CoastWatch provides both software and online tools for visualization and analysis of satellite data. Most CoastWatch data is in a format called CoastWatch-HDF that is slightly modified from the Hierachical Data Format (HDF). HDF is a scientific data format specially designed to handle large multidimensional datasets with direct access to specific parts of the file without having to parse the entire file. CoastWatch-HDF is a variation of HDF-4, so many HDF-4 readers can also read CoastWatch-HDF.

The CoastWatch Software Library and Utilities is a free software package for working with CoastWatch satellite data in CoastWatch-HDF format. The utilities allow data users to easily manipulate and visualize satellite data. The utilities are composed of both graphical and command-line tools:

CoastWatch Data Analysis Tool (CDAT) is a graphical interface to many data manipulation and visualization functions. CoastWatch Utilities Library is a software library of functions that are operated from the command line. With scripts or other programs, the library functions can preform batch processing on many files. Here is a sampling of major functions: Render data and legends to PNG, JPEG, and GeoTIFF images. Export data to raw binary, text, or ArcGIS grid files. Perform data sampling at discrete Earth locations (e.g. for comparing satellite data with in-situ data). Combine multiple data files into one composite file for any time-step (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.). Calculate data statistics: min, max, mean, standard deviation, for any file or geographic subregion. Perform generic math operations, including cloud masking. Perform satellite data georegistration to a variety of Earth projections. Manually apply navigational corrections. Obtain information on file attributes, dimensions, and variables.

CoastWatch Data Analysis Tool

Both CDAT and the Utilities Library are available in the same package, and can be downloaded for installation on Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris and AIX platforms.
Click here for more information and for downloading.

Web-based online tools offer quick graphical visualization and analysis of online data without leaving your web browser. East Coast Node currently offers these online tools for selected data offerings:

Live Access Server allows a variety of maps, plots and time series for weekly AVHRR sea surface temperature data for the full east coast or user-selected subregions. CoastWatch Earth Data Access Client is a variation of the CDAT graphical tool and allows data browsing and image manipulation for data of the full east coast region. The Java 5.0 Update 6 plugin is required.

Live Access Server results: weekly AVHRR SST