MATLAB: Plotting contours of Z on an x-y axis where Z is not a function of x or y

contour maps

Hello,
I have collected data of temperature measurements at certain coordinates in a room. I want to plot these temperature measurements on a contour map, where the X and Y axis are the perimeter (and dimensions) of the room, and the contours of Z are the temperature measurements I have taken. The total size of the room is x=7m, and y=10.6m. I cannot find a way of plotting a contour map where Z is not a function of x or y. The measurements of temperature (Z) at certain x- and y-coordinates in the room are shown below:
Coordinates Temperature
X Y Z
0.2 9.4 17.0
2 9.3 17.85
7 5 17.65
7 5 17.5
Is there a way of plotting this on a 2D contour map, where the values of Z are shown on the contours?

Best Answer

You do not have a lot of data so the countour map will not look great. However what you need to do is;
% create data
x = [0.2 2 7 7];
y = [9.4 9.3 5 5];
z = [17 17.85 17.65 17.5];
% create xy axis grid
[X,Y] = meshgrid(x,y);
% create corresponding Z values, assume z = 0 for locations with no z data
Z = zeros(length(x),length(y)) ;
for i = 1:length(x)
    for j = 1:length(y)
        if i==j % z data exist for only for x(n) y(n) location, n = 1,2,3...
        Z(i,j) = z(i);
        end
    end
end
contourf(X,Y,Z)
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