Program Name |
Description |
Links |
Operating System and Other Notes |
7zip |
Packing / unpacking: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR |
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- Windows (32, 64)
- WinZip and WinRAR can substitute, compatible with many OS's
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AutoPlot |
Interactive browser for data on the web; give it a URL or the name of a file on your computer and it tries to create a sensible plot of the contents in the file. Autoplot was developed to allow quick and interactive browsing of data and metadata files" |
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- Reads multiple ASCII formats including Complex ASCII tables; Binary tables; Common Data Format (CDF); NcML; SPASE; Cluster Exchange Format; NetCDF; OpenDAP; HDF5; TSDS; FITS; Excel; Wav; PNG, JPG, etc.
- Candidate for MDL use, but not yet tested or integrated into other components
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Explorer for ArcGIS and ArcGIS Explorer Desktop |
"Free GIS viewer that gives you an easy way to explore, visualize, and share GIS information" [Website} |
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- Requires Microsoft .NET Framework
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ConTEXT |
ASCII text editor with huge filesize capability; can edit 145 MB text files from Level 3 satellite images
Do not use Notepad or Wordpad for data
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- Only Windows; substitute with very large file-handling capability is mandatory
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Dapper/DChart |
Allows you to visualize and download in-situ oceanographic or atmospheric data from file or OpenDap server. Features include an interactive map that is draggable, an in-situ station layer that allows you to select data stations, and a plot window that allows you to plot data from one or more stations. |
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Three plot types are supported (profile, property-property, and time series) and users can interact directly with the plot to pan or zoom in and out. |
Degrib (NDFD GRIB2 Decoder) |
Convert GRIB to point shapes, CSV, NetCDF or raw binary |
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Environmental Data Connector |
Use for advanced server exploration and data mining. Use the "information" tools on LAS datasets to capture their URLs (or any other sources); then paste them into this program to access the datasets directly. Server compatibilities:
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- Requires Java 1.6 or higher
- Windows 32
- Includes ToolsUI 4.3, but that utility has recently been upgraded to Version 4.5, which you can optionally do manually
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FireBird |
"Firebird is a relational database offering many ANSI SQL standard features that runs on Linux, Windows, and a variety of Unix platforms. Firebird offers excellent concurrency, high performance, and powerful language support for stored procedures and triggers." |
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FugroViewer |
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- "Designed for use with various types of raster- and vector-based geospatial datasets, including data from photogrammetric, LiDAR, and IFSAR sources." [From the website]
- Includes TIN viewing mode for native LAS files.
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G.Projector |
"[Can] transform an equirectangular map image into one of over 100 global and regional map projections. Longitude-latitude gridlines and continental outlines may be drawn on the map, and the resulting image may be saved to disk in GIF, JPEG, PDF, PNG, PS or TIFF form." |
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- Mac OS X
- Windows
- "Generic" for Linux, OS/2, etc.
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GEBCOLite |
Deprecated in favor of the new online version at GEBCO 2014 |
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GEODAS-NG |
New version of an old favorite program for US NGDC relief data management |
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- HydroPlot - Includes various grid formats, XYZ and shapefiles
- Shapefile Maker - From XYZ and others
- Coastline Extractor - From GSHHG and WDBii; apparently can be used as a stand-alone subsetter for all shapefiles
- Grid Translator - Works with raw BIN and ASC, Arc ASC; can subset
- Data Reformatter - ASC or BIN XYZ data
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GeoTIFF Examiner |
Converts TIF to GeoTIF through world files and/or internal tags |
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Google Earth |
Visualization of georeferenced data (KML and KMZ files) |
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GRASS |
"GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System), is a free and open source GIS software suite used for geospatial data management and analysis, image processing, graphics and maps production, spatial modeling, and visualization." |
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gvSIG |
Powerful, user-friendly, interoperable GIS to work in a variety of formats with vector and raster files, databases and remote services.
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- Frequently recommended also by Saga developers for further development and publication of Saga products
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HDFView |
Visualization of HDF and NetCDF grids and their internal metadata; conversion to TXT grids |
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Windows
- If you have a 64-bit computer, then you must install the 64-bit version of HFView. The 32-bit version absolutely will not install/run properly
- Linux
- Solaris
- Mac Intel
- Install the program from the main link
- NetCDF files can be viewed if FILES OF TYPE is set to ALL FILES
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Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) - Local Installation |
Visualization of operational data of all sorts; already reads most meteorological data and product formats; good NetCDF capability, but only rudimentary HDF capability; basic OGC WMS client present, but not robust
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- Windows 32, 64
- Linux
- Mac OS/X
- Solaris/SPARC
- Solaris
- Generic Java
- Excellent tutorials in IDV, by Brian Mapes are now on You Tube. Click HERE to open the play list.
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GEON Version of IDV
- Documentation and Training at UNIDATA
- If IDV does not run, due to inexplicable "memory problems" then give up and try the Webstart Version below.
- Especially attractive is the ability to capture displays in "XIDV" files (even those that specify automatic updatating from sources), enabling broad dissemination of synthesis products without massive data transfer.
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Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) - Webstart Version |
Same as above, but not installed locally; if you have Java JRE, then you can run the program from the publisher's site |
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- The MDL author has switched to this version to avoid some difficulties involved in local installation (i.e. he can't figure it out)
- You just set it up according to the instructions, and put a direct link on your desktop. The first time you run it, it takes some time, but after that it runs just about as fast as the locally installed version; always keeps itself updated
- Requires local installation of JAVA JRE, but the IDV instruction page steps you through this
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IrfanView |
Graphics editor |
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- Windows
- OSX Intel (reportedly can run on a Mac)
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Java/JRE |
Programming language and run-time environment |
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Java OceanAtlas |
"JOA is a multi-OS application for viewing and exploring ocean vertical profile data. It runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux and supports a variety of data formats." [Website] |
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- JOA is very much like Ocean Data View, and shares many format and product options
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JujuEdit |
Text editor |
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- Very Large File Support - edit files up to 2GB in size, and browse them instantly with special "Open From Disk" mode.
- Very Big Undo Buffer - virtually unlimited undo buffer (preserved after save so that saved changes can still be undone while the file is still open)
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LAS2DEM |
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- "Supports ESRI ASC grids
- Supports floating-point for BIL & TIF output
- Can create elevation OR intensity raster
- Can read from multiple LAS files and merge them" [All from website]
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Mapserver (University of Minnesota) |
MapServer is an Open Source platform for publishing spatial data and interactive mapping applications to the web. |
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MAXENT |
Software for Species Habitat Modeling |
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"This software takes as input a set of layers or environmental variables (such as elevation, precipitation, etc.), as well as a set of georeferenced occurrence locations, and produces a model of the range of the given species." [From the website] - All layers use the same grid template. |
Microsoft GIF Animator |
Make animation from series of GIF images |
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Recommended by an ODV user for adjusting the speed of ODV animations. Apparently the standard speed is a bit too fast. |
Nautical Chart Reprojector |
"The Digital NOAA Nautical Chart Reprojector is a stand-alone application developed to reproject raster NOAA nautical charts. Approximately 30 projections are available, and the ability to change datums is included." |
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ncBrowse |
Quick-look browsing of NetCDF files (station or grid formats); can also browse CDF files |
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- Windows 32
- UNIX
- Max OS/X
- Solaris
- Linux
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NOTEPAD++ |
Notepad++ is a free source code that supports several languages. Can handle very large files.
Do not use Notepad or Wordpad for data.
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- "There is also a plug-in for Notepad++ which will recognize the syntax of MapServer (see above) map files and highlight it. You can download the plug-in from HERE and install the syntax file for .map files." [Greg Reed]
- Windows
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Ocean Data View |
Most popular data visualization and management program for marine station data (scalars and vectors) |
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- Installs with a good GEBCO relief grid; other packages not really needed
- Windows
- Solaris i386
- Mac OS/X
- Linux i386
- Registration and login is required to obtain the software
- If animations are intended, see Microsoft GIF Animator, above.
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Ocean Sneaker's Tool |
Apparently no longer available |
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OPCPlot |
Earliest "operational" GIS program for marine data; no longer available |
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- Able to plot about 20 data products that were required by MMS Gulf of Mexico Studies Program to be posted on the old Omnet/Sciencenet electronic messaging system from 1989-mid 95. Became obsolete thereafter due to the rise of the Internet.
- DOS, but could run on most 32-bit Windows systems
- Unknown if any digital copies remain available
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Pan2Applic |
Convert PANGAEA tabular data to various formats, especially Ocean Data View |
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Panoply |
Display of NetCDF, HDF and GRIB grids; can export XYZ tables |
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- Windows
- Mac OS/X
- "Generic" for Linux, OS/2, etc.
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RasterImporter |
Converts between many grid and image formats, including some military ones |
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- Windows
- Last known site where the software can be found
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Saga |
This is the general-purpose, "workhorse" program we recommend to all data management students, even if they also use other commercial or public domain GIS solutions. One shortcoming is the minimal documentation.
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General information:
Saga installation files.
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- Windows 32 or 64: Unzip the installation file to a new folder in a convenient location. Create a shortcut to the executable saga_gui.exe to run the program. "Installation" is not required.
- Conrad, O., Bechtel, B., Bock, M., Dietrich, H., Fischer, E., Gerlitz, L., Wehberg, J., Wichmann, V., and Böhner, J. (2015): System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) v. 2.1.4, Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 1991-2007, doi:10.5194/gmd-8-1991-2015 - Current Saga reference paper
- Australia-Indonesia Training in Saga for Resource Management with Imagery
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Rohan Fisher's Saga Tutorials - Heavy emphasis on LANDSAT imagery
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SAGA Tool Chains - Video Tutorial
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Saga Tool Chain Presentation from 2015 AGIT Workshop
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1.3 Running 32-Bit Saga on a Mac with WINE - Provided by a student
- Saga Tutorials collection from GEOSTAT 2012
- Basic Table and Vector Support Guide
- Saga Guide in Brazilian Portuagese
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ToolsUI |
General-purpose format manipulation tool (and other functions) for OPENDAP-related files, e.g. GRIB, NetCDF |
- Files Location - You can download the ToolsUI JAR file from this page.
- When Java JRE has been installed, then just click on the JAR file to run the tool
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"As for converting GRIB to NetCDF, ToolsUI [2] can do the job. Just open the GRIB file in the "Writer" tab, select "netcdf3" as the format, and click "Write File". " [Comment from reader Christian Ward-Garrison on THREDDS Mailing List]
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VPFImporter |
Extracts shapefiles from VPF map libraries. Makes unnecessary the many commercial sites that charge for these files. |
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- Windows
- This the last known location where the software can be found.
- Download includes some documentation
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WineHQ |
"Software to run Windows applications on Linux, BSD, Solaris and Mac OS X" [from the website]
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WRPLOT |
Wind rose plots for meteorological data |
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- "Windrose plots
- Frequency distribution tables
- Wind Class frequency distribution graphs
- All of the most common file formats are supported; and for those that are not, an Import from Excel utility allows simple importing."
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