1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: striping a data set into two or more stripes; selecting a current stripe from the two or more stripes and loading the current stripe into a computer memory associated with the computer implementing the method; repetitively, until the two or more stripes have been processed: producing, in memory, a triangulated irregular network (TIN) for the current stripe, where the TIN includes a set of safe triangles and a set of unsafe triangles; removing the set of safe triangles from the TIN; storing information associated with the set of unsafe triangles; merging an unprocessed stripe adjacent to the current stripe into the current stripe; and removing a member of the set of unsafe triangles from the TIN upon determining that the member is a safe triangle in light of the current stripe after merging; upon determining that the two or more stripes have been processed, redefining members of the set of unsafe triangles as safe triangles and removing members of the set of unsafe triangles from the TIN; and storing information associated with the set of safe triangles on a computer-readable medium.