General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO)

Software interface

Bathymetry of the Indian Ocean as displayed through the GDA software interface. ©

GEBCO Digital Atlas

The GEBCO Digital Atlas Software Interface (GDA) has been developed to run on a PC operating under Microsoft Windows 95 or later. It is controlled by a series of drop-down menus and toolbar buttons.

The software interface provides the user with wide-ranging facilities for displaying, querying and exporting data from the various data sets contained in the GDA.

The current release of the GDA Software Interface is version 2.12 and is available to download from our software updates section. This release includes new features including the options to

• display and access data from the GEBCO_08 and GEBCO One Minute Grid.
• export the gridded data in an ASCII form suitable for conversion to an ESRI raster file.

Find out more about version 2.12 of the GDA Software Interface (42 KB)

Features of the GDA Software Interface

• Bathymetric contours can be selected from either the GEBCO chart series or, in the case of the Mediterranean, the International Bathymetric Chart of the Mediterranean (IBCM) First Edition.
• The GEBCO One Minute Grid and GEBCO_08 Grid can be displayed with colour coding according to depth/elevation as selected by the user.
• Export the vector and gridded data sets into your own files. This can be done in either DXF format, ESRI Shapefile format or as a simple ASCII file for vector data. The gridded data can be exported in netCDF or simple ASCII formats, including an ASCII format which can be converted to an ESRI raster file. Find out more about export formats.
• Choice of resolution for World Vector Shoreline (WVS) and Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) coastline of Antarctica, including automatic option.
• Choice of five map projections — Equidistant Cylindrical, Mercator, Miller Cylindrical, Lambert Cylindrical Equal-Area and Polar Stereographic.
• Display your own file(s) of data points in the map display area — available in versions 2.12 and 2.0 of the GDA Software Interface.
• Select your geographic area of interest either by chart number, by latitude and longitude limits, or by an on-screen zoom box.
• Zoom into and pan across your selected area. In versions 2.12 and 2.0 of the GDA Software Interface a 'magnified view' window is available to display the area under the cursor as if viewed through a magnifying lens.
• Overlay a geographic grid for reference.
• Select/de-select contours and assign depth colours.
• Cursor query on contour depths.
• Current cursor position constantly displayed in geographic coordinates.
• Overlay tracklines and survey boxes.
• Query survey boxes for source information.
• Overlay tracklines showing data held at the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Data Centre for Digital Bathymetry.
• Display symbols for named undersea features, ports and oceanic islands. Cursor query on symbol will reveal name and supporting documentation. In versions 2.12 and 2.0 of the GDA Software Interface the option is available to display the feature name text for single and two point features from the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)/ Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Gazetteer of Geographic Names of Undersea Features.
  

Find out more — view sample images produced from the GDA data sets using the GDA Software Interface.

Related GEBCO Digital Atlas pages at BODC

Related GEBCO project pages at BODC

Related external links