I have a very large XYZ file of bathymetric soundings. X is longitude in decimal degrees, Y is latitude in decimal degrees, and Z is negative meters. Coordinates are in WGS84.
Sample record:
-86.23 21.45 -125.67
I want to eventually turn these points into a TIN. I am able to create a 3D feature class with a Z factor of 1 (default), but after turning the FC into a TIN, I get a vertical exaggeration error when opening the TIN in ArcScene. Calculating the exaggeration from extent yields a number like 0.00000009. Do I need use a Z factor to convert the meter depths into some miniscule portion of a degree? Isn't the number of meters in a degree dependent on latitude? What is an appropriate Z factor here?
Thanks