Color display of geophysical and other data

Claim 1

In forming color graphic displays directly from a sequence of input digital data values, wherein differing colors at data display points in the color displays are quantitatively indicative of differing values or ranges of values of the digital data, and processed input digital data to be displayed at the data display points have numerical codes assigned thereto from an assignment table, with the assignment table comprised of a set of numerical codes referenced as a two-dimensional matrix, one dimension of the matrix representing sample values of the data to be displayed, each sample value representing an assigned range from a plurality of ranges into which the input data values are partitioned, and the other dimension of the matrix representing a plurality of component displays, one component display for each component color in the color displays to be formed, and further with the numerical codes of the set specifying the visual image densities to be formed at data display points of the component displays and further specifying the relative density of each component color in the colors associated with such data display points according to the sample values thereof, and further with the numerical codes assigned to the data display points organized into output sequences for each of the component displays, improved apparatus for forming a component color display for each output sequence, comprising: a. means for plotting the output sequences onto corresponding film transparencies; b. means for forming a positive image for each of the plotted output sequences whose image densities vary according to the numerical codes of such output sequence; and c. means for depositing a polymer coating on a display surface according to the image densities of the positive image for each of the plotted output sequences wherein a color toner may be applied to form a component color display.