Surfer 10
$699
Features
Surfer’s sophisticated interpolation engine transforms your XYZ data into publication-quality maps. Surfer provides more gridding methods and more control over gridding parameters, including customized variograms, than any other software package on the market. You can also use grid files obtained from other sources, such as USGS DEM files or ESRI grid files. Display your grid as outstanding contour maps, 3D maps, 3D wireframe, vector, image, shaded relief, and post maps. Add base maps and combine map types to create the most informative display possible. Virtually all aspects of your maps can be customized to produce exactly the presentation you want. Generating publication quality maps has never been quicker or easier.
Who should use Surfer?
Hydrologists, engineers, geologists, archeologists, oceanographers, biologists, foresters, geophysicists, medical researchers, climatologists...
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Contour Maps
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3D Surface Maps
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Image Maps
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Shaded Relief Maps
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Post Maps
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3D Wireframe Maps
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Vector Maps
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Base Maps
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Map Layers
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Stacking Maps
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Map Projections
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Customize Your Map
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Superior Gridding
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Variograms
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Faults and Breaklines
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Grid Functions
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Using USGS and SRTM Data
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Worksheet
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Object and Property Manager
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Automation
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Additional Features
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Supported File Formats
Training Videos
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Training Videos
Surfer 10
Surfer 9
Surfer 8
FAQs
Q1. What is the latest version?
Q2. How can I get the latest version of Surfer?
Q3. Where can I find a list of fixes and changes between versions?
Q4. What are Surfer’s system requirements?
Q5. How do I install Surfer?
Q6. How do I uninstall Surfer?
Q7. Should I uninstall the demo version before installing the full version, or can I activate the demo to become the full version?
Q8. Do I need to uninstall an older version of Surfer before installing a new version?
Q9. Do you offer training?
Q10. Where can I find my serial number?
Q11. Is technical support free?
Q12. Is Surfer 10 capable of running on Windows XP/Vista/7 64-bit?
Q13. Should I install Surfer 32-bit or Surfer 64-bit?
Q14. What is the SRF file compatibility between different versions of Surfer?
Q15. Norton SONAR removes the Golden Software executable files as a security threat! I can’t install or run the software now. What is going on?
Q16. My script works in Surfer 9, but in Surfer 10 I get an error: Operand/operator type mismatch. It stops on a line inside a loop. Why?
Q17. I have a more technical question about the program, where can I find the answer?
Q1. What is the latest version?
A. The most recent version of Surfer is 10.6.967.
Q2. How can I get the latest version of Surfer?
A. Minor updates (i.e. version 10.0 to 10.1, when available) may be downloaded for free if your serial number is registered. Connect your computer to the Internet, then go to Help | Check for Update in Surfer. This will download the latest patch and install it on your machine. Information about the latest version is listed on the Version History page.
If you experience any problems with this command or would like to download the full version of the updated software, please email your registered Surfer 10 serial number to surfersupport@goldensoftware.com. Once your serial number is verified, we will send you download instructions.
Major upgrades (i.e. version 9 to version 10) cost US$229 plus shipping. Refer to the order form for more information.
Q3. Where can I find a list of fixes and changes between versions?
A. A list of changes and fixes between minor versions (i.e. 10.0 to 10.1) can be found at: Surfer Version Page.
Q4. What are Surfer’s system requirements?
A. Surfer’s system requirements are: here.
Q5. How do I install Surfer?
A. Installing Surfer 10 requires that you be logged into an account that has Administrator rights. Golden Software does not recommend installing Surfer 10 over any previous version of Surfer. Please ensure that you install Surfer 10 into a new directory, which is what will happen by default. Surfer 10 can co-exist with older versions as long as they are in different directories.
To begin the installation, either insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive, or double-click on the downloaded EXE file to run it. See below for details of each method.
Installing Surfer on a Local Drive from CD:
1. Insert the CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive. The Setup program automatically begins on most computers.
2. Choose the "Install Surfer (32-bit)" or "Install Surfer (64-bit)" option from the screen and setup will begin.
If the Setup program does not automatically start, double-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop. Open the CD-ROM drive which contains the Surfer disk by double-clicking on the CD-ROM icon. From the CD-ROM folder find and double-click on Autorun.exe to launch Surfer's Setup program. Select "Install Surfer (32-bit)" or "Install Surfer (64-bit)" option and setup will begin.
Installing Surfer on a Local Drive Using a Downloaded EXE:
1. Double-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and navigate to the folder containing the downloaded file.
2. Double-click the downloaded file to begin the installation process.
Q6. How do I uninstall Surfer?
A. To uninstall Surfer:
Windows XP
To uninstall Surfer, go to the Control Panel and double click on Add/Remove Programs. Select “Surfer 10 (32-bit)” or "Surfer 10 (64-bit)" (or “Surfer 10 Demo (32-bit)” for the demo version) from the list of installed applications. Click the Remove button to uninstall Surfer.
Windows Vista
To uninstall Surfer when using the Regular Control Panel Home, click the Uninstall a program link. Select “Surfer 10 (32-bit)” or "Surfer 10 (64-bit)” (or “Surfer 10 Demo (32-bit)” for the demo version) from the list of installed applications. Click the Uninstall button to uninstall Surfer.
To uninstall Surfer when using the Classic View, go to the Control Panel and double click on Programs and Features. Select “Surfer 10 (32-bit)” or "Surfer 10 (64-bit)” (or “Surfer 10 Demo (32-bit)” for the demo version) from the list of installed applications. Click the Uninstall button to uninstall Surfer.
Windows 7
To uninstall Surfer, go to the Control Panel and click the Uninstall a program link. Select “Surfer 10 (32-bit)” or "Surfer 10 (64-bit)” (or “Surfer 10 Demo (32-bit)” for the demo version) from the list of installed applications. Click the Uninstall button to uninstall Surfer.
Q7. Should I uninstall the demo version before installing the full version, or can I activate the demo to become the full version?
A. Yes, you should uninstall the Surfer demo before installing the full version of Surfer. There is not a way to “activate” the demo version to become the full version.
Q8. Do I need to uninstall an older version of Surfer before installing a new version?
A. You do not need to uninstall previous versions of Surfer (i.e. Surfer 8) before installing Surfer 10, provided you install them in different directories. By default, this will be the case.
You do not need to uninstall a previous version of Surfer 10 before installing an updated version of Surfer 10, as the installation package will automatically do this for you.
Q9. Do you offer training?
A. Golden Software does not offer training courses, but does offer a variety of training resources:
- Demonstrational videos
- Self-paced Training Guide - Surfer 10
- Online Support Forums
- Online Knowledge Base
- Golden Software Newsletters
- Product Tutorials available by going to Help | Tutorial within Surfer
- Free email and phone Technical Support
- Full Users Guide can be purchased for $25USD
Q10. Where can I find my serial number?
A. The serial number is located on the CD sleeve, or in the download instructions you received when you ordered the software. Please register your serial number online. After you install Surfer and run it for the first time, you can also find your serial number by opening the software and going to Help | About Surfer. The About Surfer dialog box will show the serial number.
Q11. Is technical support free?
A. Yes, technical support is free to all users for as long as you own the product. You must register your product in order to receive technical support. Technical support is available by phone, fax, or email. Contact us.
Q12. Is Surfer 10 capable of running on Windows XP/Vista/7 64-bit?
A. Yes, Surfer 10 comes as a 32-bit application and as a 64-bit application. Both can be installed and run on Windows 64-bit.
Q13. Should I install Surfer 32-bit or Surfer 64-bit?
A. If you are using a 32-bit version of Windows, then you should install Surfer 10 32-bit.
If you are using a 64-bit version of Windows, we recommend installing the 64-bit version of Surfer 10. Although Surfer 32-bit is capable of installing and running on Windows 64-bit, the 32-bit version of Surfer 10 does not take advantage of the increased 64-bit memory space.
Q14. What is the SRF file compatibility between different versions of Surfer?
A. Surfer 10 can open SRF files from all previous versions of Surfer. Surfer 10 can only save SRF files in the Surfer 10 format. Previous versions of Surfer (i.e. Surfer 9 or Surfer 8) cannot open the Surfer 10 SRF files.
Q15. Norton SONAR removes the Golden Software executable files as a security threat! I can’t install or run the software now. What is going on?
A. Norton AntiVirus, 360, Internet Security and other Norton products may remove and quarantine the Grapher, Surfer, Voxler and Strater installation (from CD) and application executable files as threats. Once this happens, they will no longer run. Our software does not contain viruses or other security threats. We are working with Norton so that they discontinue flagging our software as a potential security threat.
In the meantime, if you are installing from the CD and encounter this problem, you can disable Norton, run the installation from the CD, and then re-enable Norton after the CD installation.
Once the software is installed (or if you install the software directly from the download EXE file), the first or second time you open the program, Norton might also quarantine the application EXE file (i.e. surfer.exe), preventing it from being used. You will need to restore the application EXE file from quarantine and then you can open and use the software.
Using Norton Internet Security, you can restore the application EXE file from quarantine by following these steps:
- Open Norton.
- Under the Computer section, click on the Quarantine link.
- In the Security History dialog, select where it says surfer.exe was quarantined, then click on the blue Options link in the upper right of the dialog.
- Click on Restore this file.
- Click Yes to restore the file.
- Close Norton and run the software.
If you are using Norton 360, another customer says to do this:
- Open Norton 360 by right clicking at the bottom right Norton icon.
- Click Tasks at the center top of the page.
- Click View Security History in left column.
- Identify and click on the quarantined surfer.exe file.
- On the same page click on the Recommended Action box of options.
- Click Yes to restore the surfer.exe program to its original location.
- Click Close and restart computer
To help improve this for the future, we ask that you please report this false positive to Symantec (Norton). To do this, you can use Norton’s built in “Submit to Symantec” feature. In most Norton products, this is done automatically by default. If you have turned the automatic submission off, you can submit this to Symantec manually by entering quarantine view, selecting the item, clicking on More Details and choosing Submit to Symantec.
Thank you for your patience.
Q16. My script works in Surfer 9, but in Surfer 10 I get an error: Operand/operator type mismatch. It stops on a line inside a loop. Why?
A. Surfer 10 comes with a new version of Scripter. The old scripter (Surfer 7, 8 and 9) was rather forgiving about concatenating a number to a string, such as when you use the loop variable (a number) as part of a string in a command line. The new Scripter enforces the BASIC language rules a bit more stringently, and you need to convert the number to a string explicitly using the BASIC Format statement. For an example, please see our KB article at: http://www.goldensoftware.com/activekb/questions/804.
Q17. I have a more technical question about the program, where can I find the answer?
A. For more technical questions and answers, please visit our Knowledge Base at: http://www.goldensoftware.com/activekb/
What's New
What's New in Surfer 10?
We have compiled a list of some of the top new features in Surfer 10. This list is only a small sampling of the new features added to Surfer 10.
Unlimited Map Projections
Youve waited long enough. Surfer now supports map projections! Assign a coordinate system to each of the layers in your map, and then choose from an endless list of coordinate systems for your map to display. Allowing you to mix and match data and grid files from different coordinate systems gives you tremendous flexibility and time savings when creating your maps!
I spent about four hours today testing the new Coordinate System functionality. Wow -- it works great and seems to be very solid, and is implemented in an elegant and intuitive manner. -- Brendan Flannery, Senior Geoinformation Systems Manager, General Commission for Survey

The above map was created using ten different data sets in more than
five different coordinate systems! No extra effort is required to convert
data sets, Surfer works seamlessly with all coordinate systems.
64-bit Installation
Work with all of your large data sets and images without the worry of running out of memory!
I just love being able to load grids of >500Mb and not just one of them! I also like the speed it did it in great Kim Frankcombe, Explore

The data file for this detailed map was gridded 2.5x faster under the
64-bit version of Surfer 10 than the 32-bit version on the same computer.
See Your Edits Immediately
Editing your Surfer plots has never been easier with the new property manager. With a few simple clicks, completely customize your map and instantly see the changes in the map!
I really like the shift to Property Manager for creating the maps for editing. As a user of other Golden Software products that use Property Manager, building the maps was much more intuitive. One could see the changes immediately and quickly make small adjustments to spiff up the map. This is a big improvement. Very welcome. Steven Schamel, GeoX Consulting

Click on an individual object in a contour map
to edit its properties in the property manager.
Draw Smooth Curved Lines
You asked for it and we responded! Use the new spline curve tool to add a smooth, flowing polyline to your Surfer plot.
I was pleased to see the spline polylines option in Surfer 10. David Holley, Geologist

Use the new spline tool to create smooth lines
mimicking contours in your project!
Dynamic Digitizing
Need to know the Z values of particular points on a map? Digitize them! Digitizing points on a grid-based map reports the X, Y and Z values.
The feature(s) I like the most are the small additions to already existing modules of the program to include exporting of Z values with the digitizing feature, and the "reverse" function on the advance edits on the color scales. Christopher Buckman, Aecom

Digitize any grid-based map and choose to record the Z value with the X and Y values.
Overlay Maps is Back
The Overlay Maps command is back by popular demand! Create multiple separate maps, select only the ones you want to overlay, and click to overlay them.
One of my favorite new features is bringing back Map | Overlay Maps!!!! Thanks! Sandy Hannum, GIS specialist, Prewitt and Associates, Inc.

Select the maps you want to overlay (such as 4 of the 6 maps above left) and go to
Map | Overlay Maps to combine them all at once (above right)!
Ultimate Data Compatibility
Import and export in all popular formats! New import formats include Access 2007 ACCDB import and database query support. New export formats include Google Earth KML and KMZ.
I am really looking forward to using it. It is going to be a great way to communicate things with our clients and project teams. -- Chuck Spalding, McDonald Morrissey Associates, Inc.

Export directly from Surfer to a KML file and open it in Google Earth!
Reverse Colormap Spectrums
Show the color spectrums you want for your map! Easily reverse Surfers numerous color spectrums with a click of the mouse.
The feature(s) I like the most are the small additions to already existing modules of the program to include exporting of Z values with the digitizing feature, and the "reverse" function on the advance edits on the color scales. Christopher Buckman, Aecom

Reverse the color spectrum by simply clicking a button!
Specify the Range of Data for Post Maps
Take complete control over your post and classed post maps! Specify the range of data to plot by choosing the starting and ending rows to use from your data file.

Choose what rows and data points are plotted on the post map.
The post map above displays every 2nd point between rows 13 and 48 in the data file.
Save Grid Functions
Surfer automatically saves the last ten grid functions you created so there is no need to enter the same functions repeatedly.

Surfer automatically saves up to the last 10 recently used functions.
Easily Specify Major and Minor Contour Lines
It is easier than ever to format contour map levels with Surfers new customization abilities. Choose the new simple method or the advanced method for editing contour levels.
The simple method allows you to quickly and easily define and edit basic contour attributes, such as major and minor contour line intervals, major and minor contour line properties and color fill. The advanced method gives you all the options of previous versions of Surfer and allows you to make edits all the way down to the smallest details of your map. The options are endless!

The simple contour level method makes it easy to describe
and edit major and minor contour lines, or apply color fill.

The advanced contour level method allows you to make changes to individual contour levels,
such as adding or removing levels, applying gradient colors for the lines,
and individually adding or removing contour labels and hachures.
Enhanced Grid Node Editor
All blanked nodes can be identified and edited in a snap! The symbol for blanked nodes in the Grid Node Editor has been changed to make them easy to recognize.

Blanked nodes are shown as blue Xs in the Grid Node Editor for quick identification.
Export Contours to 3D Text File
Get the data you need from your contour map! Export the contour lines to an XYZ text data file.
Enhanced Grid Math
Grid Math is more powerful and flexible than ever! Use as many files with Grid Math as you want, you are no longer limited to only two. In addition, you have to option to reassign blanked grid node values to any value you want.
Save Grid and Data Files from Your Maps
Have a Surfer file but no associated data file or grids? No problem! Surfer can extract this missing information directly from the map so you will have everything you need!
Load a CLR file for a Contour Map via Automation
For our Scripter users, you will be happy to hear you can create a contour map with the colors you want by loading a CLR file for a contour map via a script. No more complicated workarounds!
Save Coordinate System Information to a File for Reuse
Work smarter, not harder! Surfer allows you to assign a projection once and the information is saved for future use. For example, assign the coordinate system once to your data file or grid file, then when you use the data or grid file, the coordinate system information is automatically entered. You dont have to waste time by re-entering the same CS information each time you use the data.
New Grid Mosaic Option
Use the new SUM overlap method! Mosaic your grid files and add the Z values in the areas where the grid files overlap.
System Requirements
- Windows XP SP2 or higher, Vista, or 7 or higher
- 100MB of free hard disk space
- 512MB RAM minimum, 1GB RAM or higher recommended
- 1024x768x16-bit color minimum monitor resolution
Surfer Related Information
Surfer Documentation
Support
- Free Online Training Videos
- Surfer Quick Start Guide
- Free Technical Support
- Self-paced Training Guide
- Available Full User's Guide (Optional)
- Surfer CD, or downloaded installation file
April 27, 2012
Golden Software Crossword Puzzle
Time for a little fun! For this week's blog, I decided to make up a fun crossword puzzle, with the help of Free Online Puzzle Maker. The answers to... Read More

























