The Apache SIS visual application is currently used as a testing tools for checking SIS capability to read, transform and visualize data files. However we try to make it usable by non-developers too. We do not yet distribute a binary for this application; it has to be built on developer machine.

Installation and execution

Prerequisites are Java 14, JavaFX 14 (for build and run) and Maven (for build only). Java and JavaFX must be preinstalled; we do not import JavaFX has a Maven dependency for licensing reason. The development version can be built and executed as below (replace path_to_JavaFX by the path to the directory where JavaFX has been installed. Do not forget to append the lib sub-directory):

mkdir SIS && cd SIS
export PATH_TO_FX=path_to_JavaFX/lib
git clone --branch geoapi-4.0 https://github.com/apache/sis
cd geoapi-4.0
mvn install
java --class-path "sis/target/binaries/*" --module-path "$PATH_TO_FX" --add-modules javafx.graphics,javafx.controls org.apache.sis.gui.DataViewer

An easier way will be provided if the application is bundled in an Apache SIS release, but JavaFX will still need to be preinstalled.

Overview

Drag and drop some netCDF 3 files in the explorer (the white space on the left side of main window). Files and their variables are shown in a tree. The "Visual" tab visualizes the selected variable. User can pan the raster, zoom with mouse wheel or rotate with keyboard (Alt + arrows). The geospatial coordinates under mouse cursor are shown in the bottom-right corner. Contextual menu allows to select the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) of those coordinates, which does not need to be the same than the raster CRS. The coordinates use the minimal amount of fraction digits needed for pixel resolution at current zoom level. This number varies with zooms, and may also vary at different raster locations depending on the map projection used. If the coordinates shown in the lower-right corner are not on the same datum than the raster, the uncertainty is shown (3 km in the example below because the coordinates are shown in WGS 84 while the raster uses an unspecified datum).

The Coordinate Reference System (CRS) can be selected among the list of CRS supported by Apache SIS. This list is available only if the EPSG geodetic dataset has been installed, which is not the case by default for licensing reason (a future version may provide a plugin download mechanism for easier installation). The dialog box shows a warning in red if the selected CRS does not have a domain of validity intersecting the raster geographic area.

The "Data" tab shows data value in a tabular format. The number of fraction digits is estimated from data resolution, but the format pattern can be modified. Future version will give control on units of measurement (SIS has a flexible units of measurement framework, but it is not used yet in this application).

Known bug: the horizontal scrolling bar may be initially invisible. To make it appears, resize slightly the windows then scroll down a little bit.

The "Metadata" tab shows metadata value in a tree organized along ISO 19115 model. Peoples familiar with ISO 19115 should feel familiar with this tree. A contextual menu allows to export selected nodes and its children to various formats, including ISO 19115-3 (a XML format) and Geographic Markup Language (GML) if the selected element is a CRS.