SeaDAS 9.0.0 Release Notes

These release notes depict the primary changes which have occurred since the previous release (SeaDAS 8.4.0).

Versioning

• SeaDAS Platform 9.0.0
  • Modification of SNAP 10.x (Jan 5, 2024) development code.
• SeaDAS Toolbox 2.0.0
• Release Date: April 11, 2024
• SeaDAS Download:
  • Windows: https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaDAS/installer/9.0.0/seadas_9.0.0_windows64_installer.exe
  • Mac OS: https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaDAS/installer/9.0.0/seadas_9.0.0_mac_installer.sh
  • Linux: https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaDAS/installer/9.0.0/seadas_9.0.0_linux64_installer.sh
• Code Repositories:
  • https://github.com/seadas/seadas-toolbox/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.0.0
  • https://github.com/senbox-org/snap-desktop/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.0.0
  • https://github.com/senbox-org/snap-engine/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.0.0
  • https://github.com/senbox-org/optical-toolbox/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.0.0

Operating Systems and Platform

Modifications to add/improve platform dependent support

• Mac OS:
  • Mac OS Ventura support added.
  • Mac M1/M2 chip support added.
• Docker: The tool provides capability of science processing operations on Windows.
  • Software & System Info works now
  • l2gen on OCI/OLI/OLCI/MSI works now

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 files are now supported.
  • PACE SPEXOne L1C files are now supported (L1B files are viewable but as generic NetCDF files).
  • PACE HARP2 L1C files are now supported (L1B files are viewable but as generic NetCDF files).
• Level-2 File Flag Masks: This file reader feature automatically creates masks from level-2 flags.
  • A preference page has been added.
  • Color and transparency of the level-2 flag masks is now fully configurable in the preferences.
  • Sort order of the level-2 flag masks is now fully configurable in the preferences.
  • Default sort order of the level-2 flag masks is alphabetical (except for LAND which is placed at the top of layer stack).
  • Multi-flag composite masks are now available and configurable in the preferences.

General Tools

Modifications to the general tools.

• Angular View Tool: This tool enables a plot of values across data at different angles (view angle, sensor zenith angle, sensor azimuth angle and scattering angle).
  • First official release (previously a Beta version).
  • Refinements with minor bugs fixes and organization.
  • Band groupings added for PACE sensors.
  • System performance improved with bug fixes which will reduce the chance of freeze events.
  • Progress monitor added which will be helpful for the longer run durations of files containing a lot of angular bands.
• Annotation Metadata Tool: This tool enables adding metadata and custom annotations to a scene image.
  • First official release (previously a Beta version).
  • Refinements with minor bugs fixes and organization.
  • RGB images can now be annotated.
• Bathymetry Mask Tool: This tool create a bathymetry band and mask in a file.
  • System performance improved by limiting default behavior to create only a bathymetry band and mask.
  • Topography and elevation bands are now optionally created.
• Color Bar Legend Tool: This tool creates a legend of the color palette and it's corresponding data values.
  • Layer editor has been slightly reorganization with some lesser used fields being moved to the preferences.
  • Title and units fields incorrect enablement issue has been fixed.
• Color Manager Tool: This tool controls the color palette, along with its range and scaling, being applied to an image.
  • Performance issues in the colorbar image selector are improved by reducing the number of color palettes images displayed by default.
  • CYAN color palette has been added.
  • Color schemes configurations added for several PACE OCI data products
• Image Animator Tool: This tool can create an animation of: scene images, Angular View plots and Spectrum View plots.
  • First official release (previously a Beta version).
  • Band groupings added for PACE HARP2 and PACE SPEXone.
  • Animation movie can be exported.
• Image Export: This tool exports scene view images to a file.
  • Bug fixed where export of image to full size was sometimes off by one pixel.
  • Bug fixed where export of image view region was falsely allowing full resolution.
• Image View: This tool creates a scene image view window of a band.
  • Image zoom and image positioning can now be configured in the preferences to be automatically applied when an image is opened.
  • Several layer tools can now be configured in preferences to be automatically applied when an image is opened.
• Land Mask Tool: This tool creates a land band and mask in a file.
  • System performance improved by limiting default behavior to create only a land band and mask.
  • Coastline mask is now optionally created.
  • Preference page added.
• No-Data Layer Tool: This tool adds a color to pixels which have a value equal to the No-Data value.
  • Preference added to specify whether or not pixels which do not contain geocoding are flagged as No-Data.
• RGB Image Tool: __This tools creates "true color" and "false color" images derived from red, green and blue channels.
  • A primary "valid pixel expression" has been added to optionally enable override any band dependent "valid pixel expressions".
  • Band level No-Data values are retained.
  • Color range can be now be configured in the preferences to automatically be applied.
  • True Color RGB profiles added for PACE OCI.
• Soft Button Tool: This feature enables multiple tools to be assigned to a single one-click button.
  • First official release (previously a Beta version).
  • Refinements with minor bugs fixes and organization.
  • Image positioning and zoom is now supported.
  • Toggle behavior can now be applied simultaneously to all open band view windows.
• Spectrum View Tool: This tool enables a plot of values across data at different wavelengths.
  • System performance improved with bug fixes which will reduce the chance of freeze events.
  • Progress monitor added which will be helpful for the longer run durations of files containing a lot of spectral bands
  • 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.
• Statistics Tool: This tool computes statistical information, including histogram plots, for any bands in a file.
  • ROI masking and flag masking are more clearly delineated with their logical expressions.
  • ROI masking and flag masking each now support all masks contained within the file.

Science Processors

Modifications to the GUI support of the SeaDAS science processors (OCSSW)

• Science processor support:
  • PACE OCI is now fully supported.
• Georegion_gen: This tool creates a raster region mask file based on either a Shapefile or WKT file.
  • GUI support has been added.
• L2merge: This tool merges multiple level-2 files into a single level-2 file.
  • GUI support has been added.
• L2bin: This tool creates a level-3 binned file from an input level-2 file or list of input level-2 files.
  • Fields added: "area_weighting", "composite_scheme", "composite_prod" and geographic boundary fields.
  • Text entry fields made wider for applicable parameters (including "flaguse").
  • Parameter "flaguse" now interacts correctly with its checkbox selector popup user interface.
  • Preferences page added.
• L3bin: This tool creates a level-3 binned file from an input level-3 file or list of input level-3 files.
  • Fields added: "reduce_fac", "composite_scheme" and "composite_prod".
• L3binmerge: This tool merges multiple level-3 binned files into a single level-3 binned file.
  • GUI support has been added.
• L3mapgen: This tool creates a mapped file from an input level-3 file.
  • Text entry fields made wider for applicable parameters.
  • Parameter added: "num_cache".
  • Preferences page added.
• L2Gen: This tool creates a level-2 file from an input level-1 file.
  • Issue fixed where product selector only functioned for OC suite.
  • Supports PACE OCI.

Known Issues

Highlights some known issues or helpful hints to user stumbling blocks

• General
  • 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)
  • 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 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.

Getting Started with SeaDAS

To get started see: SeaDAS Download, Installation, and Run Instructions

SeaDAS General Overview

SeaDAS 9.0.0 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 9 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 8 series began an integration with the ESA SNAP software.
• 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.