Release Notes

About this release
System requirements
New capabilities
Oasis montaj extensions
Oasis montaj Plus partner extensions
Enhancements and maintenance fixes

About this Release

Oasis montaj 7.3 is a scheduled software upgrade available to all 7.2 maintained customers. Oasis montaj 7.3 includes important advancements that improve access to data and information, and expand 3D subsurface visualisation and analysis capabilities. This release also contains many new features and enhancements in the Oasis montaj extensions.

System Requirements

Geosoft Oasis montaj runs on Windows XP SP3 (32 Bit), Windows Vista (32 and 64 Bit) or Windows 7 (32 and 64 Bit) operating systems. See detailed System Requirements

New Capabilities

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Gridding enhancements

IDW gridding	Creates a grid from point data using an Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) algorithm. IDW gridding is primarily used to interpolate geochemistry data.
Direct gridding	Creates a grid from highly sampled data without using any interpolation. Intended for use with over-sampled datasets such as LIDAR, it provides a quick gridded view of the datasets.
Sample density gridding	Creates a grid based on the density of sample locations, rather than the value recorded at each location. This is useful for determining the spatial distribution of samples in a dataset, making it easy to identify areas which are under-sampled.
Anisotropic kriging	Creates a grid that is enhanced in a preferred direction using the strike direction and a weighting factor. This allows you to incorporate the dominant geologic strike and define a preferential weighting in the strike direction, enhancing geological trends in your dataset.
Multiple channel gridding improvements	New multiple channel gridding options for displaying and managing grids. You can now specify a destination folder for all the grids you create and display the grids in a single map, in separate windows, or not at all.
Automatic grid display options	Added a default option to allow all grids to be displayed automatically as shaded grids instead of plain colour grids, saving time for users who prefer to view grids using the shaded display mode.

3D Visualization

Improved isosurface naming	The default name for an isosurface layer now includes both the source voxel name and the cut-off value. This more explicit naming convention is more intuitive and shows where the isosurface originated, providing clarity when multiple element isosurfaces are used in the same 3D view.
Zoom to extents of visible groups	You can now toggle the auto-zoom behaviour off or on, providing you with additional control over how and when the viewing extents change in 3D.
Improved display of level plans	Added "Level Plan Grids from Voxels" to the 3D menu to make it easier to create level plan grids. New display options provide you with better control over how your grids are displayed.
Improved 3D DXF export	Updated the export of 3D DXF files to incorporate 3D Face objects as well as polyface mesh objects in our DXF exports. Other software packages (including ESRI ArcScene, GEMCOM, Datamine, Maxwell, Micromine) which only support the 3D Face objects are now able to import Geosoft created DXF files.
Improved 3D PDF export	Upgraded our 3D PDF exports to take advantage of new compression methods. 3D PDF exports now create dramatically (up to 10 times!) smaller 3D PDF files which are easier to share.
3D view orientation buttons	New buttons in the 3D Viewer enable you to quickly change the viewing angle to a pre-defined view (North, South, East, West, Top and Bottom) or to a user-defined viewing angle, making it easier to view a 3D model from any angle.
3D Snapshots	Snapshots of 3D views may now be created, saved and recalled, enabling you to easily store and retrieve specific viewpoints for your 3D models.
Visual clipping of all groups in 3D view	You can now use the 3D view clipping tools to clip all 3D object types, including: drillholes, symbols, grids and surfaces. You now have the ability to select and visually clip multiple 3D objects at one time. This saves time and provides more flexibility when displaying a few or all of the objects in a 3D view.

New Voxel Utilities

Window a voxel	We have added a tool that enables you to window a voxel based on manually entered values (X,Y,Z) or a polygon file. Voxels can now be easily clipped to new spatial extents, property, or project boundaries.
Re-project a voxel	We have added the ability to re-project a voxel to a new coordinate system. This provides flexibility for the use of voxels in different coordinate systems.
Merge voxel models	You can now merge two overlapping voxels. The data in the overlapping volume is blended using a cosine roll-off function to create a smooth transition.  Merging voxels simplifies the number of voxels you need to work with and converts them to a single coordinate system, point distribution, and colour table.
Convert Thematic Voxels	A thematic voxel, such as a lithology voxel created from drillhole lithology data, can now be converted to a numeric voxel, representing rock densities, electric conductivity or seismic velocity. The voxel conversion uses a lookup file to make the one-to-one conversion.
Filter a voxel	We have added a 3x3x3 convolution filter capability that can be applied to a voxel in order to smooth a voxel, emphasize areas of rapid intensity changes, or delineate rock unit or contact boundaries. You can easily add additional custom filters.
Voxel display	Simplified the workflow for displaying voxels. The default behaviour has changed so that newly created voxels are now displayed directly in the current 3D view.
Improved Target Project voxel gridding	Expanded the selection of data channels available for voxel gridding to include all tables in a drillhole project. This saves time and eliminates a step when creating 3D grids from a drillhole project.
Voxel to grid conversion	Creates a set of parallel grids from a voxel, along the X,Y or Z axis, and at the user specified increment. This capability complements the "Grid to Voxel" feature, providing you with the ability to easily convert between grids and voxels.

Language and Help Accessibility

New language interface

Russian and simplified Chinese language versions of Oasis montaj 7.3 are available. All the interface and online help files have been translated for each language version.

Improved Application Help

Help topics are now organized around workflows associated with the specific Geosoft Data Processing Sequence steps (Prepare, Import, Edit, Process, etc.) and conveniently display topics by information type (Concept, Procedure, and Reference). The Help system launches as a browser window in the new and improved WebHelp format, featuring appealing formatting and visuals consistent with our Geosoft branding. Breadcrumbs added to the topic to assist in easy navigation and Help topics and specific search queries can now be tagged as Favourites. Updated help topics can now be sent as part of software resource updates, ensuring you have the latest help content.

ArcGIS 10 Support

Support for ArcGIS 10 file formats

This release leverages ArcEngine 10, enabling you to manage and share Esri ArcGIS 10 file formats including: geodatabase, MXD, and LYR files.

Updates for Oasis montaj software extensions

Drillhole

Additional subsurface profiles in sections	Increased the number of profiles that can be displayed in drillhole section maps. You can now plot up to eight subsurface geologic contacts as profiles on a section map.
Improved drillhole label placement	Drillhole collar labels are now supported in eight positions around the collar, providing more flexibility with the appearance of your map. Labels can be oriented horizontally on the map or perpendicular to the trace.
New scaling options for downhole data	Added a log scale option to drillhole data bar plots and profiles. Also added the ability to scale based on only the holes in a section, rather than all selected holes. Improves presentation of data values that are naturally log-distributed (such as geochemical data) and provides more flexibility in data scaling.
Improved drillhole planning tools	New interactive drillhole planning tool can be used to draw a proposed hole on a plan or section map, or to calculate the hole collar location based on target location.
Drillhole trace colours	Added an option to colour the drillhole traces based on text values such as drillhole status. This is helpful when you want to make proposed holes in a different colour from completed holes.
Drillhole report	New drillhole report creates an ASCII file summarizing all holes which correspond to a selected attribute such as drillhole status. This means you can create a report of all your planned holes, and include the total length of all holes in the report.

GM-SYS Profile

Observations and calculations at arbitrary (x,y) locations	With this release we've added support for observations and calculations for points not located on the plane of the model (Y=0). The results are more accurate as the actual observation locations are used and the calculations are no longer approximations from the plane.
Plot station locations in Plan View	We have improved the plan view to now display the actual location of calculation stations, relative to model boundaries. This is now necessary as the points are not required to be along the profile at Y=0.
Support "dummy" observed data	Support for "dummy" observed data is a new feature available in this release. This eliminates the need to generate “fake” observations in order to calculate a response at locations where no observations are available.
Convert skewed models to equivalent geometry with stations off-section.	We calculate a new model coordinate system that is orthogonal to model strike and adjust the apparent station locations to maintain their true positions.   All models now have a "normal" coordinate system that maps 1:1 with any other coordinate system.
Convert from MDI to SDI application	To improve usability, we now allow only one model per GM-SYS Profile instance, instead of multiple models. Opening a new model creates a new instance in a new window. This approach is more intuitive, simplifies cursor tracking between GM-SYS and Oasis montaj and is consistent with other Oasis montaj views: grid, map, and voxel.
Obs/Calc stations decoupled from the model	We have logically isolated the model description (geometry and properties) from the survey data (observations and field parameters). This will make it easier to support multiple surveys per model (e.g. regional magnetic survey and high-res survey locally).
Tie background properties and Earth's field information to survey data	We have improved the way data is organized by keeping the survey-specific information with the survey data. For instance, Earth’s field parameters are stored with the observed magnetic data.  Reduction density is stored with the observed gravity data.  This makes it easier to support multiple surveys per model and easily import new survey data.
Call IGRFPT to calculate Earth's field info	We've added the ability to calculate the Earth's Field parameters within the application, to give a more natural data experience.
Steamline new model creation	In this release we've provided you with more control over the location and orientation of the model being built.  Being able to create a model from available topographic and geographic information, instead of tying it to a survey location provides a more natural workflow.
Import observed data from database	To address the challenge using intermediate text files for transferring data we have added the capability to import survey data directly from a database into a model.
Import horizons from a database	We have added the ability to import horizon geometry from a database channel. This removes the need for intermediate text files for transfer of horizon data between Oasis montaj and GM-SYS.
Support data imports from other coordinate systems	GM-SYS Profile can now import data from any coordinate system that Oasis montaj supports.
Export resampled model horizons to XYZ	Users can now export all of the “Named” horizons from a model to an XYZ file suitable for import into Oasis montaj. The result is a streamlined process for building GM-SYS 3D models from GM-SYS 2D profiles.
Export selected Plan View extents as a polygon	With this release you can now export a polygon that defines an area of interest in a model, based on the Plan View extents. This is a useful tool for masking external data (e.g. wells or depth-to-basement picks) in Oasis montaj.  It's a necessary step prior to importing external data directly from databases in an intuitive way.

Induced Polarisation

QC channel separation	We have added a second Quality Control (QC) channel. The chargeability and resistivity now each have their own dedicated QC channels. This provides better quality control flexibility, as the chargeability and resistivity manifest noise at different segments of a cycle they require separate QC channels.
Improved workflow	IP surveys produce many fields, and as a result, when you import the survey data, numerous channels are created and displayed in the Geosoft database (GDB). Displaying all these channels can make the database window look overcrowded  With this release We have added customisable channel display on import so you can display only the channels you are interested in.
Zonge import update	We now support the import of the IP_AVG channel for Zonge FLD data
Schlumberger format support	The Schlumberger data format is now supported in the IP system.
Update Variable a spacing	We have corrected a pseudosection positioning error for variable 'a' electrode spacing.
Support for 3D IP	Now support the import and quality control of 3D Induced Polarisation data.

MAGMAP Filtering

Bandpass Tapered Filters	We have added the Cosine and the Butterworth band pass filters. The tapered filters reduce the artefacts due to the discontinuity of the straight bandpass filter.
Differential Reduction to the Pole	Added the Differential Reduction to the Pole filter. This is helpful for grids of regional scale, which span degrees of latitude and longitude.
Notch Filter	We have added a Notch filter that rejects a specific wavenumber band typically used to attenuate systematic noise that interferes with the geophysical signature of interest.
Convert from Pole to any inc/dec	Added the reverse of a Reduction to the Pole filter. Given magnetic data as it is represented at the magnetic pole, a magnetic grid can be translated to any given Inclination and Declination.

Oasis montaj Plus Partner Extensions

CET Grid Analysis

Improved workflows

The menus have been reformatted and menu items renamed to reflect their intended use, to provide more intuitive workflows. We have renamed "NMS Thresholding" to "Amplitude Thresholding" and "Thinning" to "Skeletonisation”. The interfaces have been completely redesigned to provide additional options and information.  All interfaces allow parameters to be specified in either grid cells or metres The thinning algorithms has been redesigned to  more accurately represent detected features, and improve the line connectivity at junctions by favouring longer features. We have also added a capability to convert skeletonised features into vectors for vector analysis.

Structural complexity

Provides two methods to highlight areas of structural complexity which are often considered exploration targets. The first method uses the local density of structural contacts and second the diversity in strike of neighbouring structures.  These provide two different approaches useful in seeking different scenarios of structural complexity.

CET Porphyry Analysis

DAP

Streamlined Data Management	DAP data management tasks have been significantly updated to streamline many of the tasks involved in verifying and publishing exploration datasets. Datasets are now verified immediately when uploaded, resulting in a very fast publishing experience. Other data administration tasks have been dramatically improved such as setting security permissions and copyright notices to datasets has been streamlined to be faster and easier.
DAP administration web application	The DAP administrator application and user interface is now accessed via a browser based web portal. Administrators no longer need to install an application, login to the DAP Server, or have access to a computer with a high bandwidth connection. It is significantly easier for DAP administrators to manage multiple servers in different regions.
DAP Catalog SQL server Database	The DAP catalog and metadata are now tightly integrated and managed together in a single SQL server database. This not only facilitates reporting on who accesses what datasets, it is also an important direction for future improvements.
Managed Exploration Information  Repository	DAP datasets are stored in a Managed Exploration Information Repository, and dataset management is now accomplished via the web based DAP Administration Portal. The physical location of the exploration datasets are always synchronized with the DAP Catalog. This eliminates the need for the DAP data manager to directly access the data repository or use other tools such as Windows Explorer that can potentially cause the DAP Catalog and the datasets to become out of sync.
Simplified Architecture	With this release we have simplified the setup and security of the DAP Server. The DAP data manager can now access all settings in one convenient and easy-to-use location.
Data Package	With this release we have added the ability for the DAP Data Manager to be able to filter, organize and create a zipped subset of data, including the organizational hierarchy as a file structure. This data can then be removed from the managed data repository and shared with partners or external organizations.
Index Map	DAP data managers can now create an Index Map shapefile containing bounding box outlines and structured metadata query fields for all or select datasets managed within the DAP server. This provides yet another view of the information managed within a DAP server.
Reports	The DAP data manager can now quickly and easily view and track the data that has been uploaded by dataset type and how users are using the managed datasets.
Support for ESRI 10	DAP data managers can now publish ArcGIS v10 Layer (.LYR) file and Map Services.
Web-based Metadata Editor	DAP data Managers can now edit metadata of a dataset in the Managed Exploration Data Repository via the DAP administration web application.
Flexible Presentation Hierarchy	DAP data managers can now organize data using a defined "folder structure" or using metadata fields to create a folder-like hierarchy. The DAP data managers can easily update the presentation hierarchy without having to un-catalog and re-catalog datasets, or re-organize files on the DAP Server data repository, saving time and effort.
Simplified Security Model	Data access is controlled using a security model based on groups. The DAP data managers can create security groups based on Active Directory groups and users. In this way, Active Directory will be indirectly supported, and other security models can be added in the future.

Enhancements and Maintenance Fixes

Oasis montaj Features

Oasis montaj Extensions