Satpy’s Documentation

Satpy is a python library for reading, manipulating, and writing data from remote-sensing earth-observing satellite instruments. Satpy provides users with readers that convert geophysical parameters from various file formats to the common Xarray DataArray and Dataset classes for easier interoperability with other scientific python libraries. Satpy also provides interfaces for creating RGB (Red/Green/Blue) images and other composite types by combining data from multiple instrument bands or products. Various atmospheric corrections and visual enhancements are provided for improving the usefulness and quality of output images. Output data can be written to multiple output file formats such as PNG, GeoTIFF, and CF standard NetCDF files. Satpy also allows users to resample data to geographic projected grids (areas). Satpy is maintained by the open source Pytroll group.

The Satpy library acts as a high-level abstraction layer on top of other libraries maintained by the Pytroll group including:

• pyresample

• pyspectral

• trollimage

• pycoast

• pydecorate

• python-geotiepoints

• pyninjotiff

Go to the Satpy project page for source code and downloads.

Satpy is designed to be easily extendable to support any earth observation satellite by the creation of plugins (readers, compositors, writers, etc). The table at the bottom of this page shows the input formats supported by the base Satpy installation.

Note

Satpy’s interfaces are not guaranteed stable and may change until version 1.0 when backwards compatibility will be a main focus.

Changed in version 0.20.0: Dropped Python 2 support.

• Overview
  • Scene
  • DataArrays
  • Reading
  • Compositing
  • Resampling
  • Enhancements
  • Writing
• Installation Instructions
  • Conda-based Installation
  • Pip-based Installation
  • Ubuntu System Python Installation
• Configuration
  • Settings
  • Component Configuration
• Downloading Data
  • NOAA GOES on Amazon Web Services
  • NOAA GOES on Google Cloud Platform
  • NOAA CLASS
  • NASA VIIRS Atmosphere SIPS
  • EUMETSAT Data Center
• Examples
• Quickstart
  • Loading and accessing data
  • Calculating measurement values and navigation coordinates
  • Visualizing data
  • Creating new datasets
  • Generating composites
  • Resampling
  • Saving to disk
  • Slicing and subsetting scenes
  • Troubleshooting
• Readers
  • Available Readers
  • Filter loaded files
  • Load data
  • Load remote data
  • Search for local/remote files
  • Metadata
  • Coordinates
  • Adding a Reader to Satpy
  • Implemented readers
• Reading remote files
  • Using a single reader
  • Using multiple readers
  • Caching the remote files
  • Resources
• Composites
  • Built-in Compositors
  • Creating composite configuration files
  • Enhancing the images
  • Modifiers
• Resampling
  • Resampling algorithms
  • Resampling for comparison and composites
  • Caching for geostationary data
  • Create custom area definition
  • Create dynamic area definition
  • Store area definitions
• Enhancements
  • Built-in enhancement methods
• Writers
  • Available Writers
  • Colorizing and Palettizing using user-supplied colormaps
  • Saving multiple Scenes in one go
• MultiScene (Experimental)
  • MultiScene Creation
  • Blending Scenes in MultiScene
  • Saving frames of an animation
  • Saving multiple scenes
  • Combining multiple readers
• Developer’s Guide
  • How to contribute
  • Migrating to xarray and dask
  • Adding a Custom Reader to Satpy
  • Adding remote file support to a reader
  • Extending Satpy via plugins
  • Satpy internal workings: having a look under the hood
  • Auxiliary Data Download
  • Coding guidelines
  • Development installation
  • Running tests
  • Running benchmarks
  • Documentation

• Satpy API
• FAQ
• Release Notes
• Security Policy

Satpy Readers

Description	Reader name	Status	fsspec support
GOES-R ABI imager Level 1b data in netcdf format	abi_l1b	Nominal	True
SCMI ABI L1B in netCDF4 format	abi_l1b_scmi	Beta	False
GOES-R ABI Level 2 products in netCDF4 format	abi_l2_nc	Beta	True
FY-4A AGRI L1 data in HDF5 format	agri_l1	Beta	False
Himawari (8 + 9) AHI Level 1 (HRIT)	ahi_hrit	Nominal	False
Himawari (8 + 9) AHI Level 1b (HSD)	ahi_hsd	Nominal	False
Himawari (8 + 9) AHI Level 1b (gridded)	ahi_l1b_gridded_bin	Nominal	False
GCOM-W1 AMSR2 data in HDF5 format	amsr2_l1b	Nominal	False
GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Level 2 (HDF5)	amsr2_l2	Beta	False
GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Level 2 GAASP (NetCDF4)	amsr2_l2_gaasp	Beta	False
AAPP L1C AMSU-B format	amsub_l1c_aapp	Beta	False
METOP ASCAT Level 2 SOILMOISTURE BUFR	ascat_l2_soilmoisture_bufr	Defunct	False
NOAA 15 to 19, Metop A to C AVHRR data in AAPP format	avhrr_l1b_aapp	Nominal	False
Metop A to C AVHRR in native level 1 format	avhrr_l1b_eps	Nominal	False
NOAA 15 to 19 AVHRR data in raw HRPT format	avhrr_l1b_hrpt	Alpha	False
EUMETCSAT GAC FDR NetCDF4	avhrr_l1c_eum_gac_fdr_nc	Defunct	False
Electro-L N2 MSU-GS data in HRIT format	electrol_hrit	Nominal	False
MTG FCI L2 data in netCDF4 format	fci_l2_nc	Alpha	False
Generic Images e.g. GeoTIFF	generic_image	Nominal	False
Sentinel-3 SLSTR SST data in netCDF4 format	ghrsst_l2	Beta	False
GOES-R GLM Level 2	glm_l2	Beta	False
GOES Imager Level 1 (HRIT)	goes-imager_hrit	Nominal	False
GOES Imager Level 1 (netCDF)	goes-imager_nc	Beta	False
GPM IMERG level 3 precipitation data in HDF5 format	gpm_imerg	Nominal	False
HY-2B Scatterometer level 2b data in HDF5 format from both EUMETSAT and NSOAS	hy2_scat_l2b_h5	Beta	False
IASI Level 2 data in HDF5 format	iasi_l2	Alpha	False
METOP IASI Level 2 SO2 in BUFR format	iasi_l2_so2_bufr	Beta	False
MTSAT-1R JAMI Level 1 data in JMA HRIT format	jami_hrit	Beta	False
AAPP MAIA VIIRS and AVHRR products in HDF5 format	maia	Nominal	False
AAPP L1C in MHS format	mhs_l1c_aapp	Nominal	False
MiRS Level 2 Precipitation and Surface Swath Product Reader in netCDF4 format	mirs	Beta	False
Sentinel-2 A and B MSI data in SAFE format	msi_safe	Nominal	False
Arctica-M (N1) MSU-GS/A data in HDF5 format	msu_gsa_l1b	Beta	False
MTSAT-2 Imager Level 1 data in JMA HRIT format	mtsat2-imager_hrit	Beta	False
MFG (Meteosat 2 to 7) MVIRI data in netCDF format (FIDUCEO FCDR)	mviri_l1b_fiduceo_nc	Beta	False
NWCSAF GEO 2016 products in netCDF4 format (limited to SEVIRI)	nwcsaf-geo	Alpha	False
NWCSAF GEO 2013 products in HDF5 format (limited to SEVIRI)	nwcsaf-msg2013-hdf5	Defunct	False
NWCSAF PPS 2014, 2018 products in netCDF4 format	nwcsaf-pps_nc	Alpha, only standard swath based ouput supported (remapped netCDF and CPP products not supported yet)	False
Sentinel-3 A and B OLCI Level 1B data in netCDF4 format	olci_l1b	Nominal	True
Sentinel-3 A and B OLCI Level 2 data in netCDF4 format	olci_l2	Nominal	True
OMPS EDR data in HDF5 format	omps_edr	Beta	False
SAR Level 2 OCN data in SAFE format	safe_sar_l2_ocn	Defunct	False
Sentinel-1 A and B SAR-C data in SAFE format	sar-c_safe	Nominal	False
Reader for CF conform netCDF files written with Satpy	satpy_cf_nc	Nominal	False
MSG SEVIRI Level 1b (HRIT)	seviri_l1b_hrit	Nominal	True
MSG (Meteosat 8 to 11) SEVIRI data in native format	seviri_l1b_native	Nominal	False
MSG SEVIRI Level 1b NetCDF4	seviri_l1b_nc	Beta, HRV channel not supported	True
MSG (Meteosat 8 to 11) Level 2 products in BUFR format	seviri_l2_bufr	Alpha, AMV BUFR products not supported yet	False
MSG (Meteosat 8 to 11) Level 2 products in GRIB2 format	seviri_l2_grib	Nominal	False
Sentinel-3 A and B SLSTR data in netCDF4 format	slstr_l1b	Alpha	False
Vaisala Global Lightning Dataset GLD360 data in ASCII format	vaisala_gld360	Beta	False
SNPP VIIRS SDR data in HDF5 Compact format	viirs_compact	Nominal	False
SNPP VIIRS data in HDF5 SDR format	viirs_sdr	Nominal	False

Note

Status description:

Defunct

Most likely the reader is not functional. If it is there is a good chance of bugs and/or performance problems (e.g. not ported to dask/xarray yet). Future development is unclear. Users are encouraged to contribute (see section How to contribute and/or get help on Slack or by opening a Github issue).

Alpha

This denotes early development status. Reader is functional and implements some or all of the nominal features. There might be bugs. Exactness of results is not be guaranteed. Use at your own risk.

Beta

This denotes final developement status. Reader is functional and implements all nominal features. Results should be dependable but there might be bugs. Users are actively encouraged to test and report bugs.

Nominal

This denotes a finished status. Reader is functional and most likely no new features will be introduced. It has been tested and there are no known bugs.

Indices and tables

• Index

• Module Index

• Search Page