A list of software for reading, processing and analysing oceanographic data. The focus is on software that comes in the form of a package or module for a programming language, not GUIs or executables. The list is broken down in two main ways. First, all the software packages are listed. Second, the instruments are listed along with the relevant packages. Contributions in the form of emails, issues and pull requests are more than welcome!
Software for reading and processing raw data In no particular order!
Package
Main devs
Language
Open-source
Actively developed?
Notes
oce Dan Kelly, Clark Richards
R
yes
yes
Can processes raw data from many different instruments and manufacturers
dolfyn Levi Kilcher (and others?)
Python
yes
yes
For acoustic velocity data from ADCP and ADV
RSKtools/pyRSKtools RBR
MATLAB/Python
yes
yes
RBR's packages for reading data from their instruments
ctdproc Gunnar Voet
Python
yes
yes
Reading/processing Seabird 9/11 CTD hex files typical to large ship CTDs
pycurrents Julia Hummon, Eric Firing
Python
yes
yes
Reading/processing/analysing data from a variety of instruments including ADCPs
ocean-tools Dylan Winters
MATLAB
yes
maybe
Fast reading/processing of ADCP data from TRDI & Nortek
sbemoored Gunnar Voet
Python
yes
yes
Reading/processing software for SBE56 and SBE37 instruments
ODAS Rockland
MATLAB
no
unknown
Processing software for Rockland Scientific vertical microstructure profilers (VMP)
LADCP software Andreas Thurnherr
Perl/MATLAB?
no
unknown
Proessing of lowered ADCP data
RADCP Rich Pawlowicz
MATLAB
no
unknown
Reading/processing ADCP data from TRDI instruments
RDDTX Rich Pawlowicz
MATLAB
no
unknown
Reading/processing single beam echosounder in .dt4 format
CTD_RD Rich Pawlowicz
MATLAB
no
unknown
Reading/processing Seabird CTD data in .cnv format
EPSILOMETER Arnaud Le Boyer & Nicole Couto
MATLAB
yes
yes
Reading/processing epsilometer data
mixingsoftware Ocean Mixing Group (OSU)
MATLAB
yes
some parts
A vast repository with code for reading and analysing a variety of instruments
ADCPy Marinna Martini
Python
yes
maybe?
Read single ping data from RDI and Nortek ADCPs. Slow, apparently
seabird Guilherme Castelão, Luiz Irber
Python
yes
no
Read data seabird CTD data in cnv format
gadcp Gunnar Voet, Jesse Cusack
Python
yes
yes
Process ADCP data from TRDI instruments using pycurrents
python-ctd Filipe Fernandes
Python
yes
yes
Read CTD data from a few different manufacturers into pandas structures
perturb Pat Welch, Jesse Cusack, Fucent Wei
MATLAB
yes
yes
Process microstructure data from Rockland instruments in parallel. Builds on ODAS.
seabirdscientific Sea-Bird
Python
yes
yes
Process data from Sea-Bird instruments
SWIFT-codes Jim Thompson et al.
MATLAB
yes
yes
Large code base for processing observations from the Surface Wave Instrument Float with Tracking (SWIFT) platform
Software for analysing processed data
Package
Main devs
Language
Open-source
Actively developed?
Notes
mixsea Gunnar Voet, Jesse Cusack
Python
yes
yes
Turbulence analysis of finescale observations
python-oceans Filipe Fernandes
Python
yes
yes
Miscellaneous helper functions for ocean science
5 beam ADCP turbulence Maricarmen Guerra
MATLAB
yes
no
Turbulence analysis of 5 beam Nortek Signature instruments
T_Tide Rich Pawlowicz
MATLAB
no
unknown
Tidal harmonic analysis
Standard Mixing Routines Many contributors
MATLAB
yes
no
Turbulence analysis of finescale observations
UTide Daniel Codiga
MATLAB
no
no
Tidal harmonic analysis
UTide Wesley Bowman
Python
yes
yes
Tidal harmonic analysis
gsw Trevor McDougall, Paul Barker
MATLAB, C, Fortran, Python, R, Julia, PHP, C++
yes
yes
Seawater thermodynamics
jLab Jonathan Lilly
MATLAB
yes
yes
A vast toolbox for many types of analysis
mixingsoftware Ocean Mixing Group (OSU)
MATLAB
yes
some parts
A vast repository with code for many types of analysis
GarrettMunkMatlab Jody Klymak
MATLAB
yes
no
Garrett-Munk spectra
Taylor-Goldstein Bill Smyth, Qiang Lian
MATLAB
no
no
Taylor-Goldstein equation solver (internal wave modes)
pyTG Jesse Cusack
Python
yes
yes
Taylor-Goldstein equation solver. Python copy of Bill Smyth's MATLAB code
COARE-algorithm Fortran, Python, MATLAB
yes
maybe?
Bulk air-sea flux algorithms
Package
Main devs
Language
Open-source
Actively developed?
Notes
cbrewer MATLAB
no
no
Cynthia Brewer's colormaps
cmocean Chad Greene
MATLAB
yes
maybe
cmocean colormaps
TMD Susan Howard, Laurie Padman, Lana Erofeeva
MATLAB
yes
no
Barotropic tidal predictions
pyTMD Tyler Sutterly
Python
yes
yes
Barotropic tidal predictions
Acoustic Velocity Instruments
Instrument
Software
Notes
Teledyne RDI Workhorse
pycurrents, oce, ocean-tools, dolfyn
standard ship/lowered/mooring 4 beam ADCP 300/600/1200 kHz
Teledyne RDI Long Ranger
pycurrents, gadcp
standard deep mooring ADCP
Teledyne RDI Sentinel V
pycurrents, oce
5 beam ADCP
Nortek Signature
ocean-tools, ADCPy, oce?
Nortek ADV
dolfyn, oce?
Instrument
Software
Notes
Seabird SBE 9/11
oce, ctdproc, mixingsoftware, seabird, seabirdscientific
Typical UNOLS ship CTD system
Seabird SBE56
oce, sbemoored, seabirdscientific
Common mooring/chain instrument measures T
Seabird SBE37
oce, sbemoored, seabirdscientific
Common mooring instrument measures P, T, C
RBR solo
oce, RSKtools
Common mooring/chain instrument measures T
RBR duet
oce, RSKtools
Common small boat profiling/moored/chain instrument measures some combination of P, T, C
RBR concerto
oce, RSKtools
Common small boat profiling/moored/chain CTD measures P, T C and can support additional sensor modules such as dissolved oxygen
Microstructure Instruments
Instrument
Software
Notes
Rockland VMP
ODAS perturb
Epsilomiter
EPSILOMETER
Developed by the MOD group at Scripps and used in a variety of modes
Chipod
mixingsoftware
Developed by the OMG group at Oregon State and generally used on moorings
Echosounders and Multibeams
Instrument
Software
Notes
BIOSONICS DTX digital echosounder
RDDTX, mixingsoftware