r.surf.gauss(1)

📦
version 8.4.2 · 8 versions
, in fedora 44

✨ r.surf.gauss — the manual page ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the r.surf.gauss(1) page from the GRASS GIS User's Manual 🫶 we're making Gaussian random raster maps and we're gonna have the best time doing it 💖

🌸 NAME 🌸

r.surf.gauss — generates a raster map using a gaussian random number generator ✨

and the mean and standard deviation of those gaussian deviates? yeah, you, the user, get to express them 💅

🎀 KEYWORDS 🎀

raster, surface, random — that's the vibe, that's the whole vibe 🌈

💜 SYNOPSIS 💜

r.surf.gauss
r.surf.gauss --help
r.surf.gauss output=name  [mean=float]   [sigma=float]   [seed=integer]
[--overwrite]  [--help]  [--verbose]  [--quiet]  [--ui]

⭐ Flags:

  • --overwrite — allows output files to just go ahead and overwrite files that already exist. no cap, that's literally what it does 🫣
  • --help — prints the usage summary, for when you're like "wait what"
  • --verbose — verbose module output, aka it talks a lot, main character energy fr
  • --quiet — quiet module output, aka it shuts up, respectfully 🤫
  • --ui — forces launching the GUI dialog, for my clicky girls 🖱️✨

🦋 Parameters:

  • output=name [required] — the name for your output raster map. this one is not optional bestie, you gotta name your baby 💖
  • mean=float — the distribution mean. Default: 0.0
  • sigma=float — the standard deviation. Default: 1.0
  • seed=integer — seed for the random number generator. and here's the tea ☕: the same seed can be used to obtain the same results, or a random seed can be generated by other means. your call, icon 💅

🌟 DESCRIPTION 🌟

so r.surf.gauss produces a raster map of Gaussian deviates, and both the mean and the standard deviation of those deviates can be expressed by you, the user 👑 it uses a Gaussian random number generator to do it.

and the way it's essentially the same as r.surf.random… but instead it uses a Gaussian random number generator. that's the plot twist, that's the whole difference 🎀

🔥 EXAMPLE 🔥

g.region -p n=228500 s=215000 w=630000 e=645000 res=10
r.surf.gauss out=gauss mean=0 sigma=10
# check result
r.univar gauss

Figure: Random Gaussian surface example (mean: 0; sigma: 10)

and with the histogram tool, the cell values versus count can be shown 📊

Figure: Histogram of random Gaussian surface example (mean: 0; sigma: 10)

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

r.surf.contour, r.surf.fractal, r.surf.idw, r.surf.random, v.surf.rst

go read those too bestie, expand your horizons 💜

💫 AUTHOR 💫

Jo Wood, ASSIST’s home 🫶

🧚 SOURCE CODE 🧚

Available at: r.surf.gauss source code (history)

Accessed: Saturday Jan 17 05:41:02 2026

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© 2003-2025 GRASS Development Team, GRASS GIS 8.4.2 Reference Manual

and that's a wrap, bestie 🎀 this was the r.surf.gauss(1) page, straight outta GRASS 8.4.2, accessed on that Saturday, Jan 17 2026 at 05:41:02 — iconic date, iconic manual, slay 💅✨

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