“Smoothing” refers to the number of points used in a “moving average filter” for smoothing curve data. The valid smoothing points range from 3 to 101 and the greater the number of points used, the smoother the curve. These values are entered into the Century Display program when processing data for hardcopy prints and some digital files. The .las files can be smoothed to varying extents using a “moving average filter” algorithm.
For example:
1. A “moving average filter” of 11 picks the data point and averages it with five data points above and five data points below it and plots it with that value instead of the actual data point.
2. A “moving average filter” of 21 picks the data point and averages it with ten data points above and ten data points below it and plots it with that value instead of the actual data point.
3. A “moving average filter” of 51 picks the data point and averages it with 25 data points above and 25 data points below it and plots it with that value instead of the actual data point.
Generally, Groundsearch .las files are not smoothed unless requested by the client.