HDF and HDF-EOS Tools

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HDF and HDF-EOS Tools George Schwenke Raytheon
STX schwenke_at_rattler.gsfc.nasa.gov
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Many tools currently exist for visualization and
manipulation of HDF files
Development of tools useful for HDF-EOS has been
slow...
The limited availability of actual HDF-EOS
data has been one significant factor delaying
tools development...
HDF-EOS Data S Sampler 1
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A Necessary Distinction
Utility - typically runs from the command line
and performs a specific data manipulation function
examples make24 ristosds Convert
Raster Image Sets to Scientific Data
Sets hdfls List
contents of an HDF file (tags and
reference numbers)
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Tool - a complete application performing
significant data manipulation and processing
functions
examples The NCSA Java-based HDF Viewer (JHV) -
A Java-based implementation of an HDF
Viewer. DIAL (Data Information and Access Link)
from ESDIS - browsing, plotting, subsampling and
subsetting of HDF and HDF-EOS data. HDF
Browser from Fortner Software - allows access to
data stored in HDF formatted files
Reference http//hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu/tools.ht
ml
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Three categories of HDF-EOS Tools
ESDIS Project Tools
Other Government Tools
Commercial Tools
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ESDIS Project Tools
DIAL - Data and Information Access Link

• Capable of
• searching
• browsing
• downloading
• viewing
• subsampling
• subsetting

HDF and HDF-EOS Data
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ESDIS Project Tools
EOSView (new version 3.0 released Aug
98) Demonstrated during 1st day of Workshop
Many data searching, manipulation and
display functions (like DIAL), doesnt have the
capability to act as a data server
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Government Tools
View_hdf (from LaRC)
HDF only uses IDL
WebWinds from JPL
plus a wealth of work for HDF from NCSA,
including JHV
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Government Tools (continued)
HDF-EOS DataBlade (developed by ECOlogic)
Extends capabilities of Informix Data Base to
HDF-EOS data
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Commercial Tools
Noesys (Fortner Software LLC)
HDF Explorer (Mind)
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Commercial Tools
ENVI/IDL - Environment for Visualizing Images
(RSI) IDL 5.2 has full support for HDF-EOS ENVI
will follow
MATLAB -
Version 5.3 supports HDF-EOS
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Summary of response to the HDF-EOS Tools Survey
16 responses -- 5 gov 4 edu 7 com
All but 1 are developing HDF-EOS tools
Most dont know when theyll be ready...

• Tools to be developed
• Java JNI Interface
• display tools
• Java compatable ODBMS
• ASCII to HDF-EOS
• METADATA tools for granule level support
• map/graphical overlay tools
• browser/editor for sgi, linux
• access and analysis

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Summary
Most utilities and tools currently exist for only
HDF
Development of HDF-EOS capable tools has been
slow!
ESDIS Project sponsorship helps, but can not be
the only player
The future volumes of data in HDF-EOS format
will justify expense of HDF-EOS software for
forward- looking software developers