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(b)
If Z-coordinate of the vertex B is not on line AC (in space), then a
surface discontinuity exists between AADC and A's ABE and BCE.
Figure 2. The Surface Continuity Solution for a TIN
which does in fact represent an actual terrain surface.
A TIN DTM is by design an intelligent (i.e., nonrandom)
network and because of this feature allows for computer
software to be developed which automatically defines
the spatial and locational character (i.e., connectiv
ity) of the DTM.
Development Of A DTM Data Base
There are a number of ways to set up a DTM data base
from a TIN. The ADAPT approach, which is the one most
familiar to the author, creates a triangle (i.e., cell)
file and a vertex file from the TIN. Each triangular
cell is uniquely numbered as is each vertex by ADAPT
software. The latter specification enables adjacent
triangle pairs to be identified by software, thus,
establishing the neighborhood relationships or topology
of the DTM. In addition, the latitude and longitude
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