HDF Explorer

HDF Explorer is a data visualization program that reads Hierarchical Data Format files (HDF, HDF-EOS and HDF5) and also netCDF data files.

HDF Explorer offers a simple yet powerful interface for the visualization of HDF data. The data is just a click of the mouse away. Data is first viewed in a tree-like interface, and then optionally loaded and visualized in a variety of ways.

HDF Explorer features include fast access to data, grid, scalar and vector views. It also allows exporting your data either as a ASCII text file or a bitmap image.

This page shows the main HDF Explorer features.

HDF Explorer session, click for a larger image.

Fast access to data

Once the data file is loaded, its contents are displayed as a tree-like interface. The user has the option to load and visualize each data subset in a variety of ways, including grid and image views.

Grid views

Numerical data can be visualized in a grid interface, ordered by rows and columns.

Scalar image views

Image maps can be generated from numerical datasets. Data can be transformed into pixel colors, giving it a better insight. HDF Explorer includes several built palettes and optionally it can load a custom palette.

Click for a larger image

Vector image views

HDF Explorer permits the generation of vectorial data, obtained trough the conjunction of two scalar datasets. Typical usage include the generation of velocity fields.

Click for a larger image

Data export

HDF Explorer has several data exporting features. There are basically two ways to export your data:

To a file
To the Windows clipboard

Each dataset can be exported to an ASCII text file. This is done by choosing the menu option "Export as text...", available on the floating data viewer menu. Each image generated by the scalar and vector views can be saved as a bitmap image file. This is done by choosing the menu option "Export as image...", from the main "File" menu. Data can also be exported to the Windows clipboard. Image data can be exported as

Windows bitmap (BMP)
Windows metafile (WMF), which gives better resolution on high quality printers, compared to the previous format.

Numerical data can also be exported to the Windows clipboard as ASCII.