Planetary-Specific Scripts

Specialized utilities for planetary science data processing, including slope analysis, coordinate system definitions, and format conversions.

gdal_baseline_slope.py

Calculates slope from DEMs using specialized baseline lengths or Horn’s method.

Usage

python gdal_baseline_slope.py [options] infile outfile.tif

Parameters

infile

string

required

Input DEM file

outfile.tif

string

required

Output slope file (GeoTIFF)

Options

-baseline

integer

Baseline length in pixels for slope calculation. If not specified, uses Horn’s method (equivalent to gdaldem slope).

-baseline 5  # Use 5-pixel baseline

-ot

datatype

Output data type (default: same as input)Options: Byte, Int16, UInt16, Int32, UInt32, Float32, Float64

-ot Byte  # Output as 8-bit with scaling

-crop

flag

Crop output to remove edge effects from baseline calculation

-q

flag

Quiet mode - suppress progress output

Slope Calculation Methods

Horn’s Method (Default)

When -baseline is not specified:

Uses 3x3 kernel (standard GIS slope calculation)
Equivalent to gdaldem slope
No shift in geotransform

dz_dx = ((c + 2f + i) - (a + 2d + g)) / (8 * cellsize_x)
dz_dy = ((g + 2h + i) - (a + 2b + c)) / (8 * cellsize_y)
slope_degrees = atan(sqrt(dz_dx² + dz_dy²)) * 180/π

Baseline Method

When -baseline N is specified:

Uses corner points of N×N footprint
Follows Kirk’s method for planetary analysis
Even baselines shift geotransform by half pixel

dz_dx = ((b + d) - (a + c)) / (2 * baseline * cellsize_x)
dz_dy = ((a + b) - (c + d)) / (2 * baseline * cellsize_y)
slope_degrees = atan(sqrt(dz_dx² + dz_dy²)) * 180/π

Byte Output Scaling

When -ot Byte is used:

Slopes are scaled to 1-255 range
Formula: DN = (slope + 0.2) × 5.0
Slopes >50° map to 255
NoData = 0
Set offset = -0.2, scale = 0.2 in output

Example

# Standard Horn's method
python gdal_baseline_slope.py input_dem.tif output_slope.tif

# 5-pixel baseline
python gdal_baseline_slope.py -baseline 5 input_dem.tif output_slope_5px.tif

# 8-bit output with 10-pixel baseline
python gdal_baseline_slope.py -baseline 10 -ot Byte input_dem.tif output_slope_8bit.tif

# With cropping to remove edge effects
python gdal_baseline_slope.py -baseline 5 -crop input_dem.tif output_slope_cropped.tif

Cropping Behavior

When -crop is used with -baseline:

Baseline	Pixels Removed	Geotransform Shift
1	1 (right/bottom)	+1 pixel X/Y
2	1 (each edge)	+1 pixel X/Y
5	2-3 (edges)	+3 pixels X/Y

Requirements

Dependencies:

Python 2.7+ or Python 3.x
GDAL Python bindings
NumPy
SciPy (for generic_filter)

conda install -c conda-forge gdal numpy scipy

create_IAU2000_wkt_v3.py

Generates OGC WKT (Well-Known Text) projection strings for IAU planetary coordinate systems.

Usage

python create_IAU2000_wkt_v3.py input_csv [output.wkt]

Parameters

input_csv

string

required

Input CSV file with IAU body radiiMust be named: naifcodes_radii_m_wAsteroids_IAU{YEAR}.csvSupported years: 2000, 2009, 2015

output.wkt

string

Output WKT file (default: stdout)

Input CSV Format

Naif_id,Body,IAU2000_Mean,IAU2000_Semimajor,IAU2000_Axisb,IAU2000_Semiminor
199,Mercury,2439700.00,2439700.00,2439700.00,2439700.00
299,Venus,6051800.00,6051800.00,6051800.00,6051800.00
399,Earth,6371000.00,6378140.00,6378140.00,6356750.00
301,Moon,1737400.00,1737400.00,1737400.00,1737400.00
499,Mars,3389500.00,3396190.00,3396190.00,3376200.00

Generated Coordinate Systems

For each body, generates multiple coordinate system definitions:

Geographic Systems

X00 - Planetocentric
X01 - Planetographic

Static Projections

X10-X13 - Equirectangular (ocentric/ographic, clon 0/180)
X14-X17 - Sinusoidal (ocentric/ographic, clon 0/180)
X18-X21 - Polar Stereographic (North/South, ocentric/ographic)
X22-X29 - Mollweide and Robinson variants

AUTO Projections (Variable Center)

X60-X61 - Sinusoidal AUTO
X62-X63 - Stereographic AUTO
X64-X65 - Transverse Mercator AUTO
X66-X67 - Orthographic AUTO
X68-X69 - Equirectangular AUTO
X70-X71 - Lambert Conformal Conic AUTO
X72-X73 - Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area AUTO
X74-X75 - Mercator AUTO
X76-X77 - Albers AUTO
X78-X79 - Oblique Cylindrical Equal Area AUTO
X80-X83 - Mollweide and Robinson AUTO

Where X = NAIF_ID * 100 + code

Example

# Generate IAU 2015 definitions
python create_IAU2000_wkt_v3.py naifcodes_radii_m_wAsteroids_IAU2015.csv iau2015.wkt

# Output to stdout
python create_IAU2000_wkt_v3.py naifcodes_radii_m_wAsteroids_IAU2015.csv

Output Format

#IAU2015 WKT Codes for Mars
49900,GEOGCS["Mars 2015",DATUM["D_Mars_2015",...],AUTHORITY["IAU2015","49900"]]
49901,GEOGCS["Mars 2015",DATUM["D_Mars_2015",...],AUTHORITY["IAU2015","49901"]]
49910,PROJCS["Mars_Equidistant_Cylindrical",...,AUTHORITY["IAU2015","49910"]]
...

Use Cases

Configuring WMS/WCS services for planetary data
Creating custom projections for planetary mapping
Supporting GDAL/MapServer planetary coordinate systems
Generating ESRI .prj files for planetary data

IAU Reports Supported

IAU 2000 - Seidelmann et al. (2002)
IAU 2009 - Archinal et al. (2011)
IAU 2015 - Archinal et al. (2018)

isis3_to_pds4_LOLA_pvl.py

Converts ISIS3 cube labels to PDS4 format using GDAL’s PDS4 driver.

Usage

python isis3_to_pds4_LOLA_pvl.py [options] input.cub output_config.txt

Parameters

input.cub

string

required

Input ISIS3 cube file

output_config.txt

string

required

Output GDAL configuration file for PDS4 conversion

Options

-run

flag

Automatically execute gdal_translate after creating config

-template

string

Path to custom PDS4 XML templateDefault: $GDALDATA/pds4_template.xml

-template custom_template.xml

How It Works

Reads ISIS3 label using Python PVL library
Extracts metadata: target, mission, instrument, product ID
Creates GDAL configuration file with PDS4 variables
Optionally runs gdal_translate to create PDS4 product

Output Files

Generated configuration file contains:

-co VAR_TARGET_TYPE=Satellite
-co VAR_TARGET=MOON
-co VAR_INVESTIGATION_AREA_NAME="LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER"
-co VAR_LOGICAL_IDENTIFIER=LRO_LOLA_DEM
-co VAR_OBSERVING_SYSTEM_NAME=LOLA
-co VAR_TITLE=LRO_LOLA_DEM_TILE_01

Example

# Create config file only
python isis3_to_pds4_LOLA_pvl.py input.cub output.config

# Create config and run conversion
python isis3_to_pds4_LOLA_pvl.py -run input.cub output.config

# Use custom template
python isis3_to_pds4_LOLA_pvl.py -template my_template.xml input.cub output.config

Manual Conversion

After creating config file:

gdal_translate -of PDS4 -co IMAGE_FORMAT=GEOTIFF \
  -co TEMPLATE=pds4_template.xml \
  --optfile output.config \
  input.cub output_pds4.xml

Requirements

Dependencies:

Python 3.x
GDAL 2.2.0+ with PDS4 driver support
PVL library: pip install pvl

# Install PVL library
pip install pvl

# Verify GDAL PDS4 support
gdalinfo --format PDS4

fix_jp2_v2

Corrects GeoJP2 projection keywords for Equirectangular projections (C++ utility).

Purpose

Fixes HiRISE and other JPEG2000 files where CenterLatGeoKey was incorrectly used instead of StandardParallel1GeoKey in Equirectangular projections.

Usage

fix_jp2_v2 targetfile.jp2

Parameters

targetfile.jp2

string

required

Input/output JPEG2000 file to fix (modified in place)

How It Works

Opens the JPEG2000 file
Locates the GeoTIFF metadata section
Changes CenterLatGeoKey tag to StandardParallel1GeoKey
Writes changes (only a few bytes modified)
Does not decompress/recompress imagery

Safety

Version 2 update (Jan 10, 2023):

Skips files already corrected by HiRISE team
Only modifies files that need correction
Always backup files before running

Example

# Backup original file
cp PSP_001234_1234_RED.jp2 PSP_001234_1234_RED.jp2.backup

# Fix projection
fix_jp2_v2 PSP_001234_1234_RED.jp2

# Verify fix
gdalinfo PSP_001234_1234_RED.jp2 | grep -i projection

Compilation

# Linux/Mac
g++ -o fix_jp2_v2 fix_jp2_v2.cpp

# Windows (Visual Studio)
# Open in Visual Studio and build as console application

Use Cases

Fixing older HiRISE JPEG2000 files
Correcting GeoJP2 files with incorrect projection parameters
Batch processing of archived data

Technical Details

Addresses GDAL ticket: http://trac.osgeo.org/gdal/ticket/2706

Common Workflows

Planetary Slope Analysis Workflow

# 1. Calculate baseline slope
python gdal_baseline_slope.py -baseline 5 -ot Byte mars_dem.tif mars_slope.tif

# 2. Generate histogram
python gdal_hist.py -hist mars_slope.tif > mars_slope_hist.txt

# 3. Create visualization
python slope_histogram_cumulative_graph.py -name "Mars Site" \
  mars_slope_hist.txt mars_slope_graph.png

PDS4 Archive Workflow

# 1. Convert to ISIS3 if needed
python Astropedia_gdal2ISIS3.py input.tif temp.cub

# 2. Create PDS4 configuration
python isis3_to_pds4_LOLA_pvl.py temp.cub pds4.config

# 3. Generate PDS4 product
gdal_translate -of PDS4 -co IMAGE_FORMAT=GEOTIFF \
  --optfile pds4.config temp.cub output_pds4.xml

Requirements

All planetary scripts require:

Python 2.7+ or Python 3.x (varies by script)
GDAL/OGR Python bindings
Script-specific dependencies (NumPy, SciPy, pvl)

Author

Developed by Trent Hare and contributors at USGS Astrogeology Science Center.

License

Public domain (Unlicense) unless otherwise specified.

Getting Started

Core Utilities

Planetary Processing

Specialized Tools

Script Reference

​Planetary-Specific Scripts

​gdal_baseline_slope.py

​Usage

​Parameters

​Options

​Slope Calculation Methods

​Horn’s Method (Default)

​Baseline Method

​Byte Output Scaling

​Example

​Cropping Behavior

​Requirements

​create_IAU2000_wkt_v3.py

​Usage

​Parameters

​Input CSV Format

​Generated Coordinate Systems

​Geographic Systems

​Static Projections

​AUTO Projections (Variable Center)

​Example

​Output Format

​Use Cases

​IAU Reports Supported

​isis3_to_pds4_LOLA_pvl.py

​Usage

​Parameters

​Options

​How It Works

​Output Files

​Example

​Manual Conversion

​Requirements

​fix_jp2_v2

​Purpose

​Usage

​Parameters

​How It Works

​Safety

​Example

​Compilation

​Use Cases

​Technical Details

​Common Workflows

​Planetary Slope Analysis Workflow

​PDS4 Archive Workflow

​Requirements

​Author

​License

Planetary-Specific Scripts

gdal_baseline_slope.py

Usage

Parameters

Options

Slope Calculation Methods

Horn’s Method (Default)

Baseline Method

Byte Output Scaling

Example

Cropping Behavior

Requirements

create_IAU2000_wkt_v3.py

Usage

Parameters

Input CSV Format

Generated Coordinate Systems

Geographic Systems

Static Projections

AUTO Projections (Variable Center)

Example

Output Format

Use Cases

IAU Reports Supported

isis3_to_pds4_LOLA_pvl.py

Usage

Parameters

Options

How It Works

Output Files

Example

Manual Conversion

Requirements

fix_jp2_v2

Purpose

Usage

Parameters

How It Works

Safety

Example

Compilation

Use Cases

Technical Details

Common Workflows

Planetary Slope Analysis Workflow

PDS4 Archive Workflow

Requirements

Author

License