First developed in 1985 by RockWare Inc, RockWorks is used by the mining, petroleum, and environmental industry for subsurface visualization, borehole database management as well as the creation of grids, solid models, calculating volumetric analysis, etc.
The basic strategy involves the creation of a borehole database that includes analytical results for various physical and chemical properties as a function of depth.
The next steps can involve the calculation of volumetrics and optimal pit-designs for example, in mining, based on a series of user-defined parameters.
The foundation of these analyses involve the creation of imaginary block models in which a site is subdivided into a series of three-dimensional cells called a voxel (volumetric element).
The algorithms or methods used to create the volumetric models have limitations that may be acceptable for one type of deposit while being completely inappropriate for another.
The raw dataset that are used for industrial mineral deposit modeling can be classified into two major types: borehole and non-borehole data.
In a three-dimensional array (also referred to as a solid or block model), the dependent variable (g) is a function of the horizontal (x,y) and vertical coordinates (z).
This grid defines the resolution of the subsequent model in a manner analogous to pixels (picture elements) within a digital image.
Another technique, called Kriging varies the influence of surrounding points based on a statistical analysis of their relative distance and direction.
Grid models are commonly used to produce color-coded contour maps by averaging the regions between cells (Figure 4).
Software Review, RockWorks 2006, Clint Carney, Nebraska Public Power District and Colorado School of Mines, Southwest Hydrology March/April 2007.
"GIS-based subsurface databases and 3-D geological modeling as a tool for the set up of hydrogeological framework:Nabeul–Hammamet coastal aquifer case study (Northeast Tunisia)" GIS-based subsurface databases and 3-D geological modeling as a tool for the set up of hydrogeological framework: Nabeul–Hammamet coastal aquifer case study (Northeast Tunisia) accessed on March 3, 2015.