Version:
SeaDAS 10.0.0 Release Notes
These release notes depict the primary changes which have occurred since the previous release (SeaDAS 9.2.0).
Versioning
- SeaDAS 10.0.0 (containing SeaDAS Toolbox 10.0.0), released November 19, 2025.
- SeaDAS 10.0.0 is available in both JRE-bundled and non-JRE installer formats. Users who prefer to rely on their own system installation of Java 21 may download the non-JRE installers. The following platform-specific installers are available:
- Windows:
- Linux:
- Mac OS (Apple-Silicon):
- Mac OS (Intel):
- not available and no longer supported. SeaDAS 9.2.0 was the final version to support Intel-based Macs. The science processors (V2025.1) was the final supported version for Intel-based Macs.
Users installing the non-JRE versions can refer to the detailed setup instructions in the SeaDAS 10 User Guide for Installers Without Bundled JRE:
https://github.com/seadas/seadas-toolbox/wiki/SeaDAS-10-–-User-Guide-for-Installers-Without-Bundled-JRE
- Code Repositories:
- SNAP Integration:
- SeaDAS 10.0.0 uses a modification of SNAP 12.0.1
Operating Systems and Platform
- Uses JAVA 21
- Runs on Ubuntu 22.04 and up for Linux
Deprecation Notice: SeaDAS 9.2.0 was the final version to support Intel-based Macs. All future Mac OS releases of SeaDAS will run only on Apple Silicon.
SeaDAS Installer
Modifications to the SeaDAS application installer.
- SeaDAS now provides both JRE-bundled installers and non-JRE installer options. The non-JRE installers allow users to rely on an existing system installation of Java 21, offering greater flexibility for environment configuration while maintaining full platform support.
Earthdata-Cloud Tools
Tools which use Earthdata cloud services.
- OB_CLOUD Data Browser:
- Fixed issue where mouse hover gets slow and seemingly frozen (especially when poor network connection or slow website occurs).
- Added user locations and user regions selector options (see the preferences GUI to enable this feature.)
- Added help page.
File Readers
Modifications to the file readers.
- File/Sensor Support: Support includes features such as reading a file, adding band groupings, flipping scene data, etc.
- PACE OCI L2 files (V3.01) now supported.
- PACE OCI L2 UAA files (V3) now supported.
- PACE OCI L2 TraceGas files (yet to be released) now supported.
- Modification: PACE SPEXone L2 files (V3) now have correct band grouping.
- Modification: PACE HARP2 L2 files (V3) now have correct band grouping.
- Modification: PACE SPEXone L1C files (V3) have correct band grouping.
- SeaDAS File Readers Preferences Tool:
- This tool is new to SeaDAS 10.0.0. This preferences tool enables the user to set default behavior regarding how SeaDAS loads into its interface, the files produced by the NASA OB.DAAC and those produced by the SeaDAS-OCSSW Science Processors.
- Flip options have been moved into this tool (previously in Flip Preferences).
- Band Grouping options have been moved into this tool (previously in Band Grouping Preferences)
- Valid Pixel Expression Significant Figures has been added.
General Tools
Modifications to the general tools.
- General Multi-Tool Features:
- Fixed bug where the SeaDAS GUI would freezes when closing with files that are still open.
- Mouse Zoom direction now matches in World Map, World View, and Image View tools.
- Fixed bug which caused duplicate menu system entries of 'Tile Horizontally' and 'Tile Vertically'
- Band grouping now better supports wildcard expressions.
- Angular View Tool:
- Band groupings refined for PACE HARP2 and PACE SPEXone sensors.
- System performance further improved with bug fixes which will reduce the chance of freeze events.
- Progress information is displayed in the plot during processing. This is especially useful in Cursor Mode where a progress monitor cannot be used.
- Progress monitor refined to better track processing progress in Pins Mode.
- Added option to plot without the connecting lines.
- Added option to choose colors independently for each series grouping.
- Plot boundary fields added to help the user readily define a specific range of values for the x-axis and the y-axis.
- Preference page added to enable the user to predefine plot properties such as axis bounds and color.
- Bathymetry Mask Tool:
- Improved to help reduce occurrence of SeaDAS application freeze events.
- Added options to control which masks and bands get created.
- Added progress monitor for source data file installation.
- Added a preference GUI.
- Fixed bug where source data file installation form was sometimes being hidden beneath the primary tool form.
- Color Bar Legend Tool:
- Many new color schemes have been added to support PACE products.
- Better handles null units with options in the preferences regarding how to display null units.
- Color Manager Tool:
- Many new color schemes have been added to support PACE products.
- Help:
- Fixed bug where the help "question mark" links in many of the tools did not work.
- Fixed bug where the help links on the preferences tools did not work.
- Image Animator Tool:
- For Angular View and Spectrum View mode - band groupings modified for PACE HARP2 and PACE SPEXone.
- Land Mask Tool:
- Improved to help reduce occurrence of SeaDAS application freeze events.
- Added options to control which masks and bands get created.
- Added fields to the preferences GUI.
- Added progress monitor for source data file installation.
- Fixed bug where source data file installation form was sometimes being hidden beneath the primary tool form.
- Layer Editor:
- Band grouping now better supports wildcard expressions.
- Metadata Dump Tool:
- Added a "Metadata_Dump" node under "Metadata" in the Product Explorer.
- Provides a full ncdump view, including global attributes and all groups.
- Software & System Info Tool:
- Added a progress monitor when opening since initialization can sometime take many seconds.
- Spectrum View Tool:
- Band groupings refined for PACE HARP2 and PACE SPEXone sensors.
- System performance further improved with bug fixes which will reduce the chance of freeze events.
- Progress information is displayed in the plot during processing. This is especially useful in Cursor Mode where a progress monitor cannot be used.
- Progress monitor refined to better track processing progress in Pins Mode.
Science Processors
Modifications to the GUI support of the SeaDAS science processors (OCSSW)
- Geolocate VIIRS GUI:
- Fixed bug where ofile does not get auto-filled when selecting an ifile.
- Geolocate Hawkeye GUI:
- Fixed bug where ofile does not get auto-filled when selecting an ifile.
- L1bextract OCI GUI:
- This tool is new to SeaDAS 10.0.0
- L2bin GUI:
- Fixed bug where ifile selector goes unresponsive after reselecting an ifile.
- Fixed bug where GUI reloads slowly when changing suite.
- Fixed bug where the textfield 'suite' was not being autofilled with the value defined in the preferences.
- L3bin GUI:
- Fixed bug where ifile selector goes unresponsive after reselecting an ifile.
- Fixed bug where ofile does not get auto-filled when selecting an ifile.
- L3mapgen GUI:
- Fixed bug where ifile selector goes unresponsive after reselecting an ifile.
- Fixed bug where GUI reloads slowly when changing suite.
- Fixed bug where the textfield 'suite' was not being autofilled with the value defined in the preferences.
- MODIS GEO GUI:
- Fixed bug where ofile does not get auto-filled when selecting an ifile.
- Fixed bug where 'Update LUTS' button was not available.
- MODIS L1B GUI:
- Fixed bug where 'Update LUTS' button was not available.
Known Issues (New)
Highlights some new or newly identified known issues.
- General:
- Time Series Tool:
- This tool is currently unavailable as of SeaDAS 10.0.0. This is due to the merge with SNAP 12.0, where this tool has compatibility issues. We do hope to restore this tool in a future SeaDAS release.
- Science Processors:
- Specific to Mac OS: As of science processor OCSSW tag V2025.2 and later, SeaDAS must be launched from the command line in order to use the GUI for running the science processors. Launching SeaDAS via mouse-click on the application icon will likely cause the processor code to fail. This bug would apply to any SeaDAS version which tries to run V2025.2 or later.
Known Issues (Recurring)
Highlights some known issues and offers helpful hints for users encountering stumbling blocks
- General:
- Open File/Product:
- Seems to not open a file if the directory has 400+ files with some of the files not being netCDF files.
- Layer Editor:
- Can get out of sync with selected layer in Layer Manager (user workaround: the layer editor still works, but it is one-layer click event behind, and the user can activate the desired layer by clicking another layer in Layer Manager)
- Band Selection:
- Clicking a view window tab selects the view window as the active view, but does not auto-select the corresponding band as the active band. This can lead to confusion when run band-based tools. (user workaround: click the band in the File Manager will auto-select both the band and its view window and will avoid this issue).
- System performance:
- This is a concern with large files and the user should adjust the settings in the "Performance" preferences page which defaults VM to 8Gig. But 8Gig virtual memory may not ideally be enough for some files, so if the user has a computer with sufficient RAM then this VM can be increased if needed.
- GPT:
- gpt (graph processing tool) command line entries require full file path.
- Coastline, Land and Water mask tool operator not available at gpt command line.
- Bathymetry tool operator not available in gpt.
SeaDAS General Overview
SeaDAS 10.0.0 is an open-source comprehensive software package for the processing, display, analysis, and quality control of remote-sensing Earth data. SeaDAS serves as the official distribution point of the NASA OBPG Science Software. The science processing component of SeaDAS applies the OBPG algorithms to satellite data in order to characterize and calibrate the data and generate science quality OBPG products.
The SeaDAS 10 platform (an extension of the ESA SNAP platform) serves as an application platform to the NASA SeaDAS Toolbox and the ESA Optical Toolbox. The core elements of NASA SeaDAS science processing (both command line and GUI-based) are contained within the SeaDAS ToolBox. The NASA satellite mission data file readers and the ESA processors for the Sentinel-3 missions are contained within the Optical Toolbox.
SeaDAS Legacy Software Overview
- SeaDAS 9 series continued an integration with the ESA SNAP software (used JAVA 11)
- SeaDAS 8 series began an integration with the ESA SNAP software (used JAVA 8)
- SeaDAS 7 series contained the NASA OBPG processors and the GUI is a variant of the BEAM software. This series culminated in version 7.5.3 and will no longer be revised. It won't use the latest NASA processors.
- SeaDAS 6 series was based on IDL and is no longer supported.
SeaDAS
