Python in Practice

[Mathew Yeates]

Hi

I just read an article by Tom Babbitt in the
latest Python Journal http://pythonjournal.cognizor.com/
entitled Writing the Global Digital Elevation Model Viewer (GlobalDEMV) 
Application in Python: A Pythonic odyssey

I thought I might add a note about my work. For the
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm
we have digital elevation data at 30 meter resolution and
I have written a QA tool in Python.

I used Numpy, PyOpenGL, PyGTK and SciGraphica, and Swig. Of course,
some parts had to be written in C but the amount of
non Python code is fairly small.

My application features
A. Real time 3D rendering using OpenGL and a per pixel
illumination algorithm. Features rotation, zooming, translation,
azimuth and elevation manipulation.
B. 2 D image processing algorithms implemented in OpenGL
C. Color maps, gradients (with the gradient editor ripped
from Gimp and recoded in python)
D. Online help using the helpviewer supplied with WxPython.
E. Slice plots showing terrain changes across a user drawn line.
F. Height values displayed in a pixel box for a neighborhood about
the cursor.

Sort of a mini Erdas but my 3D rendering is much faster.

For more information, feel free to contact me.
Mathew Yeates
mathew at comma.jpl.nasa.gov