A system for estimating a volume of activation around an implanted electrical stimulation lead for a set of stimulation parameters includes a display and a processor coupled to the display and configured to: receive a set of stimulation parameters including a stimulation amplitude and a selection of one of more electrodes of the implanted electrical stimulation lead for delivery of the stimulation amplitude determine an estimate of the volume of activation based on the set of stimulation parameters using the stimulation amplitude and a database including a plurality of planar distributions of stimulation threshold values and a map relating the planar distributions to spatial locations based on the one or more electrodes of the implanted electrical stimulation lead selected for delivery of the stimulation amplitude and output on the display a graphical representation of the estimate of the volume of activation.
