Panoply netCDF, HDF and GRIB Data Viewer

About

Panoply netCDF, HDF and GRIB Data Viewer is a cross-platform application, running on Macintosh, Windows, Linux and other desktop computers, that plots geo-referenced and other arrays from netCDF, HDF, GRIB, and other datasets. It requires a compatible Java 11 (or later) JRE or JDK to be installed. The current version is 5.10.2, released 2026-10-01.

With Panoply you can create color contour plots of geo-referenced latitude-longitude, latitude-vertical, longitude-vertical, time-latitude or time-vertical arrays, as well as generic 2D arrays and line plots from 1D or larger variables. Two geo-referenced arrays can be combined in one plot by differencing, summing or averaging, and lon-lat data can be plotted on global or regional maps using any of over 200 map projections or as a zonal average line plot. Trajectory data can be mapped based on the CF convention or similar, and continent outlines or masks can be overlaid on lon-lat maps. Color tables can be chosen from numerous built-in options or custom ACT, CPT, or RGB tables.

Plots can be saved as GIF, JPEG, PNG or TIFF bitmaps, or as PDF, PostScript or SVG graphics, and lon-lat maps can be exported in KMZ format. The app can open remote netCDF and HDF datasets over HTTP/HTTPS or from S3 buckets, explore remote THREDDS and OPeNDAP catalogs, and export animations as MP4 video or as individual frame images. The page is published by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and bug reports and feature requests go to Dr. Robert Schmunk.