A computing system, method, and computer program product facilitates data
mining of information, for example image data, relating to a surface of a
manufactured product when the manufactured product is processed using a
tool relative to which the manufactured product may be randomly oriented.
For each manufactured object, data pertaining to the surface is converted
into a weight distribution. A rotational axis along which each surface
would tend to rotate under the action of gravity with the surface
supported at its geometric centroid is determined. The sets of data can
then be properly oriented relative to one another for data mining by
aligning the rotational axis of each set of data.