view_HDF: visualization and analysis tool for hierarchical data format files

Many atmospheric and oceanographic data sets are being archived in hierarchical data format (HDF). HDF is self-documenting and enables the storage of large scientific data sets in a common, efficient machine-independent binary format. Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) along with the Atmospheric Sciences Competency at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), have developed an interactive visualization and analysis tool, view_HDF was initially developed for the Clouds and the Earth´s Radiant Energy System (CERES) project at NASA/LaRC, then later extended to HDF files in general. This tool is designed to work with any HDF file and provides a broad range of visualization and analysis capabilities that allow researchers to select, analyze, and manipulate information stored in HDF files. view_HDF can also read column formatted ASCII text. Examples of the tool´s versatility and utility are presented using atmospheric and oceanographic data sets. The included data products come from the CERES, TOPEX/Poseidon, MODIS, and Pathfinder missions. From these data products, view_HDF is demonstrated to extract and geolocate, sea surface height, sea surface temperature, scene identification, and wind speed over ocean for a common data day. The software is written in interactive data language (IDL), and although originally developed on a UNIX platform, it has been ported to Microsoft Windows environment. It should be portable from NASA/LaRC Atmospheric Sciences Data Center at http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/HPDOCS/view_hdf.html. The software packages also contain a user´s guide in PDF and a sample data file.