Adding GIS functionality to specialized analysis programs for remote sensing data: Gravsoft and the busstop project

A library of handling and visualization routines for satellite radar altimetry, and other kinds of geodata, is presented. The main idea is to provide GIS functionality for specialized scientific analysis programs, i.e. typically limited size Fortran programs, written with a very specific task in mind. The library, named busstop, combines the spatial data handling and visualization of a traditional GIS with temporal data handling and visualization, enabling the work with dynamic phenomena, busstop is able to integrate with the analysis programs at several levels due to its design goal of adapting to the native file format of an existing program, rather than prescribing the use of a specific format. Despite still being under development, elements of busstop have already succesfully been put into real use. Current work aims at providing a more complete spatio-temporal GIS environment by integrating busstop with the altimetry/gravimetry analysis package Gravsoft.