Geodynamics MOLA IDL

INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS OF MOLA AND OTHER DATA
shadded relief map of Mars topography
MOLA grid shown in shaded relief

The Geodynamics Branch at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is developing an interactive analysis tool based on the Interactive Data Language (IDL) for the study of MOLA grided data. The program is available for download to the general community. GRIDVIEW is a tool which represents grided elevation data with selectable color tables that can be interactively shifted and stretched. Additional functions include global rotation, area-select zoom, contouring, profiling, superimposing grid, plotting files of impact crater diameters, basin / crater measurement, and mouse tracking of latitude, longitude and elevation. IDL has licensing and system requirements, but the program, which can be applied to a wide variety of gridded data, is free for download.

The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), an active remote sensing instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft, maps the topography of Mars by firing pulses of infrared light at the surface, measuring the time it takes for the reflection to return. Data sets are provided in profile and grid formats. These data can be used to study geophysics, geomorphology, geology and atmospheric clouds.

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GRIDVIEW Information / Download

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Responsible NASA official: Dr. Herbert Frey
Web Curator: Jim Roark (SSAI)
Email James.H.Roark.1@gsfc.nasa.gov with comments or suggestions
Last modified on April 19, 2001