Using 'z' data in an excel spreadsheet to display height information in Arcmap

[KristynMaguire]

Hello,

I am new to ArcGIS and, as a result, I tend to struggle with tasks that others in the Esri community would view as being very simple. I have used a Leica Smartover GSP system to record X, Y and height data for a field. This information is stored in a excel spreadsheet. I have tried using 'Interpolation' tools in Arcmap 10 to convert the z data (height) so I can see the height difference over the field to find any archaeological features. However, the 'IDW', 'Topo to Raster' tools haven't been successful. As I am becoming extremely disheartened every time I see the red cross when trying to perform these tasks, I would be sincerely grateful for any assistance.

Once again I am a beginner but I appreciate the importance of this software and I am trying my best to learn.

[JakeSkinner]

Hi Kristyn,

You can convert the excel table to an Event Layer:

ArcGIS Help (10.2, 10.2.1, and 10.2.2)‌

After you create the event layer, you can use the IDW tool to create a raster surface using the event layer as the input and specifying the height field for the Z value field.