A method and system is provided for calculating a strain from characterization motion data. The method and system utilize an intravascular mapping tool configured to be inserted into at least one of the endocardial or epicardial space. The mapping tool is maneuvered to select locations proximate to surfaces of the heart, while collecting map points at the select locations to form a point cloud data set during at least one cardiac cycle. The method and system further include automatically assigning segment identifiers (IDs) to the map points based on a position of the map point within the point cloud data set. The method and system further select a first and second reference from a group of map points. Further, the method and system calculate a linear strain based on an instantaneous distance and a reference distance between the first and second references.
