GLIMS: Global Land Ice Measurements from Space

Monitoring the World's Changing Glaciers

GLIMSView Software (legacy code; no longer recommended)

Introduction | Documentation | Installation | Important Notices | Download

Introduction

GLIMSView is a cross platform application intended to aid the process of glacier digitization for the GLIMS project. Specifically, it allows the users to view various forms of satellite imagery, digitize glacier outlines within it, attach GLIMS specific attributes to segments of these outlines, and export them to the ingest format described in the GLIMS documentation. An ingest created with this tool is able to be directly inserted into a database of similar digitizations that can then be analyzed for scientific purposes. GLIMSView has been designed specifically for this functionality.

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Documentation

User Guide

HTML

Bug Report & Wish List

HTML | PDF | MS Excel

Programming Guide

PDF | MS Word

Programming Plug-ins How-to

PDF | MS Word

Programming Reference

Online | ZIP [7.7 MB]

Project XML Schema (Draft)

Documentation | Schema

8/4/2005 - The Schema has gone through another iteration to check for consistency with the GLIMS data dictionary and add additional documentation for the elements and their attributes. Current versions of XML editing software in use don't seem to be thrown by the DOCTYPE tag, but there's still quite a bit of testing to do, GLIMSView needs to follow the Schema and give the user feedback on required elements, and other related issues. For now, those who wish to hand-edit their XML files should be able to use the Schema for validation. Ultimately, GLIMSView should provide facilities for collecting all required information, alleviating the need to manually edit the Project file. When this work is completed, there will be full documentation.

5/27/2004 - GLIMSView will insert the Schema reference into your project file, but the third party package that deals with the XML does not handle Schema -- however, it does support the older DTD standard. Currently, project files will not validate, mainly because the DOCTYPE tag is incorrect. I am working to make the project file valid for Schema - if that fails, I will convert the Schema to DTD.

The work that needs to be done on the Project Schema includes setting elements as optional or mandatory to comply with the GLIMS Data Transfer Specification (GDTS), check the data types and value boundaries, and confirm all the attributes outlined in the GDTS are implemented as XML elements in the Schema.

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Installation

As of the current version GLIMSView is not packaged with an installer. The binaries are available in a zipped folder and contain everything needed to run. Download the file and unzip it to wherever you prefer.

Windows: Inside the unzipped directory will be an executable named "glimsview.exe". To open GLIMSView, execute this file.

Linux: Unzip the tar/gz file to a directory of your choosing.

If you are using a C shell variant, add the following to your .cshrc file (replace "/path/to/glimsview" with the actual path to where you untarred GLIMSView, where the glimsview executable resides): 


    # glimsview setup
    if ($?PATH == 0) then
      setenv PATH "/path/to/glimsview"
    else
      setenv PATH "/path/to/glimsview:${PATH}"
    endif

    if ($?LD_LIBRARY_PATH == 0) then
      setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH /path/to/glimsview
    else
      setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH "/path/to/glimsview:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}"
    endif

If you are using a Bourne shell variant, add the following to your .profile file (replace "/path/to/glimsview" with the actual path to where you untarred GLIMSView, where the glimsview executable resides): 


    # glimsview setup
    if [ -n "$PATH" ]; then
      export PATH="/path/to/glimsview:${PATH}"
    else
      export PATH="/path/to/glimsview"
    fi

    if [ -n "$LD_LIBRARY_PATH" ]; then
      export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/path/to/glimsview:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}"
    else
      export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/path/to/glimsview
    fi

Log out and log in to set up your new environment. Run the executable glimsview to start GLIMSView.

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Important Notices!

2009-08-10 - The current GLIMSView software was last built from source code in the Spring of 2008. Thus, it may not work on the latest operating systems. In particular, it does not seem to work on Ubuntu 8.10 or Vista systems. An updated build might take some time. Sorry about the inconvenience.

Thanks,
Bruce Raup
2004-07-16 - Reminders from Bruce:
  1. Please make sure you're using the latest version, dated 2004-05-24. It fixes a couple of bugs in the code that generates glacier IDs.
  2. Remember to link the glacier ID with its outline segments. This is done by selecting the segments in one of the views, selecting the ID from the list of IDs in the Glacier Config tab of the configuration tool, and then pressing the "Set Lines" button. If you don't do this, GLIMSView won't know which glacier ID to give the segments when you export the data for ingest (they'll be "UNDEFINED"). Unfortunately, the program gives you no visual feedback whatsoever on what segments are linked with what IDs, so this can be tedious. This problem tops the to-fix list. To make this easier, some users create one project for each glacier to simplify things.
Thanks,
Bruce Raup
2004-06-02 - Update to Linux environment setup: If you add the path to GLIMSView at the end of your current path, it may cause problems running GLIMSView. Make sure the path to GLIMSView is loaded first. The installation instructions above have been revised accordingly. If you are using run.sh edit the script so the export line reads accordingly. I'll include an updated run.sh in the next distribution (the current Linux distro's been updated). 
#!/bin/bash
export .:LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
./glimsviewer
Thank you,
Deborah
2004-05-24 - I have received no requests to continue a RedHat 7.3 distribution, so I've dropped that distribution.

Thank you,
Deborah
2004-05-10 - 1 June 2004, the USGS Astrogeology Research Program will be dropping RedHat 7.3 and moving to SuSE 9.0. My question to you is: How important is continued support for RedHat 7.3 for GLIMSView? May I safely drop the distribution of RedHat 7.3 binaries? If I may drop the RedHat 7.3 distribution, how soon may I do so? If dropping RedHat 7.3 support for GLIMSView will cause undue hardship to the GLIMS community, please drop me a line (dsoltesz@usgs.gov) and let me know why you cannot move to SuSE 9.0 or RedHat 9.0 now and when you believe you will be able to upgrade. I will need to write a justification to the IT department for keeping a RedHat 7.3 system around just for me.

Thank you,
Deborah
2004-05-05 - This is the first set of releases I've done since taking this project over from Dan Mingus, the software's primary developer. I will not consider the software to be stable until I've gotten some feedback from folks letting me know I didn't break anything while I was fixing other stuff. Please back up your project files before using them with this new version!!! Report problems and successes to Deborah Lee Soltesz.

Happy digitizing!
Deborah

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Download Source & Binaries

Download the Latest Release

2008-05-29 - This release of GLIMSView features enhanced shapefile importing:

  • Import Generic Shapefile: This tool originally imported segments without attributes. This has been separated out into two tools (in the Projects | Import Generic Shapefile submenu). Both these tools will import GLIMS-specific attributes from shapefile DBF files if present.
    • Import Glacier IDs
      • This option is for importing a shapefile containing points identifying glaciers. The GLIMS ID number will be automatically generated using the latitude and longitude of each point. Any attributes specific to GLIMS will be read from the DBF file and automatically assigned to each GLIMS ID point. Enumerated values may either be the numerical code or the case sensitive textual description as outlined in the GLIMSView User Guide, and may be "Null" or empty.
    • Import Segments
      • This option is for importing a shapefile containing glacier outlines. Any attributes specific to GLIMS will be read from the DBF file and automatically assigned to each outline. If a GLIMS ID (field "ID") is present, outlines will be automatically associated with the GLIMS ID point in the project if one exists, or a GLIMS ID point will be automatically generated from the GLIMS ID found in the outline's attributes. Enumerated values may either be the code or the case sensitive textual description as outlined in the GLIMSView User Guide.

Related Bug/Wish List items: 49, 76

Release

Windows [3.6 MB ZIP] [3.6 MB Self-Extracting EXE]
Tested on: Windows XP
Should also work on: Windows 2000

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [8 MB]
Tested on: SuSE 9.0
Should also work on: RedHat 9.0, SuSE 8.*

Source Code [ZIP, 10.5 MB] [Self-Extracting EXE, 10.5 MB]

Previous Releases

2007-06-21

This release of GLIMSView includes a few fixes and a new validation tool:

  • Validation Report: This tool will check your project and open a window containing a report summarizing the results:
    • Lines not associated with glacier ID points
    • Lines missing line definitions
    • Lines with too few vertices
    • Invalid or missing information in glaciers, lines, session, or image information

Click the green checkmark button on the toolbar to validate your project. When you export a GLIMS shapefile or exit GLIMSView, your project will be checked and you'll be given the opportunity to return to editing or continue with exiting/exporting.

Also, when importing a GLIMS shapefile, all the information will be correctly populated in the project. Null values and longitudes are now handled more consistently.

Related Bug/Wish List items: 45, 39, 70, 54, 43

Windows [3.5 MB ZIP] [3.5 MB Self-Extracting EXE]
Tested on: Windows XP
Should also work on: Windows 2000

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [10 MB]
Tested on: SuSE 9.0
Should also work on: RedHat 9.0, SuSE 8.*

2006-08-06 (beta)

This release is a beta distribution of GLIMSView that includes new tools that are still under development and refinement. The new tools, written by Erica Liszewski, are:

  • Output to Spreadsheet: This tool will output the values of the pixels inside a selected polygon to a delimited text file. The file can be imported into a spreadsheet application for data analysis. This tool is complete, but needs further testing to confirm that it is correct and accurate.
  • Image Polygon Calculator: This tool generates polygons based on a comparison operation provided by the user that determines which pixels are included or excluded from the polygon area (similar to the Threshold tool). The polygon drawing method is currently being refined to generate the most complete and correct polygons possible (view a report on this work), and several additional features are planned for this tool.

For more information about using these tools, refer to the User Guide for the beta version. If you'd prefer not to use the beta version of GLIMSView, download the last stable release below.

Windows [3.5 MB ZIP] [3.5 MB Self-Extracting EXE]
Tested on: Windows XP
Should also work on: Windows 2000

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [10 MB]
Tested on: SuSE 9.0
Should also work on: RedHat 9.0, SuSE 8.*

Source Code [ZIP, 14 MB] [Self-Extracting EXE, 14 MB]

2006-01-23

This release mainly works towards making GLIMSView more consistent with the GLIMS database:

  • Existing image metadata (URL, acquisition date) fields now function
  • Other image metadata fields added
  • Date-time format validation button ("Check") for Image Acquisition field on Image Information dialog box. Additionally, if ASTER acquisition date-time aren't formatted per the ASTER specification, the values will be put in this field verbatim for the analyst to fix (instead of automatically formatting to the ISO 8601 standard, which really messed up the date-time displayed)
  • Fixed minor issues with Session information, consistency with GLIMS Shapefile export and import
  • Project path + filename is displayed in the status bar
  • RC ID now holds three digits instead of just two
  • Updated User Guide - has more info about "new" metadata fields

Related Bug/Wish List items: 18, 26, 66, 69, 105, 107

Please remember to backup your files before using the latest version of GLIMSView. See the Bug Report in the Documentation section for a complete listing of known bugs and which ones have been fixed.

Windows [3.5 MB ZIP] [3.5 MB Self-Extracting EXE]
Tested on: Windows XP
Should also work on: Windows 2000

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [12 MB]
Tested on: SuSE 9.0
Should also work on: RedHat 9.0, SuSE 8.*

The last release introduced a serious bug, and didn't fully resolve another ... a couple other features/bugs were addressed while addressing the bug.

  • Shapefile export crash should be resolved
  • Session dialog: now with new and improved multi-line entry boxes for processing and 3D descriptions!
  • Session and image info load/save issues - if you were experiencing problems, these issues should be fully resolved now

Related Bug/Wish List items: 4, 63, 103

With the image load/save issue finally resolved, adding the remaining image metadata fields to that dialog should be fairly straightforward and is planned for the next release.

Windows [3.5 MB ZIP] [3.5 MB Self-Extracting EXE]
Tested on: Windows XP
Should also work on: Windows 2000

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [12 MB]
Tested on: SuSE 9.0
Should also work on: RedHat 9.0, SuSE 8.*

2005-08-05

This release adds or fixes several features and bugs:

  • Redo! Redo is the opposite of Undo - if you Undo something and you want to put it back, just hit Ctl-Y or Ctl-Shift-Z!
  • Undo glitch found and fixed: glacier definitions in glacier configuration weren't affected by Undo/Redo. This should now work correctly.
  • New and improved toolbar buttons, arranged with spacers.
  • Improved menu names - more improvements coming soon.
  • Session fixes: the full text of Process Description and 3D Description are now exported to the shapefile (they were truncated to 200 characters); RC ID is now editable; All session data is properly saved to the project file; other improvements coming soon (particularly to date-time handling).
  • Units for lengths, areas, etc. on edit glacier configuration window.
  • Exit/Open Project issues solved: Annoying questions eradicated - if the project has been saved, it shouldn't ask you to save it again before closing the project. There's now a "cancel" option to keep from exiting or closing the project.

Related Bug/Wish List items: 9, 16, 27, 28, 31, 60, 98, 102; partial fix of 18

The next high priority items that will be addressed will be related to making sure GLIMSView is consistent with the GLIMS data dictionary, that all metadata can be entered and modified through GLIMSView, and that date-time fields are standards compliant. Hopefully, this work will include adding warnings or other feedback regarding the completeness and correctness of a project. Consistency work has been started in the form of a Data Dictionary vs. GLIMSView comparison chart that is intended to highlight which elements GLIMS is not handling correctly.

Windows [3.5 MB ZIP] [3.5 MB Self-Extracting EXE]
Tested on: Windows XP
Should also work on: Windows 2000

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [9.1 MB]
Tested on: SuSE 9.0
Should also work on: RedHat 9.0, SuSE 8.*

2005-07-14

This release is a fix to the application crash that occurs when working with large projects: The line drawing "undo" facility has been re-enabled, but has been redesigned. Hopefully, this redesign will also keep GLIMSView from slowing down when working on a large project. Another release will be coming in the next week or so to address some other issues.

Related Bug/Wish List items: 19, 78

Windows [3.4 MB ZIP] [3.4 MB Self-Extracting EXE]
Tested on: Windows XP
Should also work on: Windows 2000

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [9.5 MB]
Tested on: SuSE 9.0
Should also work on: RedHat 9.0, SuSE 8.*

2005-05-18

This release is a temporary fix to the application crash that occurs when working with large projects: The line drawing "undo" facility has been temporarily disabled. The work on redesigning the undo facility (and hopefully taking care of feature wish #60 for a redo facility) will be completed and release in early June 2005. The hope is that the redesign of the undo facility will also keep GLIMSView from slowing down when working on a large project. Feature wish #9 (choices presented when exiting the program) has been partially addressed, and an option to cancel the exit and return to the application will be added in the next release.

Related Bug/Wish List items: 9, 19 and 78

Windows [3.4 MB ZIP] [3.4 MB Self-Extracting EXE]
Tested on: Windows XP
Should also work on: Windows 2000

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [9.5 MB]
Tested on: SuSE 9.0
Should also work on: RedHat 9.0, SuSE 8.*

2004-12-06

12/06/2004 - This release features new functionality from the Wish List. Now, when you select a glacier ID from the list in the Glacier Configuration window, the matching glacier ID point and associated lines will be highlighted in the image views. When you select a point or line in the image views, the matching glacier ID will be highlighted in the list in the Glacier Configuration window. To accomadate this change in functionality, "Set Lines" in the Glacier Configuration window now brings up a new window with the list of glacier IDs to choose from.

Related Bug/Wish List items: 1, 35, 52, 80.

Windows [3.4 MB ZIP] [3.4 MB Self-Extracting EXE]
Tested on: Windows XP
Should also work on: Windows 2000

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [9.5 MB]
Tested on: SuSE 9.0
Should also work on: RedHat 9.0, SuSE 8.*

2004-10-18

10/18/2004 - The primary fix in this release is to bug #90. GLIMSView was not displaying 16-bit HDF data correctly.

Windows [3.4 MB ZIP] [3.4 MB Self-Extracting EXE]

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [9 MB]

2004-05-27

5/27/2004 - Important Update! The Linux version has been recompiled and packaged correctly this time so the Threshold Plugin works. The executable has been renamed from glimsviewer to glimsview.

Windows [3.4 MB ZIP] [Self-Extracting EXE]

Linux - SuSE 9.0 x86 [9 MB]

Linux - Red Hat 7.3 support has been dropped

2004-05-07 4:10 pm AZ

The primary fix in this release is to bug #65. There was an additional issue with the exported segments that was not fixed in the 5/5/2004 release. See the Bug Report in the Documentation section for a complete listing of known bugs and which ones have been fixed.

Windows [3.4 MB ZIP] [Self-Extracting EXE]

Linux - Red Hat 9.0 x86 [10 MB]

Linux - Red Hat 7.3 x86 [2.9 MB]

2004-05-05

The primary fix in this release is to bug #65. Negative (southern hemisphere) glacier ID latitude values were exported as postive. Negative longitudes were converted to 0-360 values, now the values remain negative when exported to shapefile.

Windows [3.4 MB ZIP] [Self-Extracting EXE]

Linux - Red Hat 9.0 x86 [10 MB]

Linux - Red Hat 7.3 x86 [2.9 MB]

2004-04-16

The primary fix in this release is to bug #81. The glacier ID was not correctly created from the coordinates, and was truncated rather than rounded.

Windows [3.3 MB]

Linux - Red Hat 9.0 x86 [8 MB]

Linux - Red Hat 7.3 x86 [2.8 MB]

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