[2021] in comp.os.os2.announce archive
Remote Sensing/Image Processing Package Port
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Dr. Doug Rickman)
Tue Oct 29 19:48:11 1996
To: os2ann.DISCUSS@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU
Date: 30 Oct 1996 00:28:37 GMT
From: doug@hotrocks.msfc.nasa.gov (Dr. Doug Rickman)
Reply-To: doug@hotrocks.msfc.nasa.gov (Dr. Doug Rickman)
Reply-to: doug@hotrocks.msfc.nasa.gov (Dr. Doug Rickman)
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We are beginning to port ELAS from the Silicon Graphics to OS/2 Warp 4. The
purpose of this announcement is to seek any users who are interested in
testing the software as it is ported. Developers also sought.
Requirements for testers-
1. The final code, including source, will probably occupy between 60-120
MBytes of disk space.
2. We are assuming minimum display resolution of 1024X768x65K colors.
3. Testers should have experience with remote sensing oriented image
processing. Others are welcome but it will be a steep, fast climb to get up
to speed.
4. Warp 4 with Open GL and REXX must be loaded.
Background-
ELAS is a huge body of NASA developed software for
remote-sensing/image-processing/geographic-information-system applications. In
technical terms it is a raster based GIS with some vector capability. It is
not a Color Works or ARC/Info. It is the parent from which ERDAS, Delta Data
System's MapX and probably some other commercial products trace their
ancestory.
In ELAS imagery and much non-image data are stored as arrays in a single
format, which all processing modules read and write. Modules are designed to
be generic, not data dependent. Processing control for each module is held in
an open file, which the user can edit. These features allow the user to
sequentially execute processes in arbitrary order and to change control
information at any time. In other words the safety settings built into the
commercial products are not present in ELAS, if the user wants to filter the
geo-referenced Fourier transform of an image he is free to do so. This makes
it very useful for researchers or for teaching more advanced students. The
software makes no assumptions as to data source therefore it can be used to
process any data that can be expressed as 3D arrays.
ELAS has the most robust geo-referencing capability of which we are aware. It
also has unusually robust statistical capabilities. It handles floating point
data as well as 8 bit integer data.
Purpose for Port-
ELAS on all platforms (there are quite a few) is command line oriented. As
such it is difficult to learn. It also lacks a really robust scripting
language. This port will remove the command line interface, instead modules
will send and receive control information through named pipes. We will then
read and write to the pipes using REXX. This will allow use to REXX as the
scripting language, and we will use VisPro/Rexx to make a graphical interface.
Misc.-
We expect the software to be in the public domain and freely available when it
is completed.
Contact-
Doug Rickman doug@hotrocks.msfc.nasa.gov
Global Hydrology and Climate Center / Marshall Space Flight Center
977 Explorer Blvd. / Huntsville, AL 35806 / 205-922-5889
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