ICESat/GLAS Data Produced in a Self-Describing Format (HDF5)

Throughout the life of the NASA ICESat mission and beyond, ICESat/GLAS data have been distributed in binary format by the National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC). These data have been extremely popular but not always conducive for all users to work with due to their binary format. Recently, with releases 33 and 34, GLAS data sets have also been produced in HDF5 format, providing data users with an alternative option for data analysis and visualization. HDF5 is a self-describing data format, supporting complex data relationships via n-dimensional data sets. HDF5 is also compatible with many open source tools including HDFView, which allows you to easily browse the tree structure of each file and view the data as a table or image. Many other popular software programs and languages including MATLAB, Python, and ArcGIS support HDF5 file format, making it a versatile option depending on how you use GLAS data in your research. Additionally, the NSIDC DAAC has been able to provide more services for GLAS HDF5 data, including spatial and temporal subsetting, file stitching, and the much sought after parameter subsetting, through the NASA Reverb search and order tool.