Unit 4 Overview

In this unit, we'll build on the material in Unit 2 - Basics of the CoastWatch Data Analysis Tool, and learn about:

  • Masking out data pixels using quality variables and/or expressions
  • Showing level contours: topography and bathymetry
  • Loading line and polygon shape files
  • Saving groups of overlays for later use
  • Calculating statistics and X/Y plots for a line, rectangle, or polygon
  • Drawing shapes and text on the data view
  • Creating RGB color composite images

Resources

For the exercises in this unit, you'll need to download the cw_utils_sample_data.zip Download cw_utils_sample_data.zipfile that contains all the sample data for the course.  Inside the ZIP file is a table of contents 00-Contents.txt that describes all the data files — we'll use a subset of the data files in this unit.

Supplementary reading material is available in the CoastWatch Utilities User's Guide Download CoastWatch Utilities User's Guide in the following sections:

  • Section 3.5 - Displaying coastlines, grids, and more
  • Section 3.6 - Measuring distances and data statistics
  • Section 3.7 - Drawing lines, shapes, and text
  • Section 3.8 - Using composite image mode
  • Section 3.11 - User Preferences

If you prefer to learn by watching videos, there is a YouTube playlist Links to an external site. for many of the same CDAT features we show and links to specific videos from the pages in this module.