SeaDAS 9.2.0 Release Notes

These release notes depict the primary changes which have occurred since the previous release (SeaDAS 9.1.0).

Versioning

• SeaDAS 9.2.0 (containing SeaDAS Toolbox 2.2.0)
• Release Date: April 30, 2025
• SeaDAS Download:
  • Windows: https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaDAS/installer/9.2.0/seadas_9.2.0_windows64_installer.exe
  • Mac OS: https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaDAS/installer/9.2.0/seadas_9.2.0_mac_x64_installer.sh
  • Mac OS: https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaDAS/installer/9.2.0/seadas_9.2.0_mac_x64_installer.dmg
  • Mac OS: https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaDAS/installer/9.2.0/seadas_9.2.0_mac_aarch_installer.sh
  • Mac OS: https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaDAS/installer/9.2.0/seadas_9.2.0_mac_aarch_installer.dmg
  • Linux: https://oceandata.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaDAS/installer/9.2.0/seadas_9.2.0_linux64_installer.sh
• Code Repositories:
  • https://github.com/seadas/seadas-toolbox/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.2.0
  • https://github.com/senbox-org/snap-desktop/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.2.0-x64
  • https://github.com/senbox-org/snap-desktop/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.2.0-aarch64
  • https://github.com/senbox-org/snap-engine/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.2.0-x64
  • https://github.com/senbox-org/snap-engine/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.2.0-aarch64
  • https://github.com/senbox-org/optical-toolbox/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.2.0-x64
  • https://github.com/senbox-org/optical-toolbox/releases/tag/SEADAS-9.2.0-aarch64
• SNAP Integration:
  • SeaDAS 9.2.0 uses a modification of SNAP (Apr 30, 2024) development code (essentially using SNAP 10)

Operating Systems and Platform

Modifications for Platform-Specific Support

• Separate SeaDAS installers are provided for Intel-based and Apple-Silicon (“M”-chip) Macs:
  • Intel Mac (.dmg & .sh) — Last release supporting Intel-based macOS
  • Apple-Silicon Mac (.dmg & .sh)
• Deprecation Notice: SeaDAS 9.2.0 is the final version to support Intel-based Macs. All future releases will run only on Apple Silicon.

SeaDAS Installer

Modifications to the SeaDAS application installer.

• No modifications

Earthdata-Cloud Tools

Tools which use Earthdata cloud services.

• OB_CLOUD Data Browser: A browser for the Ocean Biology OB.DAAC satellite data in the NASA Earthdata cloud. This tool interfaces with the Harmony Search Service and leverages CMR (Common Metadata Repository) for granule-level metadata retrieval. This is a new tool to SeaDAS 9.2.0
  • Features:
    • Mission-aware metadata filtering using satellite/instrument, data level, and product names.
    • Integrated spatial and temporal filters, with automatic date validation based on mission-specific coverage.
    • Spatial filters, with pre-defined and custom geographic locations and regions
    • Day/Night granule selection, supporting all CMR day_night_flag values.
    • Granule preview support, with hover-based thumbnail loading from browse_images, and full-resolution image viewing.
    • Granule pagination and result management, decoupling total fetch limit from per-page display.
    • Secure file downloads with Earthdata login support and progress monitoring.

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.
  • SeaWiFS L1A files: (processing version V3) files now supported
  • OCTS L1A files: (processing version V3) files now supported
  • CZCS L1A files: (processing version V3) files now supported
  • Modification: HARP2 L2 files now supported
  • Modification: SPEXONE L2 files now supported
  • Modification: PACE OCI L1B Version 3 files now supported
  • Preferences:
    • Added Image Flip controls for:
      • All L2 files, L1B files (PACE OCI, VIIRS, MODIS), L1C files (PACE OCI, PACE HARP2)
    • Added Band Grouping controls for:
      • All L2 files, L1B files (PACE OCI, VIIRS, MODIS), L1C files (PACE OCI, PACE HARP2)

General Tools

Modifications to the general tools.

• Image Export: Tool for exporting images.
  • Fields Added: Alpha Channel
• Toolbars:
  • Toolbars: “Open File”, “Geometry Lines”, and “Range Finder” are now displayed by default.
• Video-Tutorials Menu:
  • Menu added in SeaDAS which provides convenient access to all the SeaDAS video tutorials and playlists which are posted on the NASA Ocean channel.

Science Processors

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

• L2bin GUI:
  • Fields dependent on input file and suite are now auto-populated with default values.
  • Field "flaguse" has been improved:
    • Configuration is based on the flags found in the metadata of the input level-2 file.
    • Supports the use of the logical complement of each of the flags.
  • Fields Added: output_wavelengths
  • Fields Removed: oformat and pversion
  • Layout was reorganized to better accommodate the fields.
  • Preferences Options:
    • Custom naming schemes for output file available
    • User can now store and load groupings of favorite settings.
    • User can force all values to be sent when run (the default is to only send non-default values).
• L3bin GUI:
  • Several fields were added.
  • Layout was reorganized to better accommodate the fields.
  • Preferences Options:
    • Custom naming schemes for output file available
    • User can force all values to be sent when run (the default is to only send non-default values).
• L3mapgen GUI:
  • Fields dependent on input file and suite are now auto-populated with default values.
  • Many fields were added.
  • Fields Removed: pversion and palette_dir
  • Layout was reorganized to better accommodate the fields.
  • Preferences Options:
    • Custom naming schemes for output file available
    • User can now store and load groupings of favorite projections.
    • User can force all values to be sent when run (the default is to only send non-default values).
    • User can optionally override projection 'smi' (default is to override 'smi' with 'platecarree')

Known Issues (New and Specific to SeaDAS 9.2.0)

Highlights some known issues specific to SeaDAS 9.2.0 or offers helpful hints for users encountering stumbling blocks

• Science Processor GUIs:
  • modis_GEO:
    • Does not auto-fill an output GEO file name, so the user will need to specify a name.
  • modis_L1B:
    • Does not auto-fill an input GEO file name, so the user will need to specify a name.
  • l2bin:
    • Takes a couple seconds to load an ifile or change a suite (this is due to the improvement that it now auto-fills the form with mission/suite dependent defaults). This is a big improvement in functionality, but time-efficiency will be addressed in a future release.
  • l3mapgen:
    • Takes a couple seconds to load an ifile or change a suite (this is due to the improvement that it now auto-fills the form with mission/suite dependent defaults). This is a big improvement in functionality, but time-efficiency will be addressed in a future release.

Known Issues (Recurring)

Highlights some known issues or helpful hints to user 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:
    • 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:
    • 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 9.2.0 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.