CS

carl s.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

2/22/2018

"Excellent Product"

5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

Easy to use and full of useful features. I especially like the easy interaction between the program and spreadsheet applicatons.. Golden Software keeps this program up to date with the latest technology. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

The software is limited to two dimensions. However, If SURFER went 3-D it may require significant software engineering but could potentially rival other 3-D software applications in the industry. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Surfer:

This software is full of great features. Thinking outside the box is helpful when trying to solve spatial problems. I continue to find new ways to evaluate my data. Take some time to sit down and play with this software. You will not be disappointed! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Surfer solving and how is that benefiting you?

Groundwater contouring, contaminant plume distribution, grid mathematics for import into modeling software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

UR

Verified User in Research

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

2/22/2018

"16 year user"

5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

Ease of use is the best part about Surfer. Because of this I have been able to quickly show many other people how to make use of it in conjunction with our geophysical software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

For our purposes, the "3D" function is not very useful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Surfer:

Call tech support anytime you need help and it is very likely your question will be answered very quickly and effectively. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Surfer solving and how is that benefiting you?

2D modeling and mapping for consumers of our geophysical exploration services. Easy to create simple to very detailed 2D models and maps for client consumption. Writing script to allow and proprietary software to communicate with Surfer was relatively straightforward and the tech support from Surfer offered timely assistance where needed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

UR

Verified User in Renewables & Environment

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

2/23/2018

"Helpful tool for raster data "

3.5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

It is very simple to open files with height and land-use data from different data sources and to define surface models als input data set for model simulations. We have to form grids from large files. Furthermore, the residual analysis is very often used. It is important to visualize and examine the data in order to detect and correct errors. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

I do not have much to criticize. But we often use worksheets, but handling of calculation procedures are very cumbersome. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Surfer:

We have been using surfers and didger since many years, regularly, but not daily. Particularly, these products are attractive for small offices. You can process large data files and analyse the data is variable manner. The results can be presented in meaningful diagrams and maps for the reports. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Surfer solving and how is that benefiting you?

We use surfer for defining surface models, and then, for converting and formating these data and export then for input of simulation model. The exact presentation of surface features are important for the calculation of atmospheric windflow simulation, gridding of height model and estimation of roughness parameters. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

CO

Verified User in Oil & Energy

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

2/22/2018

"Use Surfer for developing oil and gas maps."

4.5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

Ability to print to a vector .pdf file so that the sharpness of the lines, symbols and text is maintained no matter how far you zoom in. I especially like that the .pdf file created allows layers to be turned on and off when the file is opened. It would really be nice if these layers could be customizable so that they can be moved up or down so that they appear in a logical order. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

Unable to have polygon names that are obtained using Map Viewer retained when brought over to Surfer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Surfer:

Terrific program! There are several enhancements that should be considered by the Surfer team including:

1) Ability to specify the format for labels (for example rather than scientific notation, using a fixed format with number of decimal places specified.

2) Legend - need to be able to size the symbols in the legend without changing the size of the symbols on the map.

3) Ability to connect to Rest Service for dynamically linking shape files.

4) Improve legend editing to allow one to directly edit the text of the legend.

5) When you double click on a Surfer file it provides an error stating: "There was a problem sending the command to the program." If you first open Surfer 15 and then open the file this error does not occur. The workaround involves making changes to the Registry Editor which is a very dangerous method of correcting this issue. This should be resolved within Surfer's program rather than relying on the user to have to make Registry Editor changes.

6) Would like to have additional "free" training on the use or Scripter and examples. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Surfer solving and how is that benefiting you?

Mineral interest ownership map that provides identification for future petroleum well locations. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

UC

Verified User in Civil Engineering

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

2/22/2018

"excellent mapping, gridding, and data analysis/presentation/illustration software."

5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

It is very capable and creates professional level work, but is not overly complex to use and not packed with "bloatware" I don't use. It has also always been very stable and "light" software to open and run and use, despite being so capable. It is extremely high quality software, especially for the price. The addition of GIS/pro-level coordinate system conversions over the last 10 years has made it highly valuable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

Honestly can't think of dislikes. It is a good bit more complex than it was 20 years ago, but those were all very valuable additions, and they really are not complex. There might be some room on improvement on using attributes connected with shp files, but they've been heading that direction and I might just be behind on what it can do there. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Surfer:

Highly recommended for mapping, contouring, some data visualization, and some "GIS" work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Surfer solving and how is that benefiting you?

As a solo consultant, it let's me create figures and maps that in the past would have required a dedicated GIS or drafting person to do. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

UR

Verified User in Research

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

2/28/2018

"Professional geological applications of Surfer"

5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

Surfer is very intuitive to use and great for 3D data views. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

Nothing really, it is a fabulous program Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Surfer:

A stunning product! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Surfer solving and how is that benefiting you?

Processing structural geology data in relation to landscape morphology. Integration of data from gravity and magnetics in a 3D perspective. The program is fast and very easy to use compared to other methods; being able to load huge tables is a big plus! Being able to generate fast 3D views of DEM data is great to understand regional tectonic views and integrate this with gravity and magnetics, and customer (and user) support is amazing! It is a community product and the interaction with fellow user is fabulous. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

GC

Greg C.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

2/28/2018

"Long time Surfer user"

5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

Ease of use, powerful, value and support. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

Limitations imposed by an annual maintenance plan. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Surfer:

Although too soon to say, I'm considering the possibility of dropping a support plan for a spatial analysis module associated with another well known and very expensive GIS software platform. Surfer appears to have capabilities that meet my needs at a much more attractive price point. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Surfer solving and how is that benefiting you?

Mapping subsurface data; gridding, contouring and spatial solutions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

JG

Jonathan G.

Associate Technical Director

Civil Engineering

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

3/23/2018

"Surfer data visualization"

4.5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

Ease of use. The GUI/toolbar is clear and icons are indicative of tasks, making it easy to navigate. I like the point cloud feature now. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

The process of scripting repetitive tasks, like importing multiple common data sets, is necessary. The setup of preferences is very detailed, allowing the user to configure almost anything needed. However, due to the complexity and the number of attributes that can be set as preferences, this process is lengthy and cumbersome. It would be better to have a more user-friendly interface, possibly menu-driven or categorized. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

IP

IAN P.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

2/27/2018

"Powerful Flexible Modelling"

4.5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

The flexibility and malleability of the 3D models generated from real and honoured data Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

The Help file may be better organised (too many unexplained jargon terms) but that is a criticism of ll large modelling programs Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Surfer:

Excellent modelling programme with considerable power and flexibility. The ongoing development is much focussed and very responsive to user requirements. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Surfer solving and how is that benefiting you?

Much smarter and safer mine planning/execution.

Increased productivity with increased safety. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

JV

John V.

Owner

Mining & Metals

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

2/22/2018

"Powerful piece of analytical software for a fair price"

5/5

What do you like best about Surfer?

Surfer is easy to use, powerful, and versatile. Able to import and export a wide variety of data types and files. Good gridding algorithms. Very stable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Surfer?

I'd like Surfer to have better drafting abilities. It excels at data processing and analysis, but relatively weak at turning those into figure sets for reports. Paperspace/modelspace structure (similar to CAD) would be very helpful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.