line where the terrain section will be generated. Select the pencil-shaped icon (Digitizer Tool) from the top icon menu.

Toolbar highlighting the Digitizer Tool (Alt+D)
img 2 : Toolbar highlighting the Digitizer Tool (Alt+D)

Right-click on the main screen and select Create Line Features -> LINE.

Right-click context menu showing Create Line Features and LINE selection
img 3 : Right-click context menu showing Create Line Features and LINE selection

Left-click at Position 1 - Left-click at Position 2 - Left-click at Position 3 - and then Right-click at Position 4.

A multi-segment line drawn across the colored terrain map
img 4 : A multi-segment line drawn across the colored terrain map

Once the line is drawn, the following window will appear:

Modify Feature Info dialog box
img 5 : Modify Feature Info dialog box

Click the list box in the Feature Layer menu and select <Create New Layer for Feature>. This means we are creating a new layer to put the object we just made into.

Selecting Create New Layer and typing 'Line' in the Feature Layer field
img 6 : Selecting Create New Layer and typing 'Line' in the Feature Layer field

Type "Line" (or '라인') and click OK. Now, a layer named "Line" appears in the Control Center, and you can see the line on the terrain.

Control Center showing the new 'Line' layer and the line visible on the map
img 7 : Control Center showing the new 'Line' layer and the line visible on the map

The color of the line might be a bit faint, so let's change it to make it more visible. I've changed mine to black. We covered how to change colors in the last session.

The line segment now appearing in black on the terrain map
img 8 : The line segment now appearing in black on the terrain map

Generating the Path Profile

Now, select the line segment. Click the pencil icon again or press the ESC key to switch to edit mode. After selecting the line you just drew, right-click and choose Analysis/Measurement -> PATH PROFILE.

Right-click menu on the selected line navigating to Analysis/Measurement and Path Profile
img 9 : Right-click menu on the selected line navigating to Analysis/Measurement and Path Profile

A new window will pop up showing the terrain section like this:

Initial Path Profile window showing the terrain elevation but with many vertical black lines
img 10 : Initial Path Profile window showing the terrain elevation but with many vertical black lines

Cleaning Up the Path Profile Display

Wait, do you see those vertical black lines? Those black lines represent the contour lines registered in the Control Center. Wherever the Path Profile line you drew intersects with a contour line, it marks it vertically. It looks messy, so let's get rid of them.

Close the Path Profile window and turn off the contour layer in the Control Center.

Turning off the contour layer in the Control Center layer list
img 11 : Turning off the contour layer in the Control Center layer list

Now, select the line again and execute PATH PROFILE once more.

Clean Path Profile result showing the smooth terrain elevation graph
img 12 : Clean Path Profile result showing the smooth terrain elevation graph

Now it looks much cleaner. The point where you first started drawing the line is on the left. The yellow dots in the middle represent the vertices where the line segments bend. This is how Global Mapper generates terrain sections.

"Wait, what do I use this for?" you might ask...

Exploring Path Profile Settings

If you select Path Setup - Path Profile Settings... from the top menu of the Path Profile window, you can configure various options.

Path Profile window menu showing Path Setup and Path Profile Settings
img 13 : Path Profile window menu showing Path Setup and Path Profile Settings
The Path Profile Settings dialog box showing various elevation and display options
img 14 : The Path Profile Settings dialog box showing various elevation and display options

We will dive into these detailed settings once we finish our general overview. My "prelude" was longer than the actual tutorial today! 

That's all for now~

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