This page showcases available planetary data software and tools. This list is not exhaustive and will be updated as new resources are developed or decommissioned.
If a resource meets the criteria for listing (see below), please contact hq-pde@mail.nasa.gov. Being listed on this site does not imply an endorsement by NASA or the U.S. Government.
Software and Tools
| Title | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| MARSTHERM | MARSTHERM is a suite of thermophysical analysis tools developed by Mars researchers at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona and other institutions. |
https://marstherm.psi.edu/ |
| Multi-Mission Geographic Information System | Created by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Multi-Mission Geographic Information System (MMGIS) is an open-source web-based mapping interface for planetary bodies. |
https://nasa-ammos.github.io/MMGIS/ |
| NASA Application Research Toolbox | NASA’s Application Research Toolbox (ART) is a collection of computer programs that implement algorithms and parametric mathematical models for simulating remote sensing systems, developed in MATLAB. |
https://software.nasa.gov/software/SSC-00181 |
| NASA GitHub | NASA’s GitHub repository allows public access to a variety of open-source software developed for NASA science applications. |
https://github.com/nasa |
| NASA Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility SPICE Toolkit | NASA's Planetary Data System Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) offers NASA flight projects and NASA funded researchers the SPICE (Spacecraft, Planet, Instrument, C-matrix, Events) observation geometry information system to assist in planning and interpreting observations from instruments aboard planetary spacecraft. |
https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/toolkit.html |
| NASA Planetary Data System Software | NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS) Software GitHub repository includes open-source software for generating PDS archives and processing and analyzing PDS-archived data. |
https://github.com/NASA-PDS |
| NASA Planetary Science GitHub | The NASA Planetary Science GitHub is the recommended repository for software developed through research projects funded by NASA's Planetary Science Division (PSD), and especially research projects under ROSES Appendix C.1. |
https://github.com/nasa-planetary-science |
| OpenCraterTool | An open-source extension for QGIS (Quantum Geographic Information System), the OpenCraterTool enables a map projection-independent measurement of crater sizes as a basis for comparing craters and accurately dating planetary surfaces. |
https://github.com/thomasheyer/OpenCraterTool |
| Open Data Repository | The Open Data Repository's Data Publisher allows researchers and the general public to create database structures and publish data on the web using a drag-and-drop form designer. |
https://www.opendatarepository.org/ |
| Open Mission Control Technologies | Developed by NASA’s Ames Research Center, Open MCT (Mission Control Technologies) is a web-based mission operations data visualization framework for desktop and mobile. |
https://nasa.github.io/openmct/ |
Criteria for Listing
Software and tools are considered for listing on this website based on the following criteria:
- Funded by the NASA Planetary Science Division, or funded by another division within the NASA Science Mission Directorate and significantly useful to planetary scientists.
- Software and tools that are not NASA-funded may be included if deemed significantly scientifically useful and available at no cost.
- Resource is publicly available.
- Software is mature in development, as demonstrated by a large user base or a release version number of 1.0 or greater.
- Desired criteria include:
- Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is provided so this resource can be cited and the author given proper credit.
- Software (and data, if relevant) license is clearly indicated.
- Documentation regarding the functionality of the software, installation requirements, how to site the software, and user guide is available.
- Code of Conduct and guidelines for how to make contributions are included. This may include a note that the project is not currently accepting contributions. This may also include what users can expect when asking questions and requesting support for the software project.
- Contact information is provided for questions or support.
Search for NASA Science Data
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) provides web tools to search across all of NASA’s science data, publications, software, and resources.
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Science Explorer (SciX)
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