August 21, 2020

HYCOM data download and visualization

The HYCOM database is an oceanic reanalysis dataset often used for open boundary conditions in oceanic circulation models. The Netcdf handling tool of xhycom was developed to facilitate the OPeNDAP download and visualization of Netcdf data using xarray. Data visualization includes creation of still images and time-series movies with matplotlib while interactive visualization with hvPlot. Jupyter Notebook on xhycom may help you to understand how to use it. In terms of visualization, matplotlib is superior in terms of ease of fine tuning and speed, which is better for printed materials. On the other hand, hvPlot is useful for checking values and understanding phenomena interactively; but it is slower.