cv - New ASTER visualization tool

Thu Mar 1 08:49:34 MST 2001

This message is announcing a new interactive HDF/HDF-EOS
visualization tool that is available from the U.S. Geological
Survey.

The "cv" (Cube Visualization) program has been used for a number
of years as part of the ISIS image processing system (Integrated
Software for Imagers and Spectrometers).  "cv" has recently been
enhanced to directly read the HDF and HDF-EOS file formats in
addition to the native ISIS cube format.  This includes data
from the Terra and Landsat-7 satellites.  (Files based on HDF
Version 4.x are supported;  files based on the new HDF 5.x are
not supported.)  "cv" is also now packaged so that it can be run
without installing the rest of the ISIS software system.  The
capabilities of the program include:

  - Available for free ftp download

  - Displays (as images) any Swath/Grid data fields in HDF-EOS files

  - Displays (as images) any Scientific Data Set (SDS) data fields
        in HDF files;  Can be used for displaying SDS data fields
        in HDF-EOS files that are outside the HDF-EOS structures

  - Combines multiple HDF/HDF-EOS fields to form one display
        object, e.g., combines multiple 2D images into a 3D
        multi-band cube

  - Handles all HDF/HDF-EOS item data types

  - Optionally converts HDF/HDF-EOS fill values to ISIS NULL pixel
        values for display (displayed with user-specified color;
        not used in automatic display range computation)

  - Converts Float32/Float64 NaN and Infinity values to ISIS
        NULL and High Instrument Saturation (HIS) pixel values
        (HIS values are also displayed with user-specified color)

  - Subarea selection and/or subsampling (allows handling large
        HDF/HDF-EOS files)

  - Writes displayed HDF/HDF-EOS field data to ISIS cube file
        or BIN5 file with associated ISIS detached label (ISIS
        cube format has embedded label;  BIN5 format is a binary
        format with a simple header that can be easily read
        by an IDL program.  Allows doing further processing
        using the generalized ISIS image processing programs,
        using specialized IDL programs, or using other software
	packages)

  - Display range control, grey-scale or pseudocolor display,
        interactive contrast stretch

  - Zoom and roam with subsampled thumbnail image for large
        images

  - Simultaneous display of multiple images/files

  - Reports cursor location and pixel value;  Includes reporting
        Latitude/Longitude with optional conversion between
        geocentric and geographic coordinates

  - Displays image slices perpendicular to all three axes in
        a displayed 3D data set

  - Plots intensity profiles along any of the three axes in
        a 3D data set (Useful for plotting data field data
        that are not image observations)

  - Average spectrum and statistics plotting for a rectangular
        region or arbitrary region of interest

  - Comparison of multiple data plots in one plot window

  - Resizable image display and data plot windows

  - Postscript output for displayed images and data plots

  - Active IDL command prompt for running other IDL routines;
        Includes ability to plot additional IDL data and plot
        in "cv" plot windows for comparision

  - Thorough documentation and context-sensitve on-line help

The "cv" program is implemented in the IDL language and makes
use of the IDL CALL_EXTERNAL capability to call I/O and utility
routines written in C and Fortran.  Due to bugs in previous
IDL versions and use of new IDL routines, IDL Version 5.3 or
above is required to run "cv".  ("cv" has not been tested with
IDL Version 5.4, but there is a reasonable chance that it
will work properly.)

Pre-compiled versions of the C/Fortran routines used by "cv"
are available for the following platforms:

    Sun - Solaris 2.6
    Compaq Alpha - Compaq Tru64 Unix V4.0 - Rev. 1091
        (Previously called DEC Alpha - Digital Unix)
    PC - Linux - RedHat 6.1  (Has also been used on other
        Linux versions such as RedHat 6.2 and SuSE 7.0)

To obtain "cv", go to the USGS annonymous ftp site:
    ftpflag.wr.usgs.gov
Do a "cd dist/isis" and get (in binary mode) the README_CV.TXT
file (installation instructions) and the tar file(s) for the
desired platforms (cv_sun.tar, cv_alpha.tar, cv_pc.tar).

We request that all users of "cv" register as ISIS users at
the ISIS website:

    http://wwwflag.wr.usgs.gov/ISIS
        (ISIS must be entered in all capital letters)

This will add you to the ISIS mailing list, which is a
low-volume mail list for announcing ISIS and "cv" updates.
After registering, you can also request a CD distribution
of the complete ISIS software system.  Although originally
developed for processing images from the NASA planetary
spacecraft, ISIS includes a number of generalized image
processing functions that can be used with any type of data.

Jim Torson
Astrogeology Team
U.S. Geological Survey
Flagstaff, AZ