An Interactive Visualization and Analysis Tool for Hierarchical Data Format Version 4 and 5 Files

摘要

The Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project at NASA Langley Research Center (NASA/LaRC) is a key component of NASA's Earth Observing System program. The data files are written in Hierarchical Data Format version 4 (HDF4). Due to some limitations of the HDF4, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications has issued a new design format, version 5 (HDF5). These two HDF formats are not compatible. NASA/LaRC has developed an interactive visualization and analysis tool, view_hdf, written in Research Systems Inc. Interactive Data Language, to manipulate HDF4 files. view_hdf has been enhanced to access and manipulate HDF5 files. This tool provides a broad range of visualization and analysis capabilities that allow researchers to select, analyze, and manipulate information stored in HDF files. Although developed mainly for the CERES project, this tool is of more general use with other data sets written in HDF.