The University of Wisconsin-Madison SSEC is pleased to announce a new release of the HYDRA2 Multispectral Data Analysis Toolkit Version 2.0 for the visualization and analysis of JPSS Suomi-NPP and NASA EOS Aqua and Terra instrument data. Additional instruments can now be examined as well. This package is in support of Direct Broadcast users, and is co-sponsored by the NOAA Community Satellite Processing Package (CSPP) and the NASA International MODIS/AIRS Processing Package (IMAPP).
The HYper-spectral data viewer for Development of Research Applications version 2 (HYDRA2) has been developed to assist research and development of remote sensing applications as well as education and training of remote sensing scientists. It provides a fast and flexible interface that allows users to explore and visualize relationships between sensor measurements (displayed as brightness temperatures for infrared and reflectances for visible and near infrared) and wavelength (or wavenumber) using spectra diagrams, cross sections, scatter plots, multi-band combinations, and color enhancements on a pixel by pixel basis with full access to the underlying metadata of location and time.
What is new in HYDRA2 Version 2.0?
Many improvements in the user interface and analysis tools have been implemented in HYDRA2 based upon ongoing user feedback. These include:
- Additional supported instruments including AVHRR, HIRS, MHS and FY-3 MERSI,
linking the zooming, roaming, and interrogation between multiple image display windows,
combining spectral bands or linear combinations of spectral bands from multiple sensors (e.g., MODIS and VIIRS) onto a single image display,
managing datasets in a consistent manner,
eliminating VIIRS and MODIS cross-track scan “bowtie” artifacts in the re-gridding process,
aggregating consecutive and separate file granules into a single cohesive image, and
enabling image display export to KML/KMZ for display in the Google Earth Geobrowser.
- pixel location and spectral measurement values can be easily displayed;
- spectral bands can be combined in linear functions and the resulting images displayed;
- false color images can be constructed from multiple spectral band combinations;
- scatter plots of spectral band combinations can be viewed;
- pixels in images can be found in scatter plots and vice versa;
- transects of measurements can be displayed, and
- soundings of temperature and moisture as well as spectra from selected pixels can be compared.
The instruments supported for analysis are:
- Suomi-NPP: VIIRS, CrIS and ATMS
Aqua: MODIS and AIRS
Terra: MODIS
NOAA-15,16,18,19: AVHRR, HIRS, MHS
Metop-A and B: IASI, AVHRR, MHS
FY-3: MERSI
HYDRA2 is supported on the following computer platforms:
- Apple OS X
64 Bit Microsoft Windows
64 Bit Intel Linux
The software is available for download from both the CSPP and IMAPP websites:
http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/cspp/
http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/imapp/
This release accompanies the publication of the updated capabilities of HYDRA2:
Rink, T., Menzel, W.P., Gumley, L. and Strabala, K., 2015. HYDRA2-A Multispectral Data Analysis Toolkit for sensors on Suomi NPP and other current satellite platforms. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, (2015).
Cheers,
Kathy