Tools

Click on a tool title for the detailed description and download information of that tool.

Available through NASA Data centers

• NASA Data Access tools - Includes links of several data access tools available through NASA Data centers

Supported by The HDF Group

• HDFVIEW -- A visual tool for browsing and editing HDF4 and HDF5 files.
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  Description: HDFView is a visual tool for browsing and editing HDF4 and HDF5 files. Using HDFView, one can
  • view a file hierarchy in a tree structure
  • create new file, add or delete groups and datasets
  • view and modify the content of a dataset
  • add, delete and modify attributes
  • replace I/O and GUI components such as table view, image view and metadata view
  Check here for more information of this tool.
  Download
  
  
• H4H5TOOLS -- HDF4-to-HDF5 Conversion Tools
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  Description: This package includes a conversion library and two utilities. The conversion library is used to convert an HDF4 object to an HDF5 object following the specification of mapping HDF4 Objects to HDF5 Objects. HDF4 to HDF5 conversion utility and HDF5 to HDF4 conversion utility are also included in this toolkit. The conversion utility can convert HDF-EOS2 file to HDF5 file that follows the netCDF-4 data model. For users who want to convert NASA HDF4 and HDF-EOS2 files to HDF5/netCDF-4 or even netCDF-3 files, we strongly suggest users to check the HDF4 to CF conversion toolkit first.
  Detailed
  
• HDF-EOS5 Augmentation Tool -- augments HDF-EOS5 files for netCDF-4
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  Description: HDF-EOS5 Augmentation Tool augments an existing HDF-EOS5 file so that the augmented file can be accessed by both the HDF-EOS5 library and the netCDF-4 library.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• HDF4 OPeNDAP Handler -- serves HDF4 via OPeNDAP.
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  Description: HDF4 handler allows OPeNDAP server to serve HDF4 files.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• HDF5 OPeNDAP Handler -- serves HDF5 via OPeNDAP.
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  Description: HDF5 handler allows OPeNDAP server to serve HDF5 files.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• HDF-EOS2 Dumper -- dumps information of HDF-EOS2 files
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  Description: HDF-EOS2 Dumper dumps all the data field and attribute information of HDF-EOS2 file. This tool can dump latitude and longitude for all grids and swaths using different projections. It can also dump adjusted geo-location fields when dimension maps are used.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• H4CF Conversion Toolkit -- provides CF-compliant access to HDF4 and HDF-EOS2 files
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  Description: This toolkit includes both a library and several tools. The HDF4 CF (H4CF) Conversion Library can be used to access various types of NASA HDF4 and HDF-EOS2 files by following CF conventions. We also provide several tools that use the H4CF Conversion Library. For example, the h4tonccf tool can convert NASA HDF4 and HDF-EOS2 files to netCDF-3 or netCDF-4 classic files that follow CF conventions.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• HDF4 File Content Map Writer -- is a utility that creates an HDF4 file content map in XML.
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  Description: The h4mapwriter is a utility that creates an HDF4 file content map for a given HDF4 file. An HDF4 file content map is an XML document that describes the file structure, file metadata, and offset/length of raw data in an HDF4 file. The map can be used to retrieve data from an HDF4 file without relying on the HDF4 library.
  Detailed Download
  
  

Supported by the NASA ESDIS Project - via the EEB Contract NNG09HP00C

• HEG -- converts HDF-EOS to GeoTIFF (Support Info)
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  Description: The HDF-EOS to GeoTIFF Conversion Tool (HEG) has a graphical user interface (GUI) which uses Java Swing technology. The user interface consists of two main windows. The first window is for the selection of HDF-EOS files for conversion into the GeoTIFF format. The second window is for stitching and subsetting common HDF-EOS files. The main purpose of the HEG tool is to assist users in creating files that are more useful and informative.
  Detailed(including an example) Download
  
  
• HDF-EOS plug-in for HDFVIEW -- extends HDFView functionality for browsing any HDF-EOS file (Support Info)
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  Description: With HDF-EOS plug-in installed the HDFView functionality is extended for browsing any HDFEOS file; starting with a tree view of all top-level objects in an HDF file's hierarchy, such as Grid, Swath and Point data. HDFView with plug-in allows a user to descend through the hierarchy and navigate among the file's geo and data objects. With the extended tool users are also allowed to create, delete, and modify the value of HDF-EOS objects and attributes. Check here for more information of this tool.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• heconvert -- converts HDF-EOS Version 2.x files to HDF-EOS Version 5.x
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  Description: heconvert is a command-line conversion utility used to convert HDF-EOS Version 2.x files to HDF-EOS Version 5.x. Upon successful completion of heconvert there will exist a fully qualified HDF-EOS Version 5.x file that is based on using the HDF5 library. heconvert will not convert non-HDF-EOS objects to HDF5.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• MTD_Toolkit -- allows EOSDIS extended data providers to format their products in ECS standard formats (Support Info)
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  Description: The MTD Toolkit is a subset of SDP Toolkit, providing tools for Metadata handling and Time/Date conversion. The primary purpose of this tool set is to provide EOSDIS extended data providers the capability of formatting their products in ECS standard formats, without requiring the entire SDP Toolkit package. The MTD Toolkit will also allow the creation and access to ECS standard metadata. Please check here for more information.
  Download
  
  
• SDP_Toolkit -- a set of tools to manage the metadata that are generated with each EOS product (Support Info)
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  Description: This set of tools is designed to manage the metadata that are generated with each EOS product, i.e., the granule-level metadata. The tools also provide a mechanism for populating the inventory data base tables with the metadata for each granule. The purpose of these tools includes a) to ensure that the metadata produced conforms to ECS standards in content and format; and b) to provide access files from within the science algorithms to metadata contained in input files. Please check here for more information.
  Download
  
  

Supported by Others

Analysis & Visualization

• GrADS -- an interactive tool for easy access, manipulation, and visualization of earth science data (Support Info)
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  Description: The Grid Analysis and Display System (GrADS) is an interactive desktop tool that is used for manipulation and visualization of earth science data. It can read various formats, such as binary, GRIB, NetCDF and HDF-SDS, and visualize data in various ways. The output can be PostScript or image formats.
  Detailed(including Examples) Download
  
  
• NCL -- an interpreted language designed specifically for scientific data processing and visualization (Support Info)
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  Description: NCL is an interpreted language designed specifically for scientific data processing and visualization. It can read various formats, including HDF4, HDF-EOS2 and netCDF-3, and draw plots on the screen or external files. For data analysis and manipulation, many built-in functions are also provided.
  Detailed(including Examples) Download
  
  
• GDL -- a free IDL (Interactive Data Language) clone
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  Description: GDL (GNU Data Language) is a free IDL compatible incremental compiler that runs IDL programs. Although GDL uses the IDL syntax, some features are missing.
  Detailed(including Examples) Download
  
  
• IDL -- a language for data analysis (Support Info)
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  Description: IDL (Interactive Data Language) is a language for data analysis. This tool includes an integrated development environment that can interpret IDL programs and visualize plots.
  Example Example (via OPeNDAP)
  
  
• GNU Octave -- high-level language and interactive environment for numerical analysis (Support Info)
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  Description: GNU Octave is a high-level interpreted language, primarily intended for numerical computations. It can also visualize data on map.
  Example
  
  
• MATLAB -- high-level language and interactive environment for numerical analysis (Support Info)
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  Description: MATLAB is a high-level language and interactive environment for numerical analysis. Its environment can also visualize plots.
  Example
  
  
• FME -- Feature Manipulation Engine (Support Info)
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  Description: Safe Software Inc. Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) Desktop Workbench is an extensive, modular problem-solving environment for data analysis. Among its many types of data file readers are modules for reading HDF files specific to the ASTER and HYPERION data products.
  Example Download
  
  
• ArcGIS -- ArcGIS (Support Info)
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  Description: Esri's ArcGIS is a geographic information system (GIS) for working with maps and geographic information. It is used for: creating and using maps; compiling geographic data; analyzing mapped information; sharing and discovering geographic information; using maps and geographic information in a range of applications; and managing geographic information in a database. The system provides an infrastructure for making maps and geographic information available throughout an organization, across a community, and openly on the Web.
  Example Download
  
  
• Google Earth -- Google Earth (Support Info)
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  Description: Google Earth is a virtual globe, map, and geographical information program. It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography, and GIS 3D globe. Although Google Earth cannot access NASA HDF/HDF-EOS data directly, there are other ways to access and visualize NASA HDF/HDF-EOS data through data conversion such as KML, WMS, and GeoTIFF.
  Example Download
  
  

Viewer

• HDF Explorer -- visualization program that reads HDF, HDF-EOS and HDF5 files (Support Info)
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  Description: A data visualization program that reads Hierarchical Data Format files (HDF, HDF-EOS and HDF5). HDFExplorer offers a simple yet powerful interface for the visualization of HDF data. Data is first viewed in a tree-like interface, and then optionally visualized in a variety of ways. HDFExplorer Lite is a free product, displaying data in grid view only. HDFExplorer Pro has additional features not included in the Lite version including scalar and vector views, and exporting as either ASCII text files or a bitmap images. HDFExplorer only works on windows.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• IDV -- can display the remote HDF-EOS files via OPeNDAP (Support Info)
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  Description: The Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) from Unidata is a Java(TM)-based software framework for analyzing and visualizing geoscience data. The IDV brings together the ability to display and work with satellite imagery, gridded data, surface observations, balloon soundings, NWS WSR-88D Level II and Level III radar data, and NOAA National Profiler Network data, all within a unified interface.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• McIDAS-V -- can display the remote HDF-EOS files via OPeNDAP (Support Info)
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  Description: McIDAS-V is a free, open source, visualization and data analysis software package that is the fifth generation in SSEC's 35+ year history of sophisticated McIDAS (Man computer Interactive Data Access System) software packages. McIDAS-V displays weather satellite (including hyperspectral) and other geophysical data in 2- and 3-dimensions, and can be used to analyze and manipulate the data with its powerful mathematical functions.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• Panoply -- can display the remote HDF-EOS files via OPeNDAP (Support Info)
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  Description: Panoply is a cross-platform application which plots geo-gridded arrays from netCDF, HDF and GRIB datasets. You can slice and plot specific latitude-longitude, latitude-vertical, longitude-vertical, or time-latitude arrays from larger multidimensional variables. You can also plot lon-lat data on a global or regional map (using any of over 75 map projections) or make a zonal average lineplot.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• PHDIS/EOSIT -- reads any HDF-EOS file containing data gridded in the Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area projection (Support Info)
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  Description: Polar HDF-EOS Data Imaging and Subsetting Tool (PHDIS) is designed to read any HDF-EOS file containing data gridded in the Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area projection. It can also read HDF-EOS swath data. This tool is renamed to The HDF-EOS Imaging Tool(EOS-IT).
  Detailed Download
  
  
• view_hdf -- a visualization tool for accessing data stored in HDF and HDF-EOS files (Support Info larc@eos.nasa.gov)
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  Description: view_hdf is a visualization and analysis tool for accessing data stored in Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) and HDF-EOS (EOS extensions to HDF) files. The view_hdf tool can select and subset variables from either Science Data Set (SDS) or vdata structures in an HDF file, render both two- and three-dimensional graphics, and plot geolocated data onto various world map projections.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• HDFLook -- a visualization tool designed to recognize different MODIS HDF-EOS files. (Support Info louis@loa.univ-lille1.fr)
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  Description: HDFLook is a tool for visualizing and analyzing HDF and HDF-EOS files. HDFLook provides support for SDS (Scientific Data Set), Vfiles and ``Raster images'' in 24 bits or 8 bits with look up table. HDFLook can interoperate with Msphinx (Satellite Process Handling Images uNder XWindows) and AERONET.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• MeteoInfo -- a free software designed to view and analyze meteorological and spatial data. (Support Info)
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  Description: MeteoInfo is a freely available software designed to view and analyze meteorological and spatial data interactively. Some GIS functions were developed from ground level. It was developed with C# in the Microsoft .Net environment. MeteoInfo may be run in Windows with .Net Framework 3.5, or in UNIX like systems with Mono, an open source implementation of the .NET Framework. MeteoInfo can also be run automatically using MeteoInfo scripting with the IronPython language. The main functions are packed in the MeteoInfo class library, which could be used to conveniently develop the software.
  Download
  
  

Remote Access

• Pomegranate -- easy access of HDF5 files using a common way to expose data files on the web. (Support Info)
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  Description: An open source python application that exposes data stores (e.g., HDF and NetCDF files) in the web way. It implements the webification specification. It makes file inner components, such attributes and data arrays, directly addressable and accessible via well-defined and meaningful URLs. It can be installed as a command line tool and/or a ReSTful web service.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• Taiga -- a ready-to-use software bundle that simplifies the use of scientific data such as NetCDF, HDF4, and HDF5. (Support Info)
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  Description: Taiga greatly simplifies the use of science data. It is a self-sufficient bundle of free/open source software that webifies major scientific data formats, such as NetCDF, HDF4 and HDF5. Through webification (w10n), meta attributes and data arrays inside a file can be directly retrieved, transformed, or manipulated using clear and meaningful URLs.
  Download
  
  
• ncWMS -- a Web Map Service for CF-compliant NetCDF files (Support Info)
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  Description: ncWMS is a Web Map Service for geospatial data that are stored in CF-compliant NetCDF files. The intention is to create a WMS that requires minimal configuration: the source data files should already contain most of the necessary metadata. ncWMS is implemented in Java as a web application. ncWMS relies heavily on the Java NetCDF interface from Unidata. This library does a lot of the work of metadata and data extraction. The library will also read from NetCDF files on HTTP servers and from OPeNDAP servers.
  Example Download
  
  

Utility

• NCO -- dump, edit, and convert NetCDF files. (Support Info)
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  Description: NCO manipulates data stored in netCDF format. It also exploits the geophysical expressivity of many CF (Climate & Forecast) metadata conventions, the flexible description of physical dimensions translated by UDUnits, the network transparency of OPeNDAP, the storage features (e.g., compression, chunking, groups) of HDF (the Hierarchical Data Format), and many powerful mathematical and statistical algorithms of GSL (the GNU Scientific Library). NCO is fast, powerful, and free.
  Detailed Download
  
  

Unsupported Tools

Most tools under this category were implemented under the support of NASA ESDIS project before 2006. They are no longer supported. All the tools listed below have been tested. So they may be still useful for some users.

Dumper

• Binary Dumper -- dumps HDF-EOS objects in binary format
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  Description: The binary dumper utility dumps HDF-EOS objects in binary format. This is useful for feeding its output into an existing program that does not understand HDF.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• UFM -- accepts an ODL file as input, and generates a simple HTML representation of the ODL
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  Description: The User-friendly Metadata (UFM) tool takes input from standard input (STDIN) and writes output to standard output (STDOUT) and/or standard error (STDERR). Command line options provide a user with the ability to modify the program's functionality. The tool accepts an ODL file as input, and generates a simple HTML representation of the ODL as output. More sophistication can be added by use of an instructions file.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• TRMM_Data_Reader -- reads in a TRMM HDF-EOS data file, and writes out SDS and Vdata as binary files
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  Description: TRMM_Data_Reader is a program to read in a TRMM HDF-EOS data file, and write out user-selected SDS arrays and Vdata tables as separate flat binary files. Metadata (global attributes) are written out in a separate ASCII file with extension .meta. Data in output files will be the same number type (float32, int32, int16, int8, uint8) as the corresponding array in the input (HDF) file.
  Detailed Download
  
  

Converter

• HDF-EOS5 to netCDF-4 Converter -- converts HDF-EOS5 to netCDF-4
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  Description: HDF-EOS5 to netCDF-4 Converter converts an HDF-EOS5 file to a netCDF-4 file that the netCDF-4 library can read. Unlike the HDF-EOS5 Augmentation Tool, this tool creates a new file that the HDF-EOS5 library cannot read.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• hdfeos2netcdf -- converts HDF-EOS2/5 files to netCDF. Partially supported by The HDF Group.
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  Description: hdfeos2netcdf converts HDF-EOS2/5 files to netCDF. hdfeos2netcdf takes two file name arguments: the name of the HDF-EOS2/5 input file and the name of the netCDF output file. If the converter encounters an error that it can't recover from, it prints an error message and exits; otherwise, it creates the output file and exits quietly.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• hdfeos52netcdf -- converts HDF-EOS5 files to netCDF
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  Description: hdfeos52netcdf converts HDF-EOS5 files to netCDF. hdfeos52netcdf takes two file name arguments: the name of the HDF-EOS5 input file and the name of the netCDF output file. If the converter encounters an error it can't recover from, it prints an error message and exits; otherwise, it creates the output file and exits quietly.
  Detailed Download
  
  

Metadata Manipulator

• HEMU -- a tool to update metadata inside an HDF-EOS file
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  Description: HDF-EOS Metadata Updater (HEMU) is a tool for data producers or users to extract, replace and update metadata inside an HDF-EOS file (HDF-EOS2 and HDF-EOS5).
  Detailed Download
  
  
• he5mu -- updates metadata inside an HDF-EOS5 file
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  Description: HDF-EOS5 Metadata Updater (HE5MU) is a tool for data producers or users to extract, replace and update metadata inside an HDF-EOS5 file.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• HMR -- reads metadata from HDF-EOS file and writes to a text file
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  Description: The HDF-EOS Metadata Reader (hmr) program is used to read metadata from HDF-EOS file and write to a text file.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• HMU -- updates the metadata embedded in an HDF-EOS file
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  Description: This HDF-EOS metadata updater (hmu) program is for end users or data producers who have received HDF-EOS data with associated ".met" files from ECS. The EOS metadata embedded in an HDF-EOS data granule from ECS reflects the information available at the time of granule creation, while the metadata in the ".met" file reflects the information in the inventory at the time of distribution. The hmu tool updates the metadata embedded in an HDF-EOS file with the newer information in the ".met" file.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• MetCheck -- validates the inventory meta-data in a ".met" file
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  Description: MetCheck validates the inventory meta-data in ".met" file using the description file ".desc" as the reference. The tool takes a ".desc" and ".met" ODL file as inputs and generates a simple output file that contains the results of the checking process.
  Detailed Download
  
  
• ODL2XML -- converts any ECS ODL file to an ECS XML file
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  Description: ODL2XML converts any ECS ODL file to an ECS XML file that conforms to the ECS DTD. The tool utilizes a Java ODL library that includes a grammar parser. It converts any collection, granule, unsorted level ODL file and all other ODL file to the corresponding XML file.
  Detailed Download
  
  

Others

• he5cc -- a shell script that does for HDF-EOS5 what the h5cc script does for HDF5
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  Description: he5cc is a shell script that does for HDF-EOS5 what the h5cc script does for HDF, primarily because it is a wrapper around h5cc. Both of them allow you to compile and link HDF/HDF-EOS5 programs without putting platform-dependent compiler and linker options in your build scripts and makefiles, allowing you to write one installer for all HDF-EOS5 platforms.
  Detailed Download
  
  

Last modified: 10/28/2022