Data Format Conversion Tools:

Instructions

• List One contains all of the conversion programs we recommend for use in OceanTeacher.
• If the program name in List One is a link, it will take you to further download and install information. These programs are online, but are not in OceanTeacher itself.
• If the program name is not a link, then scroll down the page to List Two , where you'll find several links to special-situation software, or to legacy software that was originally in the public domain but has disappeared from all other known sites.
  

LIST ONE: Conversion Routes for Selected Formats

• ASC - ESRI gridded ASCII format
  • Convert ESRI gridded ASCII to other GIS formats - Use Saga
  • Convert from HDF or NetCDF - Use HDFView to convert to TXT, then add an ESRI ASCII header manually with CMD file containing COPY commands
    
• BMP - Bitmap
  • See also Georeferenced images
  • Convert to and from most other graphics formats - Use IrfanView
  • Convert from GIF - Use GIFFY

• BUFR (Binary Universal Format for Reporting) - Meteorological format for observations, also used for satellite point data
  • Convert to TXT, or Speed and Direction XYZ files - Use Bufr2Asc (but only for certain BUFR files; not a general method)

• CNV - SeaBird spreadsheet
  • Convert to TXT (ODV Spreadsheet)- Use Ocean Sneaker Tool

• DXF - AutoCAD Data Exchange Format
  • Convert to many other graphics formats - Use IrfanView
  • Convert to SHP - Use Saga
  • Convert to SHP - Use DXF2SHP
  • Convert to XYZ - Use DXF2XYZ

• DOS - Disk Operating System (original Microsoft innovation for PCs; pre-Windows)
  • Convert from UNIX (for ASCII files) - Open in PFE and save as ASCII
    

• E00 - ESRI Arc/Info File Interchange Format
  • Convert to all ESRI vectors and grids - Use IMPORT71
  • Convert to SHP and grids - Use Saga

• ENVISAT
  • Convert to HDF - Use EnviView

• FLT - ESRI ArcGrid Binary (single precision) with header HDR
  • See Gridded Binary

• Georeferenced Images - All using world files; internal tags are not universally accepted now
  • Convert from TIF/TIFF - Use GeoTIFF Examiner to create a world file, or to convert internal tags to a world file
  • Convert from BMP, GIF, JPG and TIF/TIFF - Use Georeferencing Tool
    

• GIF
  • See also Georeferenced images
  • Convert to and from most other graphics formats - Use IrfanView
  • Convert to (non-compressed) BMP - Use GIFFY

• Gridded ASCII, sensu latu - All types with or without internal headers
  • Convert from and to many ASCII and binary grid types, tables, and image rasters - Use Saga
    
  • Convert from XYZ (i.e. grid the data) - Use Saga or Quickgrid
  • Convert to HDF - Use HDF Browser
  • Convert to subset - Use Saga for re-sampling
  • Convert U, V ESRI Arc/Info vector grids to XYZ spreadsheets of Speed, Direction (for use with QuikGrid) - Use UV2SPDIR

• GRIB - Gridded Binary - Official format for grids used by meteorological organizations; versions 1 or 2
  • Convert to SHP - Use degrib
  • Convert to KML/KMZ - Use Panoply

• Gridded Binary, sensu latu - Many types, with internal or external headers
  • Convert from and to many ASCII grid types, tables, XYZ and image rasters - Use Saga
  • Convert to subset - Use Saga for re-sampling or clipping
  • Convert to HDF - Use HDF Browser

• HDF - Hierarchical Data Format (HDF4, HDF4-EOS, HDF5 and HDF5-EOS are possible; most references here are for HDF4; use caution when assuming you've found a method based on these software, due to variants)
  • Convert to and from many important formats; see the HDF Group's list of utilities, below
  • Convert from ENVISAT - Use EnviView
  • Convert to HDF4 from XYZ, gridded ASCII, gridded binary, or tables - Use HDF Browser
  • Convert to GeoTIF - Use HEG
  • Convert to TXT - HDFView
  • Convert to ASC (ESRI ASCII grid) - Use HDFView to convert to TXT, then add an ESRI ASCII header manually with CMD file containing COPY commands
    
  • Convert to KML/KMZ - Use Panoply

• ICE - Formerly used for station data
  • Contact the editors for further information; a large family of obsolete formats and older-generation software is involved

• JPG - Joint Photographic Experts Group
  • See also Georeferenced images
  • Convert to and from most other graphics formats - Use IrfanView

• JOS - Java OceanAtlas Spreadsheet
  • Can be imported by Ocean Data View
  • Convert from NetCDF (station format, not grids)- use Argo Data Explorer

• KML/KMZ - Keyhole Markup Language (Google hybrid combining vector type with auxiliary type; KMZ is really just a zipped KML (including images) with a different name
  • Convert from SHP vectors - Use Saga - Look in OGR modules
  • Convert from NetCDF grids, HDF grids or GRIB grids - Use Panoply
  • Convert from all geo-referenced images and rasters - Use Saga
  • Convert to SHP vectors - Saga OGR module currently available , but appears to give errors

• NetCDF - Network Common Data Form
  • Convert to TXT - Use HDFView
    
  • Convert to ASC (ESRI ASCII grid) - Use HDFView to convert to TXT, then add an ESRI ASCII header manually with CMD file containing COPY commands
  • Convert to JOS (from Argo station format, not grids) - use Argo Data Explorer
  • Convert to KML/KMZ - Use Panoply
  • Convert to XYZ - Convert to CDL with ncBrowse, then use CDL2XYZ

• PDS - ENVISAT format for satellite data products
  • Convert to HDF - Use EnviView

• PNG - Portable Network Graphic (non-proprietary successor to GIF)
  • See also Georeferenced images
  • Convert to and from most other graphics formats - Use IrfanView

• Read Only - Restriction often found on large downloads involving multiple folder and files
  • To Read/Write - Use CROA

• SHP - ESRI Arc/Info Shapefile
  • Convert from DXF and E00 - Use Saga
  • Convert from GRIB 1 or 2 - Use degrib
  • Convert from TXT/Table - Use Saga
  • Convert from VPF - Use VPF Importer
  • Convert to KML - Use Saga

• TIF/TIFF - Tagged Image File Format (georeferenced or not)
  • See also Georeferenced images
  • Convert to and from most other graphics formats - Use IrfanView
  • Convert from HDF-EOS - to georeferenced - Use HEG
  • Convert unreferenced to referenced - Use GeoTIFF Examiner

• TXT - Commonly text tables, often with tabbed columns when the extension TSV can more properly be used; data tables exported by Ocean Data View
  • Convert from NetCDF - Use HDFView
  • Convert from HDF - Use HDFView
  • Convert from SeaBird CNV to ODV TXT - Use Ocean Sneaker Tool
  • Convert to points shape - Use Saga

• UNIX
  • Convert to DOS - Open in PFE, or any good ASCII editor, and save as DOS

• VPF - Vector Product Format
  • Convert to SHP - Use VPF Importer

• XYZ - Basic 3-column spreadsheet
  • Convert from CDL - Use CDL2XYZ
  • Convert from gridded ASCII, gridded binary, and many other grid/raster formats - Use Saga
  • Convert from ESRI ASCII U, V vector grids (to Speed, Direction) - Use UV2SPDIR
  • Convert from DXF - Use DXF2XYZ
  • Convert from NetCDF -  Convert NetCDF to CDL with ncBrowse, then use CDL2XYZ
  • Convert to grid (many possible formats) - Use Saga or Quickgrid

LIST TWO: Software Links Not Provided Above

• The HDF Group's Collection of HDF Conversion Programs

• Bufr2Asc - BUFR to ASCII Converter
  • Unzip this file to the root level of C:
    • bufr2asc_knmi_alblas_verhoef_brown.zip
  • This utility was first written by the Netherlands Weather Service (KNMI) for converting ASCAT and QUIKSCAT scatterometer ocean surface winds data to an ASCII table
    • Original Bufr2Asc
  • The source code was compiled for use on Windows platforms by Alblas
    • Alblas' compilation of Bufr2Asc
  • Anton Verhoef of KNMI made some corrections to the included BUFR tables
  • Phoenix Training Consultants (Brown) set up the current configuration, which installs C:\Bufr2Asc and C:\bufr_tables on your computer. The Bufr2Asc folder includes these command files (*.CMD):
    • ConvBufrScatWindsTo_TXT.cmd - Edit this command file with the input and output filenames, and it will cause Bufr2Asc to perform as the original KNMI authors intended, i.e. a text table is created, but it is not in any "standard" format
    • ConvBufrScatWindsTo_SPD.XYZ_DIR.XYZ.cmd - Edit this command file to include the input filename, but leave the output filename exactly as it is.  When you run the CMD file, pay close attention to the on-screen directions.  Running this command file results in the creation of two ASCII files, SPEED.XYZ and DIRECT.XYZ that can be used in any gridding program.  If the gridding program can create vector arrows (e.g. Surfer, QuikGrid), then their use is self-explanatory.
  • The folder C:\Bufr2Asc includes two BUFR example files.
    

• CDL2XYZ.EXE - Save this file to any convenient folder and run it directly.  Use only 8.3 filenames for input and output files.
  • CNSILR.WDB - Ancillary file that should be saved in the same folder with the EXE file
• GeoTIFF Examiner
  • Converts simple TIF images to georeferenced form, by either adding internal tags or by writing a world file; provided by Mentor Software
  • Copy this file to the desired location and run it to install:  GEOTIFFE.EXE

• UV2SPDIR
  • Convert a pair of U and V current vector component grids (in ESRI ASCII format) into a pair of XYZ files, where Z is speed or direction; will run in Windows7 but not 64-bit machines; provided by Phoenix Training Consultants
  • Copy this file to the desired location, and run directly:  UV2SPDIR.EXE
  • Use only 8.3 filenames, and place EXE file and data files in the same folder.
  • May require the use of DOSBOX software to emulate a 32-bit computer, depending on the operating system.

• VPF Importer
  • Convert VPF libraries (particularly the Vmap series) to ESRI shapes; provided by the US Geospatial Intelligence Agency (formerly NIMA)
  • Copy this file to the desired location and run it to install:  VPF_Importer.exe
  • Overview
  • Users Guide