Recording 3D data implies, that the dependency of
three independent parameters must be measured to gain a special analytical
result. Mostly these measurement cannot be directly visibly interpreted
by the analyst, because it is nearly impossible to evaluate 3-dimensional
space on a 2-dimensional screen.
The software circumvents that inconvenient situation
either by powerful mathematical methods, which extract meaningful results
automatically or by interactive 2D data extraction. The result of such
an extraction will be a set of two corresponding 2D data objects, representing
that point of extraction from the 3D data object. Resulting 2D data objects
can be easily handled by the user then.
Very often 3D data objects are abused as collection
of multiple 2D data objects. The main target of this approach is to keep
data of an analytical experiment together in one data set.
A typical example are hyphenated
methods like LCMS (Liquid Chromatography coupled with Mass
Spectrometry) or TLCUV (Thin Layer Chromatography
coupled with UV/VIS spectroscopy). The latter analytical method
provides a lot of 2D UV spectra at covered distances on the thin layer
plate. These 2D UV data objects are collected in one 3D data object.
The x-axis contains the covered distance of the plate,
whereby the y-axis contains the measured wavelength range of interest
and the z-axis the intensity or count of a particular absorption.
The following figure shows a typical pseudo 3D data
object with a set of two 2D data objects extracted from the x, z plane
and the y, z plane. This is a measurement of cannabis extract on a thin
layer plate:
(Source: J&M Analytische Mess- und Regeltechnik GmbH, Robert-Bosch
Str. 83, 73431 Aalen, Germany)
