Comprehensive Examples

This page provides comprehensive examples on how to access and visualize various NASA HDF/HDF-EOS files using Python (pyhdf/h5py), NCL, MATLAB^®, and IDL^®. Other tools and programming languages examples can be found here.

Please read this special note first before you proceed further.

You can find examples quickly using the search box below. Please add keyword 'zoo' first to limit the search within this Comprehensive Examples page. Then, type the first few characters from the NASA HDF/HDF-EOS file name such as MOD06. Finally, you can limit the search by providing one of programming language keywords: Ptyhon, NCL, IDL, or MATLAB.

Search Examples by Product Name

For a list of examples for the different data centers, click on the product name in the table below.

NASA Data Centers Product Examples using different tools GES DISC AIRS TRMM MERRA TOMS OMI MLS HIRDLS BUV SWDB GSSTF GOSAT/ACOS OCO-2 GPM LAADS MOD MYD VIIRS LP DAAC AST MCD MOD MYD VIP WELD GED VIIRS GEOLST LaRC CALIPSO CATS CERES DSCOVR MISR MOPITT POAM3 SAGE III TES NSIDC NSIDC Product Type File Codes Plots CMR AMSR_E more examples Swath AMSR_E_L2A_BrightnessTemperatures_V12_201110032238_D.hdf Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL AE_L2A_3 AMSR_E_L2_Land_V11_201110031920_D.he5 Python n/a MATLAB IDL Python n/a MATLAB IDL AE_Land AMSR_E_L2_Ocean_V06_200206190029_D.hdf Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL AE_Ocean_2 Grid AMSR_E_L3_DailyLand_V06_20050118.hdf lat_AMSR_E_L3_DailyLand_V06_20050118_Ascending_Land_Grid.output lon_AMSR_E_L3_DailyLand_V06_20050118_Ascending_Land_Grid.output Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL AE_Land3_2 AMSR_E_L3_DailyOcean_V04_20020619.hdf Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL AE_DyOcn_2 AMSR_E_L3_WeeklyOcean_V04_20020616.hdf Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL AE_WkOcn_2 AMSR_E_L3_MonthlyOcean_V04_200206.hdf Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL AE_MoOcn_2 AMSR_E_L3_RainGrid_V06_200206.hdf Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL AE_RnGd_2 AMSR_E_L3_SeaIce6km_V15_20050118.hdf psn06lats_v3.dat psn06lons_v3.dat pss06lats_v3.dat pss06lons_v3.dat Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) AE_SI6_3 Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) AMSR_E_L3_SeaIce12km_V15_20020603.hdf (browse images by NASA:Nothern Hemisphere & Southern Hemisphere) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) AE_SI12_3 Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) AMSR_E_L3_SeaIce25km_V15_20050118.hdf Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) AE_SI25_3 AMSR_E_L3_5DaySnow_V09_20050126.hdf lat_AMSR_E_L3_5DaySnow_V09_20050126.Northern_Hemisphere.output lon_AMSR_E_L3_5DaySnow_V09_20050126.Northern_Hemisphere.output Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) AE_5DSno_2 AMSR_U2 Grid AMSR_U2_L3_SeaIce25km_B01_20181008.he5 Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) AU_SI25_1 MODIS more examples Swath MOD10_L2.A2000065.0040.006.2016058071909.hdf lat_MOD10_L2.A2000065.0040.006.2016058071909.output lon_MOD10_L2.A2000065.0040.006.2016058071909.output Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) MOD10L2_006 MOD29.A2013196.1250.006.2015262031234.hdf MOD03.A2013196.1250.006.2013196202628.hdf (m) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) MOD29_6 Grid MOD10A1.A2000065.h00v08.006.2016061211214.hdf Python(z) NCL(z) MATLAB(z) IDL(z) Python(z) NCL(z) MATLAB(z) IDL(z) MOD10A1_006 MOD10C1.A2005018.006.2016141204712.hdf Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL MOD10C1_006 MOD29E1D.A2009340.006.2015196175740.hdf Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) MOD29E1D_6 MOD29E1D.A2000055.006.2015040211331.hdf Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) MYD10A1F.A2020131.h18v03.061.2020335131245.hdf Python(z) NCL(z) MATLAB(z) IDL(z) Python(z) NCL(z) MATLAB(z) IDL(z) MYD10A1F MYD29P1D.A2010133.h09v07.006.2015207054633.hdf Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) MYD29P1D_6 MYD29P1D.A2011080.h07v28.006.2015217023834.hdf Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) NISE Grid NISE_SSMISF17_20110424.HDFEOS lat_NISE_SSMISF17_20110424.Northern_Hemisphere.output lon_NISE_SSMISF17_20110424.Northern_Hemisphere.output lat_NISE_SSMISF17_20110424.Southern_Hemisphere.output lon_NISE_SSMISF17_20110424.Southern_Hemisphere.output Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) NISE_4 Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) Python(p) NCL(p) MATLAB(p) IDL(p) ICESat/GLAS Swath GLAH10_633_2131_001_1317_0_01_0001.H5 Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL GLAH10_033 GLAH13_633_2103_001_1317_0_01_0001.h5 Python Python(s) NCL NCL(s) MATLAB MATLAB(s) IDL IDL(s) Python Python(s) NCL NCL(s) MATLAB MATLAB(s) IDL IDL(s) GLAH13_034 SMAP more examples Swath SMAP_L1A_RADIOMETER_30031_A_20200914T223611_R17000_001.h5 Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL SPL1AP_002 SMAP_L1B_TB_30039_A_20200915T114352_R17000_001.h5 Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL SPL1BTB SMAP_L1C_TB_30054_A_20200916T122049_R17000_001.h5 Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL SPL1CTB SMAP_L2_SM_P_30050_D_20200916T063609_R17000_001.h5 Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL SPL2SMP Grid SMAP_L3_SM_P_20200915_R17000_001.h5 Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB n/a SPL3SMP SMAP_L4_SM_gph_20200915T193000_Vv5014_001.h5 Python NCL MATLAB IDL Python NCL MATLAB IDL SPL4SMGP PO.DAAC SMAP SeaWinds QuikSCAT Aquarius OMG ECCO MODIS Ocean Biology Processing Group OCTS SeaWiFS CZCS MODISA MODIST VIIRS GHRC LIS ICESat-2 ATL ASF SMAP ARIA

Table 1. Sample Data Files and Code Examples

The following table selects MEaSUREs product examples only from the above table.

NASA Data Centers MEaSUREs Product Examples using different tools GESDISC BUV SWDB GSSTF LP DAAC VIP WELD

Table 2. Sample MEaSUREs Data Files and Code Examples

We also provide examples for other data centers that produce HDF files.

Other Data Centers Product Examples using different tools CloudSAT Data Processing Center CloudSAT MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator MASTER Ocean Productivity Net Primary Production

Table 3. Sample Data Files and Code Examples from Other Data Centers

We also extracted and documented information for sample HDF-EOS2/HDF4 and HDF-EOS5/HDF5 files that are useful to determine the EOS contents stored in the sample files. Please click here for HDF-EOS2/HDF4 and here for HDF-EOS5/HDF5 to read comprehensive description and retrieve sample files.

Last modified: 04/05/2023