1 / 15

Browse netCDF Files with ncBrowse for Effective Data Visualization

ncBrowse is a Java application for interactively browsing netCDF data files, widely adopted by oceanic and atmospheric communities. It offers flexible displays, supports various conventions, and allows remote data access. Features include SGT graphics, handling character variables, time formats, and more. Future updates will enhance color control, contour plots, and interaction with data values. Available for UNIX, Win32, and MacOS.

jessicalewis
Download Presentation

Browse netCDF Files with ncBrowse for Effective Data Visualization

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. ncBrowse: A Graphical netCDF File Browser Donald Denbo NOAA-PMEL/UW-JISAO http://www.epic.noaa.gov/java/ncBrowse

  2. Introduction • ncBrowse is a Java Application designed to graphically browse data files in netCDF format. • netCDF is available from Unidata and is … • Widely adopted by the oceanic and atmospheric communities • Machine-independent format • Array-oriented • Self describing • Available for the Java, C, C++, and Fortran languages 2002 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Wellington, New Zealand

  3. Overview • ncBrowse provides • Flexible, interactive graphical displays of data • Tree and table views of netCDF file schema and attributes • Supports a wide range of netCDF conventions • COARDS – oceanic/atmospheric data sets (gridded) • EPIC – oceanic observations, profile and time series • Next release will provide network access to DODS data files • ncBrowse has been downloaded 4749 times to 2265 unique sites in 55 countries as of July 1, 2002. 2002 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Wellington, New Zealand

  4. Features • SGT graphics for 1 and 2 dimensional cuts through data • Handles files with character variables. • Handles dimensions without associated variables • Properly decodes several time formats • Access to remote data files via DODS (beta version). • Direct access to remote netCDF files from the Web (even without DODS). • Vector plots (beta). • Variable mapping (beta). • Animations by varying parameters in Variable Map (beta). • Available for UNIX, Win32, and MacOS • Graphics appearance easily modified • Printing support 2002 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Wellington, New Zealand

  5. Virtual Demo

  6. Virtual Demo

  7. Virtual Demo

  8. Virtual Demo

  9. Vector Demonstration

  10. Design Goals • Easy to use. • Graphical user interface designed to provide a “natural” navigation through netCDF file contents. • Platform neutral. • Operates on UNIX, Win32, MacOS X, and MacOS 9.x (v1.0 only). • Independence from netCDF conventions. • Does not require netCDF files to conform to a specific convention. • Does recognize some conventions, if present. For example, EPIC and COARDS time conventions. • Easy to compare netCDF files. • Multiple netCDF files and graphics windows can be simultaneously open 2002 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Wellington, New Zealand

  11. Variable Mapping • Update data handling to support variable mapping. • Support • Line plots assigning any two variables or dimensions • Grid plots. • Vector plots. • Parametric plots. • For example, temperature vs. salinity, with depth the parameter. • Flexible mapping of independent variables to graphical axes. • For example, a file that contains lat, lon, and temp as separate netCDF variables could be mapped so that lat -> y-axis, lon -> x-axis, and temp -> z-axis. 2002 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Wellington, New Zealand

  12. Mapping Examples Line Plot Where i,the depth index, varies. Grid Plot Where i,j, the latitude and longitude indices, vary, and k is held constant. Vector Plot Where i,k, the x-axis and depth indices, vary and j, m are held constant. 2002 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Wellington, New Zealand

  13. Future Directions(version 1.4 and beyond) • Color palette control • Set range for colorbar • Use zoomed range of graph for colorbar range • Improved graphics capabilities. • Contour plot control (editing color map, contour levels, etc.) • Co-plotting variables • Global and variable attribute editing. • Modification of local netCDF files. 2002 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Wellington, New Zealand

  14. Future Directions(version 1.4 and beyond) • Allow mouse interrogation of data values. • Logarithmic axis support. • Full access to OPeNDAP (formerly DODS) servers. • 3-D visualizations using VisAD. 2002 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Wellington, New Zealand

  15. Availability • NcBrowse is freely available from the ncBrowse web page, at http://www.epic.noaa.gov/java/ncBrowse and includes: • Download options for Mac, PC, and Unix (notice that V1.3.3Beta5 includes the Java Virtual Machine) • Users E-Mail Archive (ncBrowse related discussions and questions) • News and updates • On-line help 2002 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Wellington, New Zealand

More Related